Lacrosse beats Simon Fraser 16-8

So - I have an article being edited for the Daily Universe but I wanted to get some stuff up online for those die hard Cougar lacrosse fans. Especially the ones who toughed out the snowy first half and the freezing cold second half to watch the Cougars run away with a 16-8 win over Simon Fraser from British Columbia.

Scoring recap (this is what I have in my notes - might not be perfect)
Cougars - Simon Fraser
First Quarter
1-0; 12:45 Shumway unassisted
1-1; 15 for SF
2-1; 4:26 Matheson unassisted
3-1; 3:20 Harding (assist Monteath)
3-2; 16 for SF
3-3; 18 for SF
Second Quarter
3-4; 22 for SF assist to 11
4-4; Harding (assist Monteath)
4-5; 19 for SF
5-5; 9:30 Monteath
6-5; Harding
7-5; 2:42 Matheson
7-6; 16 for SF
8-6; Mathay (assist Monteath)
(4 ties and 3 lead changes in the first half)
Third Quarter
9-6; Shumway
10-6; Matheson
11-6; Cole
12-6; 4:50 Monteath
12-7; 15 for SF
Fourth Quarter
13-7; Monteath (assist Cole)
14-7; Gunderson
14-8; 22 for SF
15-8; Gunderson
16-8; Monteath

BYU had a great offensive attack. As you can see Ted Ferrin didn't have much effect on the score but Simon Fraser had their best defender shutting him down which left guys like Monteath and Matheson in midfield to take the ball to the net and capitalize. Very balanced scoring game again for the Cougars.

I was able to get a couple of post-game interviews with some players and coach Schneck.

Interviews
Pat Matheson
What changed in the 2nd half?
We just turned it up. It was a cold game. Because of the snow I think we were a little slow to get off and going, but once we got the blood moving, once we got things flowing everyone started picking up, getting excited and we put it down their throats.
Did the snow effect the beginning of the game?
Yeah, it was hard to see, the ball gets all wet. When it got colder your pocket would freeze so it would make it hard to pick up the ball and throw and catch, but we were able to adjust our game as needed.

Coach Schneck
What changed there in the second half?
It helped that we were able to clear the field off, we were slipping and sliding a lot in the first half. Our guys, all year long, have had really good 3rd quarters and hopefully we can continue to do that. In the first half we were playing a lot of Simon Fraser's game instead of our own, that's what kept things close. As they started to focus in and do things that we normally do it started to pay off.
Your offense was scoring from all over the place today, what does that say about your offense?
Their number 36, he's their best defender and they put him on Ferrin and he did a great job defending him. We expect that that's going to happen throughout the year. They did a good job of shutting down Ted but then we had other weapons. 
What are you looking forward to improve on?
We didn't really do a great job of being ready to play in the snow like this tonight. 
Did Simon Fraser's fatigue play a factor in this game?
Of course it does. But when you get to the end of the season you don't have the luxury of having days off. Having those types of opportunities to be able to play back-to-back is good for the team. 

No. 4 BYU lacrosse takes on no. 10 Simon Fraser

This article was published in The Daily Universe on February 25th, 2011. 

By: Charles Krebs

No. 4 BYU lacrosse will test its undefeated record against its toughest competition yet in Provo on Saturday against the No. 10 Simon Fraser Clansmen.

Photo by Carolyn Carter. Andrew Harding (midfield) dodges a Boise State player at BYU's men's lacrosse game Saturday afternoon. BYU defeated Boise State 17-3.

Simon Fraser, a school from British Columbia, Canada, is an elite contender, coming off a final four appearance in the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association championship tournament last season. BYU has won three of the last four meetings against the Clansmen. Last year the Cougars beat Simon Fraser in British Columbia 15-9.

The two teams will face off following a successful BYU road sweep of three games last weekend in California. Senior captain Brian Mathay said the team hopes to carry the weekend confidence into the game Saturday.

“The offense really clicked over the weekend and we’ll take what we can from last weekend and apply it to this game,” Mathay said.  ”We’ll have the confidence and ability to get through the challenges that we’re going to face [on Saturday] because it’s going to be a challenging game.”

The Cougars will face a unique style of lacrosse from the Canadian team.

“One of the things that will make it interesting is that they play a different type of lacrosse than us,” said Pat Matheson, a sophomore from Holladay. “Lots of them play hockey in the winter and lacrosse in the spring. They’re used to playing in closer quarters, so their sticks are fast.”

The game will be at home for BYU, although coach Matt Schneck doesn’t see that as a huge advantage.

“It’s fun for us to be at home and to have our home crowd there,” Schneck said. “A lot of the kids get to play in  front of their friends and family. But besides that I don’t think there is  going to be much of an advantage. They practice early morning just like we do, they practice on turf just like we do. They practice in snow and based on the forecast they’re going to be coming into snow as well. This is a team that’s used to it.”

The Cougars are on limited practice after taking Wednesday to get caught up in classes, and have been practicing outside to get used to the potential adverse weather this weekend.

“I suspect that it’s going to be a very evenly matched game and it’s going to be a real fight,” Schneck said. “They have a great tradition with their team and we expect nothing but a very good game against them knowing that they’re going to bring their very best.”

The game will begin at 5 p.m. on the North University intramural fields this Saturday.

No. 2 Rugby to take on UVU

This article was published on 25th February 2011 in The Daily Universe

No. 2 BYU rugby will take on crosstown rival UVU this Saturday in the first home game of the season.

UVU is a Division II rugby school, but even though they’re not in BYU’s tier of competition, the rivalry will intensify the atmosphere of the game.

“With any school that’s close by you play hard against them,” said wing Alex Hill, a junior from Farmington. “UVU will come out and play hard and tough. They probably have a gameplan and they’ll play to that. I think it will be a hard fought game.”

The coaches are telling the team not to get caught up in the emotion of the rivalry.

“Typically when we’ve played UVU emotions from both sides tend to get away from players,” said assistant coach Kimball Kjar. “[But] you gotta make sure that you execute, work hard and do all the little things that will end up being in the scoreline when the game is over.”

The Cougars are not concerned about the victory or even the score of this game according to Kjar.

“We’re concerned about playing at the proper level — executing correctly, making sure all our systems are in place and clicking on all cylinders. Making sure that everyone’s roles and responsibilities are understood,” Kjar said.

An important aspect of this game is the opportunity it will give BYU to fine tune its gameplan before heading to Rio Tinto stadium and playing no. 6 Utah in the Wasatch Cup next weekend.

“It’s the last game before our big game against Utah,” Kjar said. “We want to make sure that we get a good game. We want to make sure that our guys are prepared when they play against Utah.”

This game will provide a chance for some of the second team for BYU to play in a first team scenario and to gain in-game experience.

“As a team we’re looking forward to getting more experience, getting more fluidity with the personnel and with our plays. Any game, no matter who you play, helps you become better; whether you win by one hundred or lose by one hundred,” Hill said.

The game will cost $3 and will take place at the South Field at 2 p.m. Saturday.

BYU rugby ranked 2nd in latest poll

The BYU rugby team stayed in 2nd for the season behind perennial powerhouse Cal. BYU will play UVU this weekend in Provo and Utah next weekend in the Wasatch Cup - make sure to check out their games. 




Feb 21, 2011 RUGBYMag.com College Premier Rankings
1 (1) Cal 8-0 (15-0) Beat U. British Columbia 21-132 (2) BYU 5-0 64-0 over Penn State (9), 89-8 over Cal Poly (17) Feb 11-12
3 (3) Life University 5-0 Beat Navy (19) 32-174 (5) St. Mary's 6-0 (10-1) Beat U. British Columbia 34-19
5 (4) Arkansas State 2-0 (1-0) Beat Arkansas 78-56 (7) Utah 4-0 (7-2) Beat Penn State (9) 46-12 Feb. 11 
7 (6) Army 0-08 (8) Dartmouth 7-0 
9 (10) Central Washington 2-1 Beat Oregon 64-0 10 (9) Penn State 2-2 (3-3) Lost 64-0 to BYU (2), 46-12 to Utah (7) Feb. 11-12, 
11 (11) Delaware 7-3 Beat Maryland 20-1012 (13) Arizona 5-1 Beat SDSU (12) 36-34
13 (12) San Diego State 1-2 Lost 36-34 to Arizona (13)14 (14) LSU 2-0 (3-0) Beat Mississippi State 49-7, beat New Orleans RFC 23-12
15 (15) Arizona State 1-1 Beat Claremont Colleges (29) 41-1216 (16) Kutztown 
18 (19) Navy 0-1 Lost 32-17 to Life (3)19 (17) Cal Poly 3-1 Lost 89-8 to BYU (2)
19 (18) Texas A&M (1-1) Lost 44-10 to Dallas Harlequins20 (20) UCLA 4-2 Beat Claremont Colleges (29) 52-0 
21 (21) Tennessee 7-0 (7-1) Beat Miami (OH) 48-2422 (25) Oklahoma 1-0 Beat Kansas State 53-12
23 (22) Colorado State 0-2 Lost to Colo. School of Mines, Northern Colorado24 (23) Colorado 1-1 (0-2) Lost 50-19 to Denver Barbarians
25 (24) Air Force 0-3 lost 90-0 to Cal (1) Feb 1226 (26) Wyoming 1-2 Lost 107-5 to Cal (1) Feb 11
27 (27) Notre Dame 3-1 (5-1)28 (28) Ohio State 1-0 (1-1) Lost 62-17 to Atlanta Renegades Feb. 12
29 (30) UC Davis 3-4 Played Sacramento Capitals club30 (29) Claremont Colleges 0-5 Lost 52-0 to UCLA (20)
31 (31) Rutgers

Jazz fans have mixed feelings about trade of Williams

This article was published on 23rd February 2011 by http://sportsuniverse.byu.edu/?p=4015.

By Charles Krebs

The Utah Jazz traded two-time All-Star Deron Williams to the New Jersey Nets in a franchise-changing deal on Wednesday.

Photo by Associated Press. Utah Jazz Deron Williams talks with the media after NBA basketball practice, Friday, Feb. 11, 2011, in Salt Lake City.

In exchange for Williams, the Nets handed over rookie forward Derrick Favors (6.3 ppg), who was picked third overall in the draft last year, and point guard Devin Harris (15.0 ppg), the 5th pick in the 2004 draft and a one-time All-Star.

The Jazz also received two first-round draft picks in the deal – one for 2011 from the Nets and one for 2012 from Golden State – along with $3 million.

Williams’ contract was set to expire at the end of the 2011-2012 season, with an option to stay one more year if he desired.

The Jazz lost Jerry Sloan, their 23-year head coach, two weeks ago and Williams faced criticism that he was part of Sloan’s decision to leave, although both deny the claims.

Jazz fans have mixed feelings about the loss of Williams, who has played for Utah since he was drafted third overall in 2005.

BYU sophomore Owen Hullinger, a resident of Roosevelt, was not pleased after hearing the news.

“That’s devastating to me. Deron Williams is one of the best point guards in the league. I don’t know how anyone could replace him for the Jazz,” Hullinger said.  ”Now it’s almost like I don’t even know who’s on the Jazz anymore with Boozer gone too.”

Not all Jazz fans were disappointed; many were elated by the news.

“I think we got the better end of [the trade],” said senior Ryun Zobell from Orem. ”It gives [the Jazz] a better chance to rebuild in the right direction, with unselfish players.”

The Jazz are 0-3 since Jerry Sloan left and will be looking to improve with this trade. For many this was a trade the Jazz just couldn’t pass up.

“It’s a great trade,” said BYU graduate student Mike Rutkowski. “They weren’t going to resign Williams and any time you can get a good player, a guy drafted in the lottery and extra draft picks, then it’s a good trade.”

The Nets have the sixth-worst record in the NBA, enhancing the likelihood the Jazz will receive a lottery pick in this year’s draft. The Jazz are still in the hunt for the playoffs with the eighth-best record in the Western conference as of Wednesday afternoon.

No. 4 BYU lacrosse sweeps California road trip

This article was published in The Daily Universe on the 23rd of February, 2011. 

Three road wins in four days, including two over top-20 opponents in California, brought the lacrosse team back to Provo with a perfect 4-0 record.

On Friday, the Cougars handled No. 15 Loyola Marymount University 16-10. The next day BYU ran over the No. 19 Cal Bears, 15-6, then finished the weekend trip with a 15-1 win against Claremont on Monday.

According to captain Ted Ferrin, this is the first time the Cougars have come back undefeated from California since he’s been at BYU.

For Ferrin, the highlight of the weekend was the win against California on Saturday. The field was wet and sloppy and the rain kept coming but the Cougar defense led a staunch team effort to fuel the victory.

“Cal was the best game,” Ferrin said. “That was the game that defensively [the team] just played awesome.”

Coach Matt Schneck agreed.

“[The Bears] were definitely the toughest team of the three teams we played, and we executed extremely well,” Schneck said. “It was a rainy, muddy, sloppy field and we still did what we needed to do to execute.”

BYU has scored at least 15 points in every game this season, showcasing its offensive prowess. The offense for the Cougars has improved this season under the leadership of Ferrin, who scored 10 goals over the weekend and added 12 assists. Ferrin leads the MCLA in assists-per-game with four.

However, Ferrin insists the key to the offense isn’t him, it’s unselfish play from the whole team.

“Last year we had just as much talent as we have this year, but this year the one thing that really stands out is unselfishness,” Ferrin said. “When we pass it around like crazy it’s really hard for the defense to communicate enough to guard us. Everyone on the team decided that they didn’t care about their statistics. We had so many times this weekend where a player made the extra pass.”

Another top-10 match will take place this week as No. 4 BYU takes on No. 10 Simon Fraser Saturday at 5 p.m. on the intermural north field.

Photos courtesy of William Nixon

BYU hands it to LMU; wins 16-10

BYU (No. 6) beat Loyola Marymount (No. 15) 16-10 yesterday in a rainy and wet match in Los Angeles.


The weather might have been sloppy but the Cougars definitely were not. They showed their strength and came out on top of a tough LMU team. 


"LMU is definitely a good team with good coaching and some talented players. I think they're going to have a good season. I think that we just had a really good game yesterday. It's the type of game that you hope you can have every time you play," Schneck said. 

The Cougars didn't wait to jump ahead with a 5-1 first quarter. They added two more scores in the second as LMU adjusted their defense. It was just too hard to stop all of BYU's scoring threats with seven of eight first half goals coming from different players. 


In the third BYU scored seven goals (almost matching their first half total) and took a 15-4 lead to put LMU away before heading into the fourth with their second team. 


The second team allowed a six goal run in the fourth and scored once to move the final score to 16-10. 


"Going into the fourth quarter we had a 15-4 lead. [The first team] had done everything we asked them to do. Offense was doing great, defense was doing great and face-offs were great. As a coaching staff we took that opportunity to get some of the younger guys an opportunity to play in the 4th," Schneck said. 


He said it wasn't fair to the younger players to have to go in cold and wet after sitting on the sidelines for three quarters, but that is the nature of the game. He was glad to have them tested in a realistic game-time situation. 


"We have to get to the point where we can feel confident playing that younger group of guys so that we can use them in important and critical times of games," Schneck said. 


11 different players scored for the Cougars. The stats have yet to be released for the game. 


They play Cal today in what promises to be a very difficult game in another rainy and wet situation. 


"We expect that the game against Cal is going to be an even tougher game than yesterday, based on what Cal has done against other teams," Schneck said. 


Cal beat a strong Oregon team earlier in the season (Oregon was No. 7) and has proved that they are a legitimate contender in the MCLA this year. 

"We are fully expecting that this is going to be a fight today, it's going to be a very tough game," Schneck said. 

1st half update on BYU/LMU lax game

BYU has started out well in a wet game. BYU played a great first quarter taking a fast 5-1 lead and then slowed down in the second only scoring three times. They have the halftime lead 8-3. The first seven goals came from different players. BYU couldn't capitalize on a man-up situation late in the second but held the lead into halftime.

1) Gunderson
2) Shumway
3) Ferrin
4) Matheson
5) Walker
End of 1st
6) Houghton
7) Cole
8) Houghton

Check back for more in depth stats and analysis after the game.

BYU v. Loyola Marymount lacrosse preview

Today's game against Loyola Marymount is not only the Cougars' first road game but it is their first real test of the season.

Loyola Marymount is ranked 15th in the nation (MCLA) and will give the Cougars a run for their money. You know a No. 6 v. No. 15 match-up in basketball would warrant the game prime time on ESPN, but because it is Lacrosse the hype isn't quite the same.

The ranking might be a good basis for us as fans to go off of, but we have to remember that these are just preseason rankings for the most part. Loyola's only win has come against San Diego State which was an expected win, just as the Cougars win over Boise St. was not a surprise. So neither of these teams have faced top competition this season which means the pollsters don't really know where they fit in.

Wasatch Cup is coming! (press release about their sponsors)

You have to be kidding me. I just read that the Utah v. BYU rugby match last year at Rio Tinto stadium had over 7,500 people in attendance, that's amazing. I am so excited to be there and to cover the action with a press pass! This game will be for the Wasatch Cup and it's a bitter rivalry.

With a little more than two weeks until the game (don't forget about the UVU game in between there), the Wasatch Cup has announced this years sponsors - Zions Bank, Utah National Guard and Humless.

To find out more read the press release pasted below - but get your tickets because it's going to be an intense rugby match from start to finish.

BYU Rugby camp

The rugby team just published a press release about their summer rugby camp that will be coming up this year. This will be the first one ever. I hope to get more information about it coming to you all soon.

Here's the press release.

Provo, UT–The BYU Rugby program today announced that BYU will hold the first ever Rugby Sports Camp this summer from June 13th-16th.

Tickets price set for rugby; BYU vs. UVU - $3

So - the men's rugby team will play UVU in about ten days. That is the last game before the will meet with rival Utah in the competition for the Wasatch Cup.

This final warm-up for BYU will be a great first chance for BYU students to see their 2011 rugby team. It is bound to be an exciting game with lots of scoring (since BYU's first team hasn't scored under 60 points this season).

I'm also excited to see the competition that UVU brings to the field. Utah attracts a lot of great rugby players from all over the world and it'll be interesting to see how UVU matches up against powerhouse BYU.

I will be interviewing BYU players and coaches leading up to the game. Check back regularly to see updates and coverage on the game.

Lacrosse heads to California for season’s first road trip

This article was published in the BYU Daily Universe on February 17th, 2011.

Sixty-degree forecasts beckon the BYU lacrosse team to southern California this weekend against three tough opponents for the first road trip of the season.

The Cougars stayed the same in the polls at No. 6 after their 17-3 thrashing of Boise State two weeks ago. They will get to test their strength and unity this weekend against two ranked opponents, Loyola Marymount (No. 15) and the Golden Bears of Cal (No. 12). They will finish the trip Monday against the Claremont Cougars.

A sloppy beginning to a new Jazz era

This article was published on February 14th, 2011 in the BYU Daily Universe.

In their first game since Jerry Sloan departed the sideline, the Utah Jazz lost to the Phoenix Suns 95-83 on Friday night in Salt Lake City.

The loss was an ugly one for Jazz fans, one the team hopes doesn’t establish the pace of the rest of new coach Ty Corbin’s tenure with Utah.

The game featured two completely different halves, and the Jazz chose the second half to underperform.

Jazz coach Sloan resigns

This article was published on February 10th, 2011.

SALT LAKE CITY — Jerry Sloan, the 23-year head coach of the Utah Jazz, shocked the Jazz organization and fan base Thursday by resigning, along with 18-year assistant coach Phil Johnson.

Assistant coach Tyrone Corbin will take over as head coach of the Jazz.

Emotions ran high for Sloan as the Jazz announced his resignation in a press conference Thursday.

Cougars improve to 5-0 in Vegas

This article was published in the BYU Daily Universe on February 14th 2011.

The BYU men’s rugby team outscored its opponents 153-8 during a tournament over the weekend in Las Vegas and improved its overall record to 5-0.

On Friday, the Cougars, ranked No. 2 in the country, pounced on the Nittany Lions of Penn State in a 64-0 effort. Freshmen twins Josh and Jared Whippy from Fiji led the team in scoring with two trys a piece.

Josh didn’t take too much time to strike and scored a try within the first minute of the game. The fast start was indicative of the way the rest of the weekend would go.

Cougars pounce on Nittany Lions in rugby

This article was published on the BYU Daily Universe website on February 11th, 2011.

BYU rugby won the first of two games in the Las Vegas Invitational Friday afternoon, beating Penn State 64-0.

The Cougars continued their streak of shutout victories in their thrashing of the Nittany Lions.

The game featured an offensive showcase that started fast. BYU freshman Josh Whippy scored in the first minute, signaling to the Nittany Lions that it would be a long day.

BYU will play again Saturday against Cal Poly San Louis Obispo and try to keep its shutout streak going.

BYU rugby heads to Las Vegas

This article was published February 10, 2011 in the BYU Daily Universe.

After three weeks with no competition, the undefeated BYU men’s rugby team heads to Las Vegas for two tough games against fellow College Premiere League opponents this weekend.

BYU will face familiar competition in Vegas: Penn State and Cal Poly San Louis Obispo. If history can be trusted, BYU will have a successful weekend. The Cougars are 6-0 against Cal-Poly for the last six years and 5-0 against Penn State, beating PSU 84-14 in their last meeting.

Rugby brings player across the globe to BYU

This article was published in the BYU Daily Universe on February 7th, 2011.

As a 10-year-old in New Zealand, BYU rugby star Ray Forrester made one important decision, leading him down a path he never dreamed of.

It was 14 years ago that Forrester, living on the south island of New Zealand, was chosen to play for a representative rugby team on his island that held games on Sunday. Whether to play on Sunday would be an extremely difficult decision for any primary-aged LDS child, and his stepfather left it up to him.

“My dad said to me, ‘You can choose whether you want to play or not,’ and I played that first Sunday game,” Forrester said, “[but] I knew that it was wrong.”

Following that game, Forrester stopped playing for the team. They even begged his father to let him play, but Forrester’s choice was final.

“I chose not to [play] because I just knew that Heavenly Father would bless me,” Forrester said.

And the blessings have come aplenty. After Forrester’s decision, rugby became the vehicle that has taken him around the world and back again. Now, at the age of 24, Forrester has settled down as a starting prop for the highly talented 2011 BYU rugby squad.

But it has been a long journey.

His first stop with rugby came at the Church College of New Zealand, located on the north island of New Zealand, then on to Europe for a rugby tour, and then off to Utah to play for perennial rugby power Highland after high school.

It was playing that season with Highland that helped Forrester realize another decision: He wanted to serve a mission.

“For me, coming into the strong LDS culture was good for me because I come from a little branch back in NZ,” Forrester said.

In January 2006, Forrester was called to serve a mission to an area not too far from his home: Brisbane, Australia.

Following his mission, Forrester made his way back to Utah for the sole purpose of playing rugby at BYU. But Forrester soon realized the value and blessings of a good education.

“When I had the opportunity to come back over here it was all about the rugby,” Forrester said. “Now I’ve realized that education is just as, if not more, important.”

Forrester’s commitment to education has made him a force not only on the field but in the classroom.

“[Forrester's] committed to his educational success as much as he’s committed to be a good rugby player. His ability to do well in the classroom has allowed him to do well on the field,” said BYU coach Wayne Tarawhiti, who knew Forrester from when he played at Highland.

For Forrester, studying at BYU is more than just an education, it’s the beginning of a new tradition in his family as he’s the first to actually get past high school.

“For me and for my circumstances that I come from, it’s such a huge blessing to be here and I definitely need to take advantage of it while I have it,” Forrester said.

Lacrosse routes Boise State 17-3

This article was published on the BYU Daily Universe sports website, sportsuniverse.byu.edu on February 5th, 2011

BYU lacrosse began the season at a sprint as it routed Boise State 17-3 in Provo on Saturday.

The high-level performance from BYU prompted Boise State co-head coach Paul Rocchio to praise the Cougars with a bold prediction.

“These guys are going to win the national title,” Rocchio said.

While it might be too early to predict a national title, the Cougars are certainly off to a great start with such a convincing win.

BYU coach Matt Schneck was happy with the win but understands there’s still more room to grow before they win a national championship and acknowledged Boise State helped identify those points of weakness.

“There’s a lot of good competition out there. We’ve got the right talent and now it’s just a question of putting it all together,” Schneck said. “There’s definitely some things that we need to go work on.”

BYU freshman goalie Wes Goar, who had a stand-out game as a starter, is looking forward to where the team will end up.

“I think we’re just gonna keep getting better every game,” Goar said.

After losing eight seniors following last season, including national player of the year Britt Cone, the Cougars were looking to begin the new season on the right foot. And they did just that.

BYU didn’t waste time in setting the tone of the game, running to a 10-0 lead with five minutes left in the first half and winning nine of 13 first half face-offs.

Junior captain Ted Ferrin led a balanced BYU scoring attack with four assists and four goals. The Cougars spread their scoring among nine different players, showcasing the high level of offensive talent they have this season.

However, the game wasn’t only offense. The BYU goalie corps, Goar and Matt Erickson, only allowed three goals on 14 shots.

The Cougars continue to look forward and will set out on the road soon, where they will learn more about their team.

“Our next set of games is on the road so that’s going to be a good test for us,” said senior captain and two-time all-American Tyler Monteath, who against Boise State played his first game since returning from a mission.

The Cougars’ next games will be away matches in one weekend starting Friday, Feb. 18, against Loyola Marymount University.

BYU men’s lacrosse begins season

This article was published in the BYU Daily Universe on February 3rd, 2011.

Coming off an appearance in the quarterfinals in last year’s MCLA national tournament, the No. 6 BYU men’s lacrosse team looks to improve this season with its season opener against Boise State on Saturday.

The team will have to overcome the loss of preseason player of the year Elliot Grow and national player of the year Britt Cone, who coach Matt Schneck said are arguably two of the most talented players to come through the BYU program.

However, the senior captains of this year’s squad seem to be optimistic that while lacking the individual talent from last year, this team will be able to make up for it in overall unity.

Under second-year head coach Schneck (who also played lacrosse at BYU), the team has brought unity to a new level.

“[Schneck’s] been one of the biggest things for team unity,” said Brian Mathay, one of the two senior captains for this year’s team. “We all love him.”

However, the team is definitely not void of talent. Tyler Monteath, the other senior captain and two-time first-team all-American, along with other returning missionaries, will add a wealth of talent to the team this season.

When Monteath left for his mission, he was just coming off the national championship season of 2007 and is looking to get back to that same winning tradition.

BYU hasn’t played Boise State for so long that neither of the senior captains have ever faced them. However, even though they don’t have film on the Broncos, the Cougars are expecting tough competition.

“They’re big boys and they like to play very physically,” Schneck said. “[But] this is really about focusing in on who we are and what we need to be doing.”

Captains Monteath and Mathay said they are also looking forward to the Boise State game to evaluate how the team will fare in its first game of the season.

“We’re excited to just see what the team can do,” Mathay said. “The first game’s always a good chance to see where you are as a team.”

“I’m excited to see what the team’s going to be like when we’re all together,” Monteath said.

New players to watch for this season are Cone and Grow’s replacements, Grayson Dahl and Andrew Harding, as well as freshman Alek Mika and goalie Wes Goar.

The game this weekend will take place on the north university field at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

Rugby men sweep weekend trip in southern California

This article was published in the BYU Daily Universe on January 24th, 2011

The BYU men’s rugby team began the season 3-0 with a convincing sweep of three Southern California opponents this weekend.

The Cougars rolled to two victories, beating Division II champion Claremont Colleges 86-0 and league rival San Diego State University 69-0.

The second team also got a chance to represent BYU in a 25-10 win against the University of San Diego, leaving the record a perfect 3-0 to start the season.
With impressive showings from veteran players and freshmen, team captain Ryan Roundy said the team came together this weekend.

“Everyone’s buying into the program,” Roundy said. “Everyone’s buying into the system.”

The four-day trip allowed the team to integrate its new freshmen into the mix.
Freshman twins Josh Whippey and Jared Whippey, from Fiji, combined for nine of BYU’s 30 trys over the weekend. At one point in the victory against SDSU on Saturday, Jared scored three trys in a row in 11 minutes. Josh had a similar showing against Claremont Colleges on Thursday with four first half trys.

When asked about his big trys against rival SDSU, Jared responded humbly.

“It was a good team effort,” Jared said. “I didn’t think too much about it. As long as we were getting points, I was happy.”

BYU has played SDSU tight in its past few meetings, with a come-from-behind victory in the final four of their 2009 championship run and a 36-22 hard-fought battle last year in Provo. This year, the Cougars had their number in a much more convincing fashion.

Vice captain Dylan Lubbe had nothing but positive things to say about the win.
“We are very proud of the weekend; we wanted to win three games,” Lubbe said. “I think the boys have got a confidence boost from the weekend. We want to prepare for each game as it comes and keep the wins coming.”

BYU will take a few weeks off to prepare for its next test, which will be a road trip to Las Vegas on Feb. 11 and 12 to battle two more league opponents, Cal Poly and Penn State.

Men’s rugby begins season today in Southern California

This article was published in the BYU Daily Universe on January 18th, 2011

The BYU men’s rugby team begins its season today with a series of tough games in southern California.

The team looks to make it to the national championship game this year for the sixth season in a row. But this year they will have to do it with a different cast of players.

The team returns all four of its first-team All-Americans this season, including captain Ryan Roundy, a junior from Holladay, and vice-captain Dylan Lubbe, a junior from South Africa. But the real question this year concerns the 10 new recruits.

Roundy said the recruits seem to be fitting in quite nicely.

“We’ve been very impressed by all of the good recruits,” he said. “They’re already on-the-field leaders, they’re not normal freshmen. ”

This weekend, the team is hoping to find out where they are and how far they have to go this season to reach their goals, Lubbe said. The team has trained hard during the fall semester and after winter break put in even more hours.

David Smyth, head coach of BYU rugby for 20 years, echoed Lubbe’s sentiments and said he looks “to build a good solid foundation to springboard to the rest of the season.”

Even with the talented recruits and returning All-Americans, Lubbe said the the team is taking a humble approach into the season.

“We’re not predicting anything, but we obviously have some high expectations for the team,” Lubbe said. “We just want to stay on track and do our best.”

Today BYU’s first team will take on Claremont College in Claremont, Calif., for its first game of the season, and the first match ever between the two programs. Claremont boasts a strong team after winning the Division II national championship last year against Temple, and will be looking to start its season with a win. The game will start at 5 p.m.

On Saturday the Cougars will travel to San Diego for a 3 p.m. game against San Diego State, whom BYU beat in 2009 in the semifinals and last year in Provo.

BYU’s second team will also get a chance to play the University of San Diego on Friday and the San Diego State second team on Saturday.

Men’s rugby escapes the cold to help youth

This story was published in the Daily Universe at BYU on Thursday January 13, 2011.

The BYU men's rugby team took a break from the cold last weekend with a trip to St. George and a twofold mission: to defrost, and be mentors to rugby youth.

Assistant BYU rugby coach and Propel Rugby Academy founder Kimball Kjar explained the priorities of the team while in St. George.

“The first priority was to help the youth down there, and the second priority was to get the rugby team out of the snow,” Kjar said.

More than 100 youthful participants received guidance from the BYU rugby team in the Propel Rugby Academy “Winter Warm-Up” clinic in St. George held on the campus of Dixie State College.

Jay Day, the father of three participating sons and a local high school rugby coach, he saw how the event greatly impacted his children.

“They’re such good examples to my boys, and my boys, they just try to mimic everything they do,” Day said, referring to the BYU rugby team.

Day has hosted the BYU players in his home for years when they came to town to participate in local tournaments. But this year was different, because the players were able to give back to the rugby community in southern Utah through the youth clinic.

“BYU is so generous, because they shared everything. Complete transparency, they didn’t hold anything back,” Day said.

The trip also provided valuable time for the team to get to know each other and the 10 new recruits they are welcoming for the 2011 rugby season.

“It was good for the guys to just get on the road together, and there’s some good team bonding that goes on there,” Kjar said. “To be able to get a full field, to be able to have the guys spread out, to train, and to work on our overall systems as a team, it helps us to work on team cohesion.”

The team boasts a strong recruiting class for the 2011 season and will start its season with a road trip to Southern California. They look to reclaim the championship from rival Cal, whom they lost to in the 2010 championship game.