The Arizona State men’s lacrosse team is back.

Senior middie Anthony LaFlam scored a game-high six goals to lead the fifth-ranked Sun Devils to a decisive 21-6 victory over UCLA in an MCLA Division I game Saturday afternoon in Los Angeles.

Senior middie Ryan Westfall and senior attackman Eric Nelson each added a co-game-high six points on three goals and three assists to help Arizona State (1-0) win its season opener in its first game since the 2008 season.

Senior attackman Taylor Mitchell scored three goals, senior attackman Tyler Westfall and freshman attackman James Reap each added a pair, and junior middie Kris Saunders dished two assists for Arizona State.

UCLA (2-2) had its two-game winning streak snapped.

Arizona State came out strong, racing to a 5-1 lead by the end of the first quarter. The Sun Devils led 8-4 at halftime before they used a 13-goal second half to pull away.

It was a welcome return for an Arizona State program that was suspended for the 2009 season after an off-the-field incident. Arizona State was expected to challenge for an MCLA Division I national championship last year before the school put the kibosh on the season.

But despite the suspension, Arizona State head coach Chris Malone stayed with the program, as did about 16 players who will all now have an extra year of eligibility.

“There was a lot of excitement,” Malone said. “Our guys have been waiting for this moment for a long, long time, especially the guys who were on the team last year and went through what they went through. We’re all just happy to be back on the field, doing what we love to do, and that’s playing this game.”