The Utah men’s lacrosse team entered Saturday’s matchup with Jacksonville looking for their third-straight win and sole possession of first place in the ASUN conference. A seven-goal third quarter led by Luke McNamara and Ryan Stines would be the difference maker in this game as the Utes came away with a 17-14 win.
First Half
Chase Robertson put Utah on the board within the first two minutes of the game, while Cade Faulkner and Sky Rold both added scores of their own throughout the remainder of the first quarter to give the Utes a slight edge heading into the second quarter, 3-2.
Utah started and ended quarters exceptionally well in this matchup as Stines found the back of the net just 40 seconds into the second quarter to extend the Ute lead, 4-2. Back-to-back Dolphin goals tied it up at four apiece with 6:33 remaining in the first half as Jacksonville continued to crawl their way back every time Utah started to make a run.
The final five minutes and change of the first half were all Utah as Stines cashed in his second goal of the day, and with just one second left in the second quarter, Cody Hart scored his first goal of the day off a ricochet to push the Utes lead to 6-4 heading into halftime.
Second Half
Nikko DiPonio, who was credited with five caused turnovers in the first half, continued to apply pressure, but this time as an offensive threat, ripping the back of the net from the right side after a late Jacksonville slide to give the Utes their biggest lead of the day, 7-4, just seven seconds into the third quarter.
McNamara and Rold continued to add to the Utah lead early in the third quarter as they both found the back of the net for their second goals of the day as the Utes extended their lead, 9-4, with 13:13 remaining in the quarter.
Both teams exchanged multiple goals throughout the third quarter as Stines cashed in his third of the day and Jake Likes ripped the back of the net for his first scratch of the afternoon.
With 01:37 left in the third, Jacksonville cashed in their seventh goal of the day to cut Utah’s lead to just four as they continued to inch closer. In the final minute of the third, however, Will Overly scored on a dish from Rold, followed by Marco Pascarella, who cashed in his first of the day with time expiring in the quarter to give Utah a commanding 13-7 lead.
As the fourth quarter got under way, the Dolphins gained significant momentum in this game as a quick 7-2 burst in the first 10 minutes of action in the fourth cut the Utah lead back to one goal, 15-14.
Fortunately for the Utes, guys like Stines and McNamara continued to step in big moments as both start attackmen gained some separation, finding the back of the net late. With a 17-14 lead and just over two minutes remaining in the contest, Utah’s defense came away with multiple stops that all but closed this game out. The Utes were able to chew the last minute of play on offense en route to their third straight victory and sole possession of first place in the ASUN conference.
Utes Stuffing the Stat Sheet
Utah’s offensive firepower was on full display in Saturday’s matchup as Stines scored a season-high four goals and his first hat trick of the year. McNamara continued his elite freshman campaign, pitching in three goals of his own and his third hat trick of the season. Faulkner and Rold both chipped in two goals while five different Utes scored on the day as well. The 10 different Utah goal scorers were the key to their highest goal-scoring output as a team since the first game of the season back in early February. Utah won the turnover battle, committing just nine to Jacksonville’s 24, in large part due to the 15 caused turnovers from the Utah defense as their play continues to improve each week.
What’s Next for the Utes
Utah will head back on the road next weekend Saturday as they head to Charlotte, North Carolina, for their matchup with Queens at 10:00 a.m. MST. Utah looks to add to their winning streak as their stellar conference play has vaulted them to first place in the ASUN. After a rough non-conference schedule had the Utes with their backs against the wall, Andrew McMinn has righted the ship and has Utah playing their best ball of the year.
