One week after suffering a loss to No. 1 Utah Valley, it was clear the Cougars wanted to get back to their winning ways.
No. 2 BYU defeated Colorado 12-11 and Colorado State 20-9 on a weekend trip to Colorado.
However, BYU’s final away games of the regular season were not without drama, with Colorado seeking to beat BYU to secure a spot in the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Conference (RMLC) playoffs and Colorado State looking for a statement win on Senior Night.
Recently, the games between BYU and Colorado have come down to the wire.
In the last three meetings between Colorado and BYU, the games have been decided by one point. During the 2025 regular season meeting, Colorado defeated BYU in Provo 12-11. A few weeks later, BYU returned the favor and bounced the Buffs out of the RMLC Playoffs, winning 11-10.
Thursday night’s game was no different.
BYU quickly took the lead in the first quarter with two goals from attackman Gavin Taylor and a behind-the-back goal from midfielder Hutton Murphy. Goalie Easton Wilkey also had some amazing saves in the first quarter, only allowing one Colorado goal.
It was in the second quarter that things began to get interesting, with Colorado outscoring the Cougars 5-3. The Buffs scored off an intercepted pass as BYU’s defense was trying to clear the ball; one ball rolled off Wilkey’s leg into the goal, while another ball bounced off Wilkey’s stick for a Colorado goal. All three of those goals came in a row and gave Colorado some needed momentum.
However, BYU continued to respond on offense as Mason Quick scored all three goals in the second quarter to send the Cougars into halftime with a 7-6 lead.
During the third quarter, Colorado outscored BYU 4-2 and took a 10-9 lead over the Cougars heading into the fourth quarter.
The Cougars and the Buffs traded goals and saves in the fourth quarter until a goal from Taylor gave BYU a 12-11 lead with five minutes left in the game.
“The fourth quarter effort was incredible from everyone on the team,” said head coach Matt Schneck. “The best play of the game was in the last thirty seconds of the fourth quarter when Easton Wilkey made a clutch save to seal the game.”
Despite Colorado winning 81.5% of the faceoffs, BYU was able to capitalize on offensive opportunities, which was something it struggled to do in the loss to Utah Valley.
BYU continued their elite offensive play during their 20-9 win against Colorado State on Saturday night.
Taylor led BYU’s offense with six goals and four assists, while Quick and Cade Kirschner both recorded three goals and five and one assists, respectively. Midfielder Stew Vassau also scored four goals for the Cougars.
Colorado State only scored one goal in the first half, with Easton Wilkey recording an 83.3% save percentage.
Freshman goalie Isaac Hanson got the start in place in Wilkey in the second half, and, uncharacteristically, the Cougars allowed the Rams to score five goals in a row coming out of halftime.
“The start of the third quarter was uncharacteristic (for) the team. We called a time out, calmed everyone down and pushed the rest button,” said Schneck. “I had a one-on-one talk with Isaac Hanson who started the second half in goal, and he settled in (and) finished the game strong.”
Despite the Rams outscoring BYU 6-3 in the third quarter, the BYU defense held Colorado State to two goals in the final quarter, while the Cougars’ offense scored another seven goals.
The Cougars return to Provo for their final two games of the regular season against Utah and Utah Tech.