Unlike the game against No. 22 Denver, a 4-12 loss for Utah (1-1), this game was the definition of a shootout. Whenever it seemed like Utah would pull away, the Marquette Golden Eagles would make a run of two or three goals to make things interesting down the stretch. The entire game was a very tight contest, with Utah seemingly holding the lead the whole time.

Utah grabbed an early 4-1 lead in the first quarter and stayed hot throughout the game. The Utes would hold a 10-8 lead going into halftime with a lot of lacrosse left to play. The second half turned into a game of runs as Marquette tied the game up at 12. However, the Utes would extend their lead to 15-13 heading into the fourth quarter.

Again, Marquette went on a run and cut the lead to just one for Utah with about a minute left in the game. Thanks to a late Colby Plotts goal, the Utes prevailed with a much-needed and deserved 18-16 win.

Scoring Breakdown

The Utes had an extremely balanced scoring attack throughout the win. Ten different Utes were able to find the back of the net on Saturday, which ended up being too much for Marquette to overcome.

Midfielder Jared Andreala led the Utes with four goals, while Tyler Bradbury, MJ McMahon, Koa Todd, Josh Rose and Plotts all contributed two of their own. Carson Moyer, Ryan Stines, Jordan Hyde and Samuel Cambere all found the back of the net as well. Freshman goalkeeper Colin Lenskold had 10 saves to lead the Utes defense, and Bradbury led the team with four assists on the day.

First Half

Early on in the first half, the Utes took a 2-0 lead on goals by Cambere and Andreala. The Golden Eagles answered with a score of their own, but the Utes quickly extended their lead with goals by Todd and Bradbury.

As the first quarter came to an end, Stines and McMahon each scored, giving the Utes a 6-2 lead. Unfortunately, Marquette was able to close that gap with three goals, making the score 6-5 after one quarter.

The second quarter started slowly as Marquette took an early one-score lead. Utah eventually answered back with three straight goals, including a beautiful 15-yard offhand shot by Todd. The score stood at 9-7 until both teams exchanged goals heading into the half. Sitting at 10-8, the Utes had some control, but not enough to become complacent as the second half got under way.

Second Half

Marquette came out firing and connected on a goal to cut the lead to just one for Utah. Andreala and Hyde were both able to score quickly to get the second half scoring started for the Utes. Right when Utah thought they might take control of the game, Marquette scored three quick goals to tie the game up at 12.

Utah did a great job of not letting the momentum swing discourage them. For the rest of the third quarter, the Utes would outscore the Golden Eagles 3-1 and subsequently take a 15-13 lead into the final quarter.

The Utes would add to their lead to start the fourth quarter, creating a three-goal cushion. As the game was really starting to heat up, both teams hit a massive scoring drought. Eventually, the fourth goal of the day by Andreala would end the drought, giving the Utes a comfortable 17-14 lead with two minutes remaining. However, Marquette would not go away.

The Golden Eagles netted two quick goals in less than a minute, cutting the Utah lead to just one with a minute to go in the contest. Utah got some huge stops down the stretch and eventually would seal the game on a goal from Plotts. Utah prevailed with a gutsy 18-16 win.

What’s Next For the Utes?

Utah will look to continue the momentum on Saturday, Feb. 18 against a tough Vermont team that just took a 14-12 win against No. 12 Boston University. The game is at 1 p.m. MST and will take place at Zion’s Bank Stadium in Herriman, Utah.

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