Men’s lacrosse preparing for pivotal game against BYU
The Utah State men’s lacrosse team is on track for a historic season.
With four games left in the season, the Aggies are 7-3 and one win away from tying their win total from last season — the most successful season in program history.
Following an impressive weekend in Colorado, where USU picked up a convincing 21-4 win over Regis on Friday, as well as a 16-4 trumping of the Colorado School of Mines on Saturday, the Aggies are confidently looking forward to their match-up with a 9-1 Brigham Young team at home Thursday.
“This is Utah State and everyone loves to hate BYU,” said head coach John Atwood. “The impact this game has is pride and experience. BYU is a four-time defending national championship team, so this game will show us where we need to improve and help us prepare for the playoffs.”
USU and BYU have met six times dating back to 2006, and the Cougars have had the upper-hand in each contest.
“BYU is a consistent team with great coaches, so it would mean a lot to beat them,” said junior attack Blade Garlow. “They’re our rival, and we feel like we can compete with any team we match up with.”
The Aggies are currently riding a four-game winning streak and are looking forward to the challenge. Utah State is ranked No. 1 in its conference and 17 in the nation.
BYU has won nine straight games since coming up short by one goal to San Diego State in their first game of the season. The Cougars most recent victory was a 24-1 beat down of Washington State in Provo on Saturday.
BYU has been dominant this season but can’t afford to overlook the Aggies in a rivalry game with winning streaks on the line for both teams.
“We definitely sense a greater level of competitiveness with in-state teams,” said BYU freshman midfielder Walker Ward. “We have the opportunity to play in-state teams each year, and we have personal connections with in-state students as well as alumni.”
Thursday’s match-up begins at 5:30 p.m. and could be the most competitive showing in the history of either of the two programs.
“We have a higher caliber of players,” Garlow said. “We have a chip on our shoulder.”
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