It looked ugly early with the Cougars showing serious signs of a close-game-last-night hangover in the second night of their back-to-back games in Vegas. BYU didn't score a single goal in the first quarter while #9 Chapman (2-1) roared to a 3-0 lead. The Cougars soon found some fire and scored their first goal two minutes into the second quarter. Both teams then traded goals, bringing the score to 4-2, then traded two-goal runs to make it 6-4. BYU midfielder Jake Ferrin then scored a spectacular behind-the-back goal just before the half to bring the score within one.
The Cougs and Panthers again traded some goals early in the third and Chapman pushed their lead back to two, 8-6, with just over four minutes remaining, but that's where BYU's depth would start to shine. The Cougs closed out the quarter with goals from Fabrizio and Walker to tie the game, and continued on what would be a 5-0 run, shutting out the Panthers for the entire fourth quarter, final 11-8 BYU.
I gotta say, I was more than a little worried about this game after the Cougars sad showing vs. UNLV. Chapman is traditionally a VERY strong and disciplined team, but BYU showed why they are national champion contenders again this year. This team can beat anyone in the country if they can play like they did in the fourth quarter tonight.
Next up: vs. Loyola Marymount in Vegas tomorrow 5 pm (4 pm MST)
Personal note: Team captain Mickell Walker, who played for yours truly like a hundred years ago, scored three goals in the game (two goals were equalizing goals, and the last put the Cougars up by two late in the fourth).