The Utah men’s lacrosse team came into Saturday’s road matchup vs. ASUN conference opponent Bellarmine looking to get back on track after dropping seven consecutive non-conference games. Despite trailing by one in the third quarter, a four-goal burst helped propel the Utes to a much-needed 11-9 win to open up conference play.
First Half
The first quarter was one to forget for Utah as Bellarmine jumped out to a 3-1 lead as Zachary White scored the lone goal through the first 12 minutes of action for the Utes.
Marco Pascarella, Jake Likes and Luca Pivetta opened up the first 5 minutes of quarter number two, finding the back of the net as Utah took back the lead, 4-3, with 10:32 remaining in the first half.
The Knights tied it up at four apiece, but White’s second goal of the day and another one from Ryan Stines helped give the Utes a 4-6 advantage late in the second quarter. Bellarmine had an answer, however, as a goal with less than two minutes remaining in the half cut the Utah lead to just one heading into halftime.
Second Half
The Utes opened up the third quarter with a dodge down the right alley from Will Overly, who found the bag of the net to extend the Utah lead, 7-5. The Knights would not go away, however, as three consecutive goals within a five-minute span pushed Bellarmine back on top, 8-7.
In a game where both teams had impressive runs, it was the Utes that were able to pull ahead late as Luke McNamara, Likes, Stines, and White’s third goal of the day put Utah back on top 11-8 with just 6:10 left in the game.
The Knights found the back of the net one more time with just over a minute remaining, but it would be too little too late as the Utes had built enough of a cushion to hold off the Bellarmine comeback attempt.
In a game that saw multiple lead runs and lead changes, Utah came out on top by a final score of 11-9 to snap their seven-game losing streak and secure a 1-0 record in ASUN play.
Utes Stuffing the Stat Sheet
White led the Utes in scoring in this one as he secured his second hat trick of the year. Stines once again showed off his versatility as two goals and three assists helped lead the Utes in points in a massive win to get Utah’s season back on track. Likes found the back of the net twice for his first multi-score game of the season, while Overly, Pascerella, Pivetta and McNamara scored one goal apiece to help pace the Utah offense. Colin Lenskold was stellar in the net as well, saving 13 shots while allowing just 9 goals.
What’s Next for the Utes
Utah looks to continue rolling in conference play as they take on Mercer next Saturday at 12:00 p.m. MST. The Utes will head back home for the first of their final two home games of the season in hopes of moving to 2-0 in conference play.
