Liberty University Club Sports
Brigham Young University
Flames’ men’s lacrosse beats BYU for first time ever in defensive battle, 10-9
3/19/2023 8:40:56 AM | Men's Lacrosse
In a defensive duel between MCLA national powers and faith-based institutions, Liberty University’s No. 2-ranked men’s lacrosse team staged its first-ever victory over No. 8 Brigham Young University, fending off a Cougars comeback bid on their home field, 10-9, Saturday afternoon in Provo, Utah.
The Flames (7-1) had lost two previous meetings with BYU (8-2) over the past two seasons — falling to the eventual national champions in 2021 and in their annual Midnight Mayhem game last spring at the Liberty Lacrosse Fields, the program’s only loss in 10 midnight matchups.
Liberty, which edged No. 9 Utah Valley on Thursday night on a last-second goal after knocking former SELC rival Georgia Tech out of the No. 1 ranking last Saturday at a neutral site, completed its spring break road trip with three wins against teams ranked in the top 10.
The Flames only led by a 3-2 margin at halftime before doubling that score after the third quarter and adding four more goals in the fourth.
“We are happy to get out of Utah with a couple of close wins against top-10 teams, winning both games by a single point,” Liberty Head Coach Kyle McQuillan said. “Everyone here’s really proud of the guys proving themselves on the road. It was a great trip for a lot of reasons. Lacrosse is the primary reason we are out here, but as the program continues to grow, and we develop relationships with other teams along the way, by playing BYU we are looking to accomplish more than just winning a game. We appreciate the hospitality and sportsmanship shown by BYU and have high respect for both teams.”
Offensively, junior middie Keaton Mohs netted a hat trick and had one assist and sophomore middie Will Geary and graduate middie Cameron Carter both added two goals and one assist. Graduate attack Cooper Branham netted two goals and freshman Luke Branham contributed one goal and one assist.
“Keaton (Mohs) continues to be a dynamic player that teams have to have a plan or an answer for, and he has shown why he is one of if not the best midfielder in the MCLA,” McQuillan said.
The Flames’ offense always had a response to BYU when it closed in on their lead.
“We got timely goals and controlled possessions and showed a lot of maturity when it came down to being able to control the pace of the game,” McQuillan said. “We made good decisions and never let the game spin out of control or give BYU enough momentum to take the lead.”
Junior goalie Eric Warnstrom made 17 saves and the Flames dominated in faceoffs, with freshman specialist Lance Bruno winning 9 of 14 and graduate midfielder Ethan Bohannon going 6 for 8.
“Our defense had one of his best performances of the year and Ric (Warnstrom) continues to be such a force for us in the game and continues to improve game by game,” McQuillan said. “Once we got the lead, we were able to protect it, and had a sense and a feeling that we were in control of the pace and ultimately were able to finish the game out.”
He said senior defender Ryan O’Connor had one of his better games and finished with four ground-ball pickups to tie with Mohs for the team lead.
“As a guy who has played a lot of years on the offensive side of the ball, I have been impressed with his transition to become so efficient on the defensive side of the ball,” McQuillan said, noting that he especially thrived in his one-on-one coverage. “Any of the matchups he was put in a situation of covering someone, he did a fantastic job. The other guys all did great, holding BYU to six goals through the first three quarters and in the fourth quarter, BYU put on a final push and we were able to hold them off.”
In contrast to the game against Utah Valley, Liberty did a much better job with its offensive clears and defensive rides, containing the Cougars’ fast-break attack.
“We continue to make mistakes, but this week specifically we have done a tremendous job of learning from mistakes and applying them in different situations,” McQuillan said.
He said the win over BYU was nearly as monumental as the Flames Football team’s win over the Cougars at Williams Stadium this past fall.
“Not many teams can say they’ve come into BYU and won,” McQuillan said. “I would put this up there as one of the toughest places we have ever had to play.”
He said it was just the latest in a series of milestones that will eventually pave the way for the Flames to challenge for their first MCLA National Championship next month in Texas.
“One of the themes of this year’s team is they want to accomplish something that no other team has done,” McQuillan said. “Along the way, we have taken down a few programs that we have never beaten, including Colorado and Colorado State and now BYU, which has had our number. We had never beaten a No. 1 team in the country and we were able to do that against Georgia Tech. We still have a lot to accomplish and know what the end goal is, but they’re building a lot of confidence in themselves and each other this year.”
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
