(Photo: Scotty Bara/WCSN)
In a meeting featuring a pair of top-10 teams, No. 4 BYU grinded out the win and held on late to defeat No. 10 Arizona State 8-7.
Tied 7-7 in the fourth quarter BYU junior defensive midfielder Chase Miller found senior attackman Andrew McKinley with just over 11 minutes left for the goal to put the game away.
After a non-releasable penalty committed by BYU freshman midfielder Nolan Waniorek which led to a pair of quick goals, BYU opened the game quickly. However, both teams continued to fight back whenever the opposing team appeared to be getting into a rhythm.
Arizona State clawed back into the game after trailing 6-3 late in the first half to tie it midway through the third quarter.
In a matchup between high-scoring offenses it was junior goalie Russell Bartle of ASU and senior goalie Matt Brandenburg of BYU who consistently led their teams with one big save after the next. Brandenburg finished with 19 saves, his last secured the victory for the Cougars.
Freshman attackmen Chris Severson and Winston Farley each scored a pair of goals to lead BYU. The Cougars used a balanced attack to pace the offense as six different players scored, being too much for the Sun Devils to handle.
Senior attackman Adam Beauchamp led all scorers, netting a hat trick for Arizona State and was accompanied by junior attackman Rhett Rodgers’ continued hot streak and freshman attackman Patrick Haviland’s first career goal.
The loss drops Arizona State to 2-3 on the season while Brigham Young improves to 6-1.
The Sun Devils have 12 days to prepare for their game against No. 3 University of Colorado on March 24 and continue their tough schedule.
