GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.--Westminster men's lacrosse made it difficult for #16 ranked Colorado Mesa. The Griffins were first to score and held the lead three minutes into the second half. The Mavericks took the lead and Westminster tied it 9-9 then at 12-12 with 9:07 remaining. The home side scored with 25 seconds remaining to defeat Westminster 13-12.
Westminster started the game with a 7-1 run.
Brad Belasco scored a hat trick in the opening seven minutes to give the Griffins a 3-0 lead. Goals from
Lane Kadish,
Thomas Sarjeant and
Chance Beutler increased the lead to 7-1. Sarjeant completed a hat-trick and Westminster ended the half with a one-point lead, 8-7.
Mesa outscored Westminster 4-1 in the third period and scored a fifth goal two minutes into the fourth quarter. The Griffins responded with three goals and tied the game, 12-12, with 9:07 remaining. The game looked like it was heading into overtime but Mesa managed to score the game winner with 25 seconds left on the clock.
Westminster's defense deserves a lot of credit keeping the game close. Mesa out shot Westminster 59 to 27 but only managed 25 on goal.
Conner McFarlane made 12 saves and recorded a .480 save percentage.
Chase Flinders was 2-4 for on faceoffs, picked up six ground balls and scored a goal.
Troy Vance scored a goal, gathered four ground balls and caused two turnovers.
Grant Phillips caused five turnovers and picked up two ground balls, and
Kyle Williams picked up three ground balls and caused four turnovers.
Sarjeant, Belasco and
Jacob Taylor led the team with three points each. Sarjeant shot four times and scored three times. Belasco shot six and scored three, and Taylor scored two goals and assisted one.
"We had some outstanding performances today," Head Coach
Mason Goodhand said. "Connor McFarlane was solid in the cage and
Brad Belasco really came to play and got our offense rolling."
"I saw one of the best performances by a long pole in
Chase Flinders and co-captain Tom Sarjeant had one of his all around best games directing a highly effective attack effort."
Westminster plays at the University of Utah on Friday at 7 p.m. and hosts Johnson & Wales (Colo.) on Saturday at 2 p.m. Saturday's game will be broadcast on the RMAC Network and live stats will be available online. Tickets can be purchased online or at the gate prior to the game.
