Heading into the season, having a small roster was going to be an issue for the Fresno State lacrosse team.

After starting with a squad of 34, that number was trimmed to 18 as members of the team either sat out because of the COVID-19 pandemic or transferred as a result of the program getting cut in October.

And in Friday night’s 14-12 loss against Cal, the team’s fatigue and lack of players was shown.

“We did tire out a little bit,” Concheck said. “That’s something that we’re continually having to manage and adapt our style of play. A lot of times we do play better in the second half, but today we ran out of gas a little bit.”

After being outscored 40-19 in their two previous games, Fresno State seemed to have found their groove in the first half versus Cal. At halftime, both teams were tied at 8. But the Bulldogs just couldn’t keep up with Cal’s numbers. The Golden Bears went on to score four unanswered goals to begin the second half and held on to the lead for the rest of the game.

Cal’s Ashley Ward scored within the first minute of the game, giving the Bears an early advantage. But not too long after, Krats scored to tie up the game.

Hannah Krats had a big role for the Bulldogs early in the game. After Cal scored two more goals to lead 3-1 in the first half, Krats knotted up two more goals to tie the game.­

Within the first six minutes of the game, she recorded three goals.

“Hannah Krats is one of the most dominant lacrosse players on the field,” Concheck said. “Not only is she one of the most explosive, athletic and agile athletes, she is the most dynamic.”

After Olivia Dey scored to put Cal back up, 4-3, freshmen Logann Eldredge scored two straight goals within 20 seconds to put Fresno State up 5-4.

The first half was back-and-forth. Kaia Evans scored to tie the game up at 5, then Mason put Cal up, 6-5.

But Fresno State responded with two unanswered goals by Hennessey Evans and Sydney Skalstad. The Bulldogs regained the lead, 7-6. But again, Cal’s Maya Lawliss and Marrisa Kuberra made a pair of goals before Skalstad scored to tie the game at 8.

However, the Bulldogs never gave up. 

After being down 12-9 with 13:03, Fresno State began a two-goal rally. Hannah Etheridge scored off an assist from Sydney Skalstad. With 8:29 left, Krats scored her fourth goal of the game to put Fresno State in a 12-10 deficit.

But Cal ended the Bulldogs’ rally when Quinnlyn Mason was awarded a free position shot after being fouled, a call the Bulldogs visibly disagreed with.

Despite the call, the Bulldogs managed to score two more goals by the end of the night, finishing with a score of 12-10. Despite the roster numbers, Concheck said her team still displayed that Bulldog fight. 

“We play with a lot of heart, fight and passion,” Concheck said. “It’s a really special culture that we’ve created, and we promote that player-led leadership initiatives where they establish what matters to them. We want to hang with these big schools regardless of how many numbers we have.”

Fresno State’s next game will be Saturday, March 13 against UC Davis at 2 p.m.