No. 1 UVU and No. 2 BYU are set to play in one of the most highly anticipated lacrosse games of the season on Friday at 7 p.m. at Skyridge High School.
And according to former UVU head coach Brian Barnhill, this matchup is one of the best rivalries in men’s lacrosse.
BYU and UVU are both undefeated on the season (10-0), and both teams have showcased elite defenses and high-powered offenses in each of those games.
Led by attackman Blake Yates, UVU is outscoring its opponents 217-78 and has only allowed two teams to score in double-digits against them.
On the other hand, BYU has outscored its opponents 216–92 and held one team scoreless for the first time in program history.
Matt Schneck and Colin Maxfield, head coaches for BYU and UVU, respectively, recently shared their thoughts on the upcoming game on the Utah Lacrosse Podcast.
“I think if UVU brings their best and BYU is able to bring their best, I think you’re going to see a real competition,” said Schneck. “And it should be a very fun and energetic game for the fans to be able to watch.”
“Just to speak honestly here, BYU has elite talent across the board at basically every position group,” said Maxfield. “Obviously with the guys that played division one and transferred, there’s a reason those guys played D1 lacrosse... (BYU is) not an easy team to play against.”
The winner of this game will likely be the No. 1 seed in the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA).
Even without the ranked matchup and perfect record on the line, the dynamic between the BYU and UVU lacrosse teams has always been unique.
Both teams are in the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Conference (RMLC) and play once during the regular season. The teams also may compete against each other in the RMLC conference tournament, as well as the MCLA national championship tournament.
In 2024, the two schools met three times — once in the regular season, once during conference playoffs, and once during the national championship game. BYU won all three games and ended the 2024 campaign as national champions with a 19-0 record, the first undefeated season in school history.
In the last ten years, BYU and UVU have played nine regular conference games (both teams did not play in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic). Of those nine games, BYU won eight.
BYU and UVU have also faced each other in the RMLC playoffs four times, with UVU winning three of those games.
The BYU-UVU rivalry is certainly unique, and Friday’s matchup between the Cougars and the Wolverines promises to be an instant classic.