Woodbury boys lacrosse: Alberts joins Bison

Woodbury star attacker Ben Alberts will be joining North Dakota State University next year.

The NDSU men’s lacrosse team announced on Wednesday, July 27, that the 2011 Woodbury High School graduate and Mr. Lacrosse finalist will join the team as part of the Bison’s 2012 recruiting class.

Alberts, who played varsity for Woodbury since eighth grade, is one of the leading scorers in the history of Minnesota lacrosse.

The past two seasons for the Royals, Alberts totaled 137 points (a 5.25 points per game average).

“We truly lucked out getting Ben,” NDSU head coach Zach Bosh said in a release from the school. “He was the last addition to our recruiting class. His accomplishments in high school are impressive, but I feel his game is only going to get better with more talent around him. He will definitely be a spark for us this year.”

In Alberts’ senior year, he led Woodbury in scoring with 72 points on 35 goals and 37 assists, helping the Royals reach the Section 5 semifinals for the first time in school history. Woodbury finished 7-9 overall and 4-2 in the Suburban East Conference, which was good for a tie with Stillwater in second place behind Mounds View.

Men’s lacrosse is a club sport at NDSU. The Bison play in the Upper Midwest Lacrosse League during the regular season and compete in the MCLA’s Division II tournament.

NDSU compiled an 11-4 overall record in 2011, including a 6-1 mark in the UMLL, and reached the national tournament. The Bison lost 10-8 to Savannah College of Art and Design in the first round.

“A lot of effort went into getting all of these skilled players,” Bosh said. “Last season was a breakout year for our program and we wanted to make sure that we were not a one-year hiccup on the national scene. Last season we were deeper then we have ever been before and it showed in our play. This season we will have true depth. This class will help us to reach our goal of a National Championship."

Tags: sports, lacrosse, prep, royals, woodbury, updates