The Florida State Seminoles began their 2008 campaign with a 19-8 victory over the Savannah College of Art & Design Bees. After a slow start, the Seminoles rallied to outscore the Bees 11-2 during the second half. Sophomore attackman Matt Jankowski led the scoring for the Noles with 3 goals and 6 assists. The Bees led 3-2 at the end of the first quarter on goals from Erik Elmquist (1 goal), Pete Callahan (2 g), and Stew Yost (2 g). Seminole attackman Matt Jankowski (3g, 6a) tallied one goal and four assists during the second quarter, as the Noles scored 6 goals to take an 8-6 lead into halftime. Seminole Head Coach Bill Harkins was not pleased with the way his team began the game. "We were not ready to play in the first half," he admitted, "but we were more prepared to play the second half after making some halftime adjustments." Those halftime adjustments had an immediate impact, as the Seminoles outscored the Bees 5-0 during the third quarter. Freshman attackman Tyler Richey (2 g) scored the first two goals of his Seminole career to start the half, and junior defenseman Myles Somerville led the defense to a much-improved quarter. Junior Corey Noonan (6g, 1a) scored 2 of his 6 goals in the fourth quarter, as the Seminoles closed out the game by outscoring the Bees 6-2 in the final fifteen minutes. Jankowski (3g, 6a) capped off his big day with his sixth assist midway through the fourth quarter. Senior midfielder Nick Geppert (2g, 1a) offered praise for Jankowski’s performance. "We’re going to need people to elevate their game this year, and he’s (Jankowski) really done that for us. Last year, he was a good role player for us, but this year, I think he’s going to be one of our leading scorers." Several freshmen earned their first points of their Florida State careers, including Jon Yates (2g), Tyler Richey (2g), Daniel Supraner (2g), Nick Calabro (2a), Dennis McSweeney (1g), and Craig Richards (1a). The Seminoles are excited about the impact that this year’s freshman class can make. Asked about the team’s performance, Noonan praised the younger Noles. "We’re young this year, but these guys have come in and worked hard enough to make an impact for us. The season’s early, but I saw a lot of promising things today. Wins are always a positive, and today we showed that we have some depth this year." Harkins was impressed with the Bees’ performance. "We thought SCAD was much improved from last year," he said, "and they played tough for 60 minutes. In particular, we were very impressed with (SCAD Long-stick midfielder) Erik Elmquist. He could play just about anywhere." While pleased with his team’s effort, Harkins sees a need for the Seminoles to elevate their play. "Our guys worked hard, but we need to improve," he said, "right now, we’re still struggling to find the right mix of players." The Seminoles will try to find that mix of players in time for Saturday’s game against the Miami Hurricanes. The game is scheduled for 1 p.m. on February 9th at Harkins Field in Tallahassee. For more information on Florida State Lacrosse, please visit FSULacrosse.com GAME STATISTICS Score by Period 1 2 3 4 TOTAL ————————————————- FSU…………………. 2 6 5 6 – 19 SCAD………………. 3 3 0 2 – 8 FSU SCORING: GOALS: Noonan 6 Jankowski 3, Geppert 2, Yates 2, Richey 2, D. Supraner 2, Partridge 1, McSweeney 1. ASSISTS: Jankowski 6, Calabro 2, Noonan 1, Geppert 1, Partridge 1, Siegel 1, Richards 1, Sjogren 1. SCAD SCORING: GOALS: Yost 2, Healy 2, Callahan 2, Gray 1, Elmquist 1. ASSISTS: Healy 3. Shots by Period 1 2 3 4 TOTAL ————————————————— FSU…………………. 7 12 14 14 – 47 SCAD………………. 6 6 4 2 – 18 Ground Balls by Period 1 2 3 4 TOTAL ———————————————————- FSU………………………… 14 18 9 6 – 37 SCAD……………………… 1 10 2 3 – 16 Faceoffs by Period 1 2 3 4 TOTAL ————————————————– FSU…………………….. 2 6 3 5 – 16 SCAD………………….. 4 4 3 4 – 15 Saves, Goals Against ———————————— FSU: Heiman 8, 7; Beckett 0, 1 SCAD: Degirmerci 10, 19 Extra Man Opportunities —————————- FSU: 2 for 4 SCAD: 1 for 7
