BYU lacrosse defeated Westminster College 13–8, breaking the team's two-game losing streak.
The Cougars started the game off strong against the Griffins, scoring the first goal in the first minute of the game and scoring again in the fourth minute. However, the Griffins didn't yield to the Cougars' intensity, scoring two goals in the first quarter compared to BYU's three.
Jake Arbon steals the ball and runs down the field against New Mexico. BYU's offense scored 13 goals against Westminster Saturday. (Photo by Sarah Hill)
'Overall this was a good game,' BYU coach Matt Schneck said. 'The speed was good today, and we really picked up the intensity.'
In the second quarter the intensity kept building as BYU outscored Westminster 3–1, and BYU had a 6–3 lead at the half. BYU and Westminster scored one goal a piece in the third quarter, bringing the game into the final quarter at 7–4, with BYU in the lead. The final quarter went back and forth as the Cougars and the Griffins exchanged goals multiple times. BYU scored six goals, and Westminster scored four. BYU came out on top, defeating the Westminster Griffins by five points.
'We weren't perfect today, but we had a good week of practice and a good game,' sophomore attackman Mike Fabrizio said. 'We were more intense, and we went back to being the tougher team.'
BYU has the toughest schedule in the nation, having faced seven of the top 10 teams in the country. The Cougars are 12–3 this season with two of their three losses against the top two teams in the nation. BYU hasn't lost a game this season where it has scored more than 10 points.
'We did good bouncing back from a two-game loss,' junior captain Rob Ostler said. 'We are progressing to the point where we can have a full four-quarter game.'
The lacrosse team has two more games in the regular season until the playoffs. The Cougars are likely to face teams that handed them their losses during playoffs.
BYU will finish the regular season with two last home games against the University of Rhode Island and the University of Utah Friday and Saturday, April 26 and 27 on North Field.