BYU lacrosse wins in close game against Arizona State

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A BYU players makes a move in a game last season. The Cougars defeated Arizona State 8-7. (Universe Archives)
A BYU players makes a move in a game last season. The Cougars defeated Arizona State 8-7. (Universe Archives)

BYU men’s lacrosse beat Arizona State 8-7 on Saturday night.

The two teams evenly exchanged goals throughout the first half. The first quarter concluded in a 1-1 tie. Midway through the second quarter ASU was penalized for a high hit that gave BYU a man-up advantage for two minutes. BYU scored twice in that time period to bring the score to 4-2. ASU’s offense didn’t relent for the rest of the half, however, as the teams exchanged goals again to bring the score to 6-4.

BYU struggled to maintain their lead in the second half. Arizona State scored quickly after a face off and then again minutes later. It was tied 6-6 before Max Neser scored on an open goal to bring the Cougars up again. The Devils responded with another goal to bring it back to a tie 7-7 to conclude the third quarter.

Midway through the fourth quarter the Cougars brought their lead up again 8-7 with a goal from Andrew McKiney, which would prove to be the winning goal. BYU maintained their lead and sealed their win with tough defense and 19 saves from goalie Matt Brandenburg.

“Our team stayed hungry the whole night,” Brandenburg said. “We had to finish the game a man down and we were able to stop them. It came down to heart.”

Midfielder Max Neser said their recent close game with Chapman helped them stay in the game.

“Arizona State is a really good team,” Neser said. “Our experience with Chapman really helped, though, since that game was down to the wire too. We knew how to handle ourselves under the pressure.”

BYU head coach Matt Schneck said he was happy that the Cougars could come out of this tough game with a win.

“You’re always very happy when you get to the end of the game and you realize things could go either way,” Schneck said. “This wasn’t a pretty win. It wasn’t a game where our offense was coming together. But we still came out with the win and we can be proud of that.”

BYU will next play Idaho at home Monday, March 14.

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