(Photo by David Venezia/davidvenezia_photography)
TEMPE – Holding a 7-5 lead with less than two minutes left in the second quarter, Arizona State men’s club lacrosse showed no signs of slowing down. After trailing BYU down 4-5 midway through the second, ASU scored three unanswered points. Two of those goals came from senior attacker Braden Rome.
Rome notched these two goals after already scoring one earlier, making Thursday his second consecutive game with a hat trick. Junior attacker James Gartland kept momentum going by scoring with 1:49 left on the clock. With the half dwindling closer to 45 seconds remaining, the Cougars struck back but ASU still held a 7-6 cushion.
At worst, the Sun Devils had to gain possession and maintain it long enough for the clock to burn. However, gaining possession to begin with proved to be a tall task with junior faceoff specialist Blake Driscoll sidelined with a knee injury. In his absence, the Sun Devils rotated between two players at faceoff – junior midfielder Stephen Butterfield and graduate faceoff specialist Christ Rodriguez.
Throughout the night, BYU overpowered both players and held its own defensively, a combination that reduced the amount of opportunities for ASU’s offense. This was how Cougars senior midfielder Steve Vassau got the ball and scored with just four seconds left, tying the game at 7-7. BYU (4-0) ultimately showed the Sun Devils (1-1) how to keep momentum by outscoring ASU 11-3 in the second half of an 18-10 win.
“We didn’t lose because of a lack of effort tonight,” head coach Justin Straker said. “Our guys fight hard, I can’t fault them at all for their efforts.”
Having already played three games, the Cougars were significantly more battle-tested ahead of Thursday. On average, BYU scored just a little above 15 points across those three games. Paired with an average of eight points allowed per game, the undefeated record wasn’t a surprise.
Along with being more battle-tested, the Cougars were a faster team on the field. This was demonstrated through multiple collisions on the field. All four quarters of the game didn’t go without at least one player on their back.
“Playing a fast-paced team like that, you’re forced to play faster,” Straker said. “When you’re moving that quick, there’s gonna be a big collision.”
BYU’s speed was especially noticeable on offense. In his second collegiate start, sophomore goalie Finn Thompson looked overwhelmed at times by how quick the Cougars moved the ball across the field. While Thompson was able to get multiple saves, BYU still managed to score 18 points.
Furthermore, the Cougars matched their speed with physicality. The Sun Devils would consistently be the ones standing after collisions, but the physicality that ultimately decided the game was during faceoffs. Despite the physicality not being there in those situations, Straker still has faith in Butterfield and Rodriguez.
“Between (Butterfield) and Christ Rodriguez, we have full faith in those guys,” Straker said. “Obviously it was a battle today, but I expect them to take some positives from it and learn from it.”
After a competitive first half that consisted of two ties and lead changes, the second half was all BYU. While the eleven goals given up certainly played a role, ASU’s offense left its defense out to dry with a lack of scoring. Even with multiple scoring opportunities, the Sun Devils only totaled three goals in the second half.
As cliché as it may sound, a portion of ASU’s offensive woes could be attributed to luck. When it came to selecting shots, the Sun Devils made the right decision more often than not. Where the ball bounced, on the other hand, wasn’t always favorable for ASU.
“I thought our shot selection was good today,” Straker said. “I think the ball just didn’t necessarily bounce our way on some possessions.”
Rome wasn’t the only player on Thursday with a hat trick, as senior attacker Kyle Decker also scored three goals. Unlike Rome, all three of Decker’s goals were scored when the Sun Devils were trailing. These six goals ultimately accounted for more than half of ASU’s points.
By not capitalizing on these individual performances, the Sun Devils squandered two hat tricks from their senior captains. Nevertheless, their resilience while trailing was still highlighted even if the outcome wasn’t in their favor.
“You’re always looking for ways to bounce back,” Rome said. “We’ll go back to the drawing board and work on it for next week.”
