BYU lacrosse faces off against Westminster College this weekend after two back-to-back defeats at home.
The Cougars and the Grriffins have faced each other on three other occasions, and each time BYU has come out victorious. This season Westminster is 10–3 and more than half the team has scored at least one goal. The Griffins also have six players who have scored more than 20 goals and two players who have scored over 30. This high-powered offense has racked up 216 points, which averages to more than 16 points a game.
The lacrosse team faces its fans before a game begins at North Field this season. BYU faces Westminster College on Saturday. (Photo by Elliiott Miller)
'We have been focusing a lot on tempo this week,' sophomore midfielder Zach Jordan said. 'We've been making sure we keep things fast pace.'
The Cougars have scored 173 points this season, with Mike Fabrizio and Mickell Walker scoring more than 60 goals between the two of them. BYU's defense also proves to be effective, having allowed only 100 goals in 14 games. Westminster averages 16 a game, but the Cougars rock hard defense averages, only allowing about 7 goals against them.
'We have a very talented defense,' BYU coach Matt Schneck said. 'We had to take a look at ourselves and see what to adjust. Our opponents found weaknesses, so we had to find them too and work on those too.'
This will be a challenging game for the Cougars, who are coming off two back-to-back losses at home against the two best teams in the nation. BYU has three more regular season games, including this weekends' game against Westminster, before entering the tournament.
'We have played seven of the top-10 teams in the country, and we are one of those top teams,' Schneck said. 'We have the hardest schedule in the nation, and it is all in preparation for the post season.'
BYU faces off with Westminster College Saturday at 4:00 p.m. in Salt Lake City at Dumke Field.