BYU Locks Down Arizona
PROVO, Utah - The No. 6 Brigham Young University men’s lacrosse team kicked off their 2017 campaign with a resounding 12-2 win over the No. 10 Arizona Wildcats on Friday at North University Field. The Cougars, led by freshman goalie Mason Moon, held the Wildcats to their lowest scoring output since 2008.
The Cougars showed off their offensive balance with eight different players tallying a point. Junior attackman Tanner Johnson kicked off the scoring with the first of his four goals midway through the first quarter. Sophomore attackman Harry Waddoups and freshman midfielder Michael Perry both found the back of the net before Arizona pulled within 2 to end the first quarter.
The Cougars turned up the pressure on their ride in the second quarter, allowing the Wildcats to successfully clear only 4-of-7 attempts. The extra possessions led to three more goals to give the Cougars a commanding, 6-1 lead heading into halftime.
“It was exciting to see our team start so fast,” said Johnson. “We took everything that we worked on the last few months in practice and turned it into a solid game performance.”
The third quarter saw a standout performance from Moon, leading a defense that held the Wildcats scoreless despite multiple extra-man opportunities and the lion's share of possession. The Cougars took advantage of limited opportunities on the offensive end with goals from sophomore midfielder Connor Bernal and Johnson, heading into the fourth quarter up 8-1.
Johnson kicked off the scoring in the final period, and sophomore attackman Winston Farley added two straight goals to put the game firmly out of reach for the Wildcats. Sophomore attackman Chris Severson put the exclamation mark on the game with the final goal for BYU.
"This was a great first game for our team against a quality opponent," said BYU coach Matt Schneck. "We are proud of the entire team and the way that they performed. As early season games tend to do, we were able to identify some areas that need improvement and look forward to working on them over the next week as we prepare for Boise State."
The Cougars will be off for a week before taking on Boise State on Saturday, Feb. 18 at North University Field.
Notes
- Freshman goalie Mason Moon recorded 13 saves on 15 shots for the Cougars. His 86% save percentage is the best goalie debut on record for BYU.
- The Cougars have won 7 consecutive games against Arizona. The last loss came in 2006.
- Eight different players recorded a point for the Cougars: Tanner Johnson 4 (4g, 0a), Chris Severson 3 (2g, 1a), Winston Farley 3 (2g, 1a), Harry Waddoups 2 (1g, 1a), Zach Labrum 2 (1g, 1a), Michael Perry 2 (1g, 1a), Alex Yost 2 (0g, 2a), and Connor Bernal 1 (1g, 0a).