Men’s lacrosse battles No. 2 BYU to buzzer before falling in Florida

Playing at a neutral site in Jacksonville, Fla., Liberty University's No. 7-ranked men's lacrosse team had No. 2 BYU on the ropes, leading 7-6 at the half and 11-10 after the third quarter, but let the Cougars (5-0) punch their way out of a corner in the pivotal fourth when they rallied for a 14-12 victory over the Flames (6-3).

Ranked No. 2 in the MCLA's Preseason Coaches' Poll, Liberty slipped five spots in the rankings after dropping one-goal games to Northeastern and at then-No. 1 Virginia Tech. BYU went on to beat that same Northwestern squad by a 22-2 count earlier this month.

"It was a tough one," said Liberty Head Coach Kyle McQuillan after the Flames erased an early 3-0 deficit and built as much as a three-goal lead. "It was definitely a battle back and forth with a lot of lead changes against a very talented BYU team. It came down to the last few key possessions when they were able to finish a couple crucial goals and when we had those same opportunities their goalie was able to make some incredible saves."

Senior goalie Eric Warnstrom made 16 saves of his own to keep the Flames in the game. Sophomore middie Shane Supek won only 11 out of 28 faceoffs but did pick up six more ground balls. Liberty was successful on all but three of its clearing attempts, sparking its fast-break attack.

Liberty-defense-BYU — Senior defender Matt Walker (right) forced two turnovers on the night against BYU.

Liberty sophomore attack Luke Branham sparked the offense with four goals while senior attack Braden Landry netted three goals, including the first one, and two assists. Senior middie Keaton Mohs scored twice and set up three more goals and freshman middie Hunter Rockhill added a goal and two assists.

Flames junior defender Conor Guiltinan forced three turnovers to account for the three that he committed while senior defender Matt Walker forced two.

"To be on this side of it was unfortunate, but it was fun to be in these types of games, against a very good BYU team," McQuillan said. "There were a lot of ways we should have come out of this with a win, but it was a great effort on both sides, and there was no quit from our guys. I am proud of our guys and the way they fought in a really good game. Now we shift our focus to Florida."

The Gators (5-3) will be hungry for an upset after slipping three spots to No. 14 in the latest rankings. Their three losses have come to Virginia Tech (16-7), No. 9 South Carolina (16-12), and the new No. 1, Chapman (16-12) on a West Coast road trip before defeating UCLA (17-10).

"We're not in Gainesville, but in Florida," McQuillan said, noting that the Gators will have a home-state advantage, if not the home field. "Having to recover and come back out less than 24 hours after this, which took quite a bit to stand toe to toe with BYU, we'll have to recoup, hydrate and be ready to go again."

Watch the action live on Liberty's YouTube channel starting at 8 p.m. Friday.

By Ted Allen/Staff Writer

BYU-Liberty-Lacrosse-prayer — Players from both faith-based schools joined a post-game prayer circle led by Flames Head Coach Kyle McQuillan and BYU's coach.

Men’s lacrosse battles No. 2 BYU to buzzer before falling in Florida

Players Mentioned

Luke Branham

Conor Guiltinan

Braden Landry

Keaton Mohs

Hunter Rockhill

Shane Supek

Eric Warnstrom

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