Lacrosse team opens season with big win
Sophomore Brian Miller scored five goals and dominated the face-off for the Aggies in a lacrosse game head coach Matt Polityka called “more physical than most.”
The Mountaineers took an early 4-1 lead, but the Aggies dominated the second quarter behind Miller to take control for good.
Freshman goalie Spencer Lee had some great saves in his first college game to keep Western scoreless in the second half. Lee said competing with college-aged men is “a lot different than high school.”
“Lee came out strong,” Polityka said of his wet-behind-the-ears netminder. “He said he was nervous, but once he got his nerves out of the way he played pretty well.”
Miller was also pleased with the goalie’s play. “I think a lot of times freshman goalies get really nervous and don’t make the saves they should, but he was able to keep control mentally and play to his maximum potential,” he said.
The Moutaineers had a distinct edge in manpower but were unable to capitalize on their fresh legs.
“We were able to possess the ball,” Miller said of his team’s strategy. “We didn’t have as many guys, so we slowed the game down to a pace we wanted to play at and that’s what helped us to keep our legs.”
“We’ve got a young team. We’ve got a lot of freshmen, so all we’re trying to do is have the guys play well together,” Polityka said
The Aggies got a goal and three assists from Steve Hughes, two goals and two assists from Kent Arnold, two goals from Landon Weeks, one goal from Chance Wells and one goal from Sam Lee.
-graham@cc.usu.edu