The University of Utah lacrosse team kept on rolling over the weekend as they defeated No. 8 Jacksonville on the road 16-10. The Utes are now 3-1 and have won three in a row since starting the season with a loss. This is the second win against a ranked opponent and their only loss so far was to a ranked Denver. All of the wins have also come on the road, making it even more impressive.

This was the first top-10 win in school history, though the program has only existed since 2019. Nonetheless, it still has been an impressive year and the team has enjoyed its best start to a season ever in the young program’s history.

Game Summary

Utah was able to beat Jacksonville on almost all statistical fronts. They were able to attempt 44 shots compared to Jacksonville’s 32, in addition to committing six fewer turnovers. Utah also got out on the break quick with seven more faceoff wins than their opponent.

First Quarter

The Utes started off slow, quickly falling down 4-0 due to an early run from Jacksonville. Fortunately, Utah responded with a 3-0 run of their own to pull within a single point thanks to goals from Tyler Bradbury, Jordan Hyde and Ruben Santana.

Both teams would trade goals before Utah tied it up 5-5 heading into the second. McMahon would score both of these goals which gave the momentum back to the Utes, heading into the second.

Second Quarter

There was not much offense for either team compared to the onslaught in the first. Zion Dechesere would have three saves early in the second as the team held Jacksonville scoreless for the duration of the quarter.

Utah outshot Jacksonville significantly which gave them the lead as Tyler Bradbury would score again to make it 6-5 at the half.

Third Quarter

Utah came out of the half roaring with another two goals to increase their lead. Jacksonville managed to stop the bleeding and made the score 8-6 with 9:04 remaining in the quarter. Utah’s lead would continue to shrink as the Dolphins scored once again.

Josh Rose scored a goal to swing the momentum and the Utes never looked back, scoring three more before the end of the quarter. 12-8 was the tally at the end of the third.

Fourth Quarter

The Utes could not be stopped as they grabbed two more points to make the score 14-8 at the 8:09 mark. Jacksonville tried to make a late-game comeback but ultimately fell short.

Utah would score two more goals to make the final score 16-10. Hyde and Bradbury would both score once again with Jared Andreala and Colby Plotts scoring as well.

Stat Sheet

Bradbury had himself a game with four total goals. Josh Stout, Jordan Hyde, AJ McMahon and Ruben Santana would each have two of their own. The other four goals were all single goals scored by Josh Rose, Koa Todd, Jared Andreala and Colby Plotts.

McMahon led the team with three assists, while Bradbury and Cambere had two each. Rose, Santana and Stout each had one. The team had 11 total assists with five unassisted goals on the day.

Dechesere had 10 saves today, playing the full game. He posted a 50% save percentage, only allowing 10 goals.

Looking Ahead

The road warriors will have a short turnaround as they play UMBC on March 11. Hopefully, they can continue their streak in Baltimore at 5 p.m. MST.

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