The BYU lacrosse team traveled to Minnesota on March 16 for a weekend triple-header against Wisconsin, Minnesota-Duluth and Minnesota State.
The Cougars, currently ranked No. 3 in the MCLA standings and No. 1 in the Rocky Mountain Conference, finished 3-0 on the weekend, defeating each opponent by large margins and improving their season record to an impressive 9-1.
On March 16, BYU defeated the University of Wisconsin Badgers 21-9.
BYU took control of the game early, outscoring Wisconsin 6-4 in the first quarter. The Cougars maintained the momentum throughout the game, allowing only five goals in the second, third and fourth quarters combined.
Senior attacker Ted Ferrin led the Cougars with six goals and one assist, followed by senior attacker Chris Gunderson, who turned in three goals. Senior midfielder Andrew Harding, junior midfielder Jake Ferrin and freshman attacker Christian Taylor all chipped in two goals apiece.
According to head coach Matt Schneck, the team went through some changes prior to this weekend’s games but still performed very well.
“Before we left for Minnesota we had made a few adjustments with the team, so we were very happy with how the guys executed,” Schneck said. “We had three tough games while we were in Minnesota and we did extremely well in all three of them.”
Schneck said the coaching staff was most concerned with the team’s speed and the tempo at which they were playing.
“Specifically, we were concerned about the speed of our game, so we made some adjustments to our offensive and defensive teams to try and quick the game and that worked out really well,” Schneck said. “We made a few personnel changes, putting people in positions we thought would be a little more productive. … Overall we feel like we did a good job executing.”
On March 17, BYU defeated the No. 15 University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs, 16-8.
The Cougars outscored the Bulldogs in all but the second quarter. Ferrin again led the team with four goals. Gunderson contributed two goals and one assist.
On March 19, BYU completed its weekend sweep with a 29-9 victory over the Minnesota State Mavericks.
The Cougars outscored the Mavericks by at least three goals in every quarter and outscored them by seven (8-1) in the second quarter. Once again, Ferrin led the Cougar attack with six goals. Ferrin also broke BYU’s records for single points in a game and career points during Monday’s game.
Schneck said Ferrin is not only vital to the Cougars’ performance, but is also a leader both on and off the field.
“Ted has been a leader on our team for three years … He was elected as a captain as a sophomore and he’s been a captain now for three years,” Schneck said. “He does a great job of leading the team on and off the field. We’ve determined that his leadership style and the way that he leads the team is perfect for what the team needs at this time. We’re just really glad that he’s having such a successful season.”
BYU will be in action again on March 24 as it hosts Oregon.
