Kristina Cummins wrote a feature in the BYU student newspaper, The Daily Universe on July 1 about Brady Marshall.

Brady Steve Marshall began playing soccer when he was 5 after his mother, Lisa, said he couldn’t play his favorite sport, football, until he entered high school because she thought he would get hurt.

His dad, Tony Marshall, invited him to play soccer when he was 5. To this day, he said he still teases Brady about his response to the invitation.

“Brady responded with, ‘I am not very good at things with my feet,’ ” Tony said, in jest.

This year, Brady has taken 15 shots on goal, the third-highest on the team, according to the league division’s website. Antonio Niccoli has 17 shots on goal and B.J. Pugmire has 19.

“Brady is a great athlete with unique speed, power and agility,” Watkins said. “When he’s motivated, he can play with anyone in the country.”

Tony said he did the typical fatherly things in Brady’s young soccer career, like taking him to practices and games. He noticed at a young age that Brady’s driven nature and high level of intensity impacted every facet of his nature.

“Brady has always been a young man of spiritual intensity,” Tony said. “He is very obedient and he wants to do what is right and never get in trouble. He is a natural leader and good example for others to follow.  It has been an absolute pleasure as a parent to watch him.”

Tony said in any sport Brady took on, the coaches were always happily surprised by his ability.

“The coaches would say, ‘We can’t get over this kid,’ ” Tony said. “He stood out because of his work ethic.”

Brady’s strong and intense work ethic was developed as a result of always being small compared to the other kids on teams, so he had to work harder to compensate, Tony said.

“I grew up in Modesto, Calif.,” Brady said. “I played baseball, basketball, football and soccer in high school but felt I had the greatest potential for a scholarship in soccer.”

Brady said his life revolved around sports and his mom tried to keep him well rounded by having him play the piano and earn an Eagle Scout award. He said even family vacations revolved around sporting events for both him and his younger sister, Jennie Marshall, who currently plays on the Cougar women’s soccer team.

Both of them recall spending their Thanksgivings in condos in Oceanside, Calif., for soccer tournaments. They said these Thanksgiving vacations were some of their favorite childhood memories, especially when extended family members went with them.

“Brady is an insane athlete,” Jennie said. “He can play anything he wants. He’s strong, fast and mentally there. A lot of athletes struggle mentally.”

Jennie said her brother has done everything he can in school as well as spiritually and has always been firm in his standards and beliefs. She said she feels close to him because they are only a few years apart and they share a common bond by playing soccer at BYU.

Brady’s wife, Annie, also played soccer at BYU. She is two years older than Brady and is currently expecting their first child, a girl, in August, she said.

Annie and Brady were married in the Oakland California Temple on Aug. 1, 2009.

They met at BYU during a youth summer soccer camp Brady attended while Annie was a counselor, Annie said.

“Brady came up to me on Monday morning, the first day of camp,” she said. “And the first thing he said to me was ‘I am a 209 area code, too.’ ”

Annie said they dated when Brady was a freshman and she was a junior. Then Brady left for his mission in Charlotte, W. Va., and she wrote him throughout. They went through the date-break up cycle when he returned from his mission, until they finally were engaged and married.

“He is definitely the clean one in the relationship,” Annie said. “Our apartment is really clean and he loves to vacuum.”

Brady said he is a steak and potatoes kind of a guy and he loves anything his wife cooks.

“I have a new favorite kind of food every week,” Brady said. “I especially love my wife’s tacos.”

Brady said he loves coming home to find his wife watching soccer or any kind of sport on TV.

“That is how you know you have a good one,” Brady said. “They understand your second love. It is awesome to be with someone who understands you completely.”

Brady and Annie continue the tradition in Brady’s family of finding a spouse at BYU. Brady’s dad said he and his wife met at BYU. He was a civil engineering major and his wife, Lisa, was an elementary education major. He said they lived in Wymount and Brady spent his first year of life being strolled around here on campus.

Brady will play in the men’s soccer game Saturday at South Stadium Field at 7 p.m. against the Ogden Outlaws.

Junior midfielder, Josh Patino gives his weekly thoughts about the team on the blog known as “On the Pitch”.

July 7, 2010 – The game is tied 1-1 to start the second half, both teams are playing for three very valuable points, the fans are hopeful that the Cougars will get a long awaited win…and most of all the players are trying to change their unfortunate luck this season. That was the feeling in the air as we fought to a well-earned 3-1 victory over the Ogden Outlaws. After being down 1-0 for the majority of the first half we once again proved a rare team characteristic to come back and win. Finally, we were able to finish our scoring opportunities and not just out play the opponent, but also win.

With only three home games remaining each game becomes that much more important. Tomorrow night we take on the division champs, Hollywood Hitmen, and then two days later, Saturday, we face the national champions, Ventura County. Tough weekend? Indeed. Are both great teams? Yes. Can we win? Without a doubt. We fell to Hollywood and tied Ventura at their home. On our last trip to California the team, only the players – no coaches, came together for a short meeting. We talked about what we can do better, where we can improve, what we want out of the remaining games. There is a lot that we can improve on and be better at, but there always will be. One mindset of the team as that we are better at the end of our final game July 17^th than we were when we started the season.

Our hopes of going to the playoffs faded quickly after our final games in California. However that doesn’t mean we don’t have something to prove. We play two of the best teams in the nation over the next three days and we definitely have plenty to play for. We’ve spent a lot of time together lately. We awoke extremely early on Monday, July 5^th, to be in the pre-parade. Quite a few of us are coaching the cub camps together that started yesterday. We’ve watched the World Cup Semifinals together…GO SPAIN! And, of course, we practice together everyday. I think more and more of the guys are becoming comfortable with one another and it’s beginning to show on the field. More confidence in one’s self and trust in our teammate.

The past two days we’ve focused on attacking with creativity and speed, actually getting to the goal and creating opportunities quickly. We had a little tournament yesterday, we had 4 teams of 7 and the team with the most overall points after pool play won. The winners received Jamba Juice after practice. Thanks Coach. Unfortunately, Cameron Lamb and Drew VanWagenen are on our injured list and most likely will not play tomorrow. Cam is our starting right back and hasn’t missed a game all season. He’s out with an ankle injury from the last game. Drew is our center back and is out with a left should injury. Both are recovering well and we all hope they’ll be back for Saturday.

Drew Van Wagenen (above) and Cameron Lamb are questionable this weekend with injuries. (BYU Photo)

Jarom Jordan

Click Here for Complete Game Notes (PDF)

PROVO, Utah (July 6, 2010) — BYU plays its toughest pair of home games this season when it hosts the Hollywood United Hitmen Thursday, July 8 and Ventura County Fusion on Saturday, July 10 in Provo.  Both matches kickoff at 8 p.m. MT.  The Hitmen won the Premier Development League’s Southwest Division in 2009 and the Fusion won the PDL Championship last season.  BYUtv will broadcast both matches with Thursday’s live at 8 p.m. MT and Saturday’s tape delayed at 10 p.m. MT.  Catch both online at www.byutv.org/live.

“It’s going to take a humongous effort from us,” said BYU head coach, Chris Watkins.  “Both teams have tons of great players … We can play with great teams.  We have to play our very best.  We can do it but it takes a massive effort.”

BYU plays last year's Division and National Champions this week. (BYU Photo)

The Cougars snapped a three-game losing streak with a 3-1 victory over the Ogden Outlaws on July 3.  BYU scored a single-game season-high three goals, including two from junior forward, Brady Marshall.  The Cougars had scored eight goals in 11 games prior to the outburst versus the Outlaws.  BYU has four games remaining and is 3-7-2 with 11 points and in eighth place in the Southwest Division.  If BYU wins its remaining four games it will finish with a .500 record.  Toni Niccoli, Britton Osborne, and Marshall lead the team with three goals each.

“I think our scoring slump, while it may not be over, we’re getting better and better with our attacking players,” said Watkins.  “I’d be surprised if we get shutout this weekend.”

With some help and two wins, BYU could ascend to fifth place in the division by Saturday night.  The Cougars are not mathematically eliminated from the PDL playoffs (top two teams in the division qualify) but hope hangs by a string with the Cougars need to win its final four and get some major help.  The Cougars earned a win and tie out of this home stand in 2009.

Hollywood is 7-2-2, on a 6-game win streak, and in second place.  The Hitmen can climb to first with a pair of wins this weekend against BYU and Ogden.  The Hitmen are led by forward, Jaime Chavez who has seven goals and five assists this year.  BYU is 1-2 versus the Hitmen all-time with a 1-0 win in Provo in 2009 and a 3-0 loss on June 3 on the road.

The defending national champion, Ventura County Fusion is a point behind the Hitmen with 22 at 7-3-1 in the division.  The Fusion is led by former MLS player, Brent Whitfield who has seven goals in six games but he will not travel to Utah this weekend.  Five other players have scored two this year.  BYU is 0-1-2 with two ties in the last two meetings, including a 0-0 draw on June 5.

“I think we’ve found that confidence again,” said junior defender, Tyler Christiansen.  “That win against Ogden was good for us.  It’s really easy to get into that mode, the ball doesn’t bounce your way, to get real pessimistic real quick.  I think we’ve bounced that back.  We have a great chance to finish with a .500 record and in the middle of the table.  We still have a lot to play for.”

QUICK FACTS
Who: Hollywood United Hitmen vs. BYU Cougars
When: Thursday, July 8 at 8 p.m. MT
Where: The Stadium at South Field in Provo, Utah
TV: Live on BYUtv or www.byutv.org/live (Jarom Jordan, Hugh Van Wagenen, Aaron Nilsson)

Who: Ventura County Fusion vs. BYU Cougars
When: Saturday, July 10 at 8 p.m. MT
Where: The Stadium at South Field in Provo, Utah
TV: Tape delayed on BYUtv or www.byutv.org/live (Jarom Jordan, Hugh Van Wagenen, Aaron Nilsson)

PREMIER DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE
After winning seven club national championships, Brigham Young University joined the Premier Development League in 2003. The Cougars reached the elite eight in 2006 and 2007. The PDL is the top U23 men’s league in North America and features 68 teams within four conferences across the United States and Canada. The PDL season consists of 16 regular season matches for each team, eight home and eight away. The PDL provides elite collegiate players the opportunity to taste a higher level of competition while maintaining their eligibility. BYU is the first and only university to own a franchise in the PDL. In addition to league play, PDL teams compete in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup as well as various exhibitions. The United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League has proven to be an important stepping stone for top professionals now playing around the world.

FOLLOW THE COUGARS ONLINE
Check out the Cougars on twitter at www.twitter.com/byusoccer or on the official website at www.byusoccer.com.

Assistant Coach, Clay Christenson gives his weekly thoughts about the team on the blog known as “From the Box”.

We’re coming off a great win Saturday night.  It was nice to see our offense have a breakthrough game but there’s not much time to enjoy the victory because the upcoming weekend is the most important of the entire year. Both the Hollywood Hitmen and Ventura County Fusion are vying for the division crown, and desperately need a good result as well. We will be ready.  Every player on our team needs to be at the top of their game. With only two days of practice, the team will focus on what we do best—work. The only consistent success we’ve had this year has been our work rate.  We pride ourselves on out-working our opponents.

To be successful against two of the top teams in the league this weekend, we’ll have to overwhelm them with our energy and organization. No need for big pep talks, the players know what’s at stake and everyone is excited to showcase our talent.

Brady Marshall and the Cougars face Hollywood and Ventura this week in Provo. (BYU Photo)

Here’s a link to an interesting article about how AJAX Academy in Amsterdam, Holland trains its players.  It’s long but quite engaging.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/06/magazine/06Soccer-t.html?_r=1&src=me&ref=homepage

PROVO, Utah (July 3, 2010) — On a night featuring a firework display following the match, the BYU Cougars lit up the scoreboard during the match, with a 3-1 victory over the Ogden Outlaws.  The Cougars are now 3-7-2 while Ogden falls to 1-7-2.

Ogden scored a goal in the first half but junior forward, Brady Marshall scored the Cougars equalizer in the 45th minute with a putback following a header off the crossbar by freshman midfielder, Matt Rider.  The score was tied 1-1 at halftime.

Brady Marshall scored two goals versus Ogden, Saturday night. (BYU Photo)

In the second frame, Marshall received a pass over the top of the defense by Brazillian freshman forward, Pedro Vasconcelos, then scored the go-ahead goal with a chip over the Ogden goalkeeper to score his second goal of the game.  In the closing minutes the Outlaws put everyone in the box on a corner kick to try and tie the score.  The ball hit the post in the penalty area scrum but Cougar midfielder, Kip Critchlow tackled the ball away and assisted Jantzen Romney for a late goal to win, 3-1.  The assist was Critchlow’s team leading, third of the year and Romney’s first career goal as a Cougar.  It is also the first time the Cougars have scored three goals in a game this season.

“The win really meant a lot to us,” said Brady Marshall.  “It’s been a season full of frustration so it was nice to get back on track.  Scoring those goals really felt good since I’ve been in a slump.  Pedro came in and really changed the game.  His assist was beautiful.”

BYU will play games two and three of a four-game homestand this week with 2009 Southwest Division Champion, Hollywood United Hitmen in Provo on Thursday, July 8 followed by last year’s Premier Development League champions, the Ventura County Fusion on Saturday, July 10.  Both games will kickoff at 8 p.m. MT and be broadcast live on BYUtv and www.byutv.org/live.

Scoring Summary
Ogden: 0-1
BYU: 1-1, Brady Marshall (Matt Rider)
BYU: 2-1, Brady Marshall (Pedro Vasconcelos)
BYU: 3-1, Jantzen Romney (Kip Critchlow)

Postgame Notes
-BYU won its first game after trailing this season
-After being shutout two games in a row, BYU has scored the last two games
-The Cougars scored three goals Saturday night after totaling eight in the first 11 games
-Janzten Romney scored his first career goal as a Cougar
-Kip Critchlow added an assist to his team leading total of three
-Brady Marshall now joins Toni Niccoli and Britton Osborn with three goals this season to lead the team
-BYU needs to win its final four games to finish with a .500 record
-All four remaining games are in Utah and the next three are at home

Jarom Jordan

PROVO, Utah (July 1, 2010) — BYU returns home this weekend to host, in-state rival, Ogden on Saturday, July 3 at 7 p.m.  Fans can watch the match then see the fireworks from “Stadium of Fire”, in the stands following the end of the game.
 
“This is a must win game for us,” said senior midfielder and co-captain, Britton Osborne.  “They are our in-state rivals and this game will determine how the rest of our season plays out. A win and playing our remaining games will be easier. A loss and it is going to be a very tough end for us. Ogden is in a similar situation to us and they don’t have much to play for. We need to put them away early and make it an easy game for ourselves.”
 
The Cougars are currently 2-7-2 and in eighth place out of nine teams in the Southwest Division of the Premier Development League.  BYU needs to win its remaining five games to finish with a .500 record.  BYU’s only sub-.500 season came in its first in the Premier Development League, in 2003 (2-15-2).  Ogden is in ninth place with five points (1-6-2).  The Outlaws allow 2.8 goals per game, which is most in the division.  However, the Cougars have struggled to score goals.  BYU boasts eight goals to its name in 11 games, fewest in the division and second fewest in the conference.  BYU will play all five of its July matches in Utah with four in Provo and one in Ogden. 
 
BYU owns the series history 12-3-1.  The first game was played in 2006.  BYU has won the last three matches.  In 2009 all four games were won, 1-0.  This is the first meeting this season between the two teams.  They’ll meet again on July 17 in Ogden in the final regular season match for both teams.
 
QUICK FACTS
Who: Ogden Outlaws vs. BYU Cougars
When: Saturday, July 3, 2010 at 7 p.m. MT
Where: The Stadium at South Field in Provo, Utah
 
PREMIER DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE
After winning seven club national championships, Brigham Young University joined the Premier Development League in 2003. The Cougars reached the elite eight in 2006 and 2007. The PDL is the top U23 men’s league in North America and features 68 teams within four conferences across the United States and Canada. The PDL season consists of 16 regular season matches for each team, eight home and eight away. The PDL provides elite collegiate players the opportunity to taste a higher level of competition while maintaining their eligibility. BYU is the first and only university to own a franchise in the PDL. In addition to league play, PDL teams compete in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup as well as various exhibitions. The United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League has proven to be an important stepping stone for top professionals now playing around the world.

FOLLOW THE COUGARS ONLINE
Check out the Cougars on twitter at www.twitter.com/byusoccer or on the official website at www.byusoccer.com.

Assistant Coach, Clay Christenson gives his weekly thoughts about the team on the blog known as “From the Box”.

After a tough weekend road trip, we’re all excited to return home for four of our remaining five games. Playing in front of a home crowd builds confidence for our players and we’ll need that as we prepare to play the best teams in the division over the next few weeks.
 
The Ogden Outlaws are a team that’s easy to get excited for because whenever you play an instate opponent you’re not only battling for points, but also for pride. I can guarantee that there’s not a hungrier team in the Premier Development League than BYU and even though we’re late in the season, our practices will continue to get more intense and the expectations will raise. As a staff, we’re still looking for players who can prove themselves each day at practice and those will be the players who get minutes on Saturday night. Because our roster is so large, every day players have an opportunity to break into the starting 11.

LANCASTER, California (June 26, 2010) — On the same day the United States lost to Ghana 2-1 in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, BYU lost 2-1 to the Lancaster Rattlers.  The Rattlers swept the season series and lowered BYU’s record to 2-7-2 this season, also giving the Cougars a three-game losing streak.

“We’ve had a lot of positives on this trip,” said assistant coach, Chad Sackett.  “We’ve seen leadership and the guys come together.  In a way it’s a hard weekend.  The guys played well.  We have good players.  We had opportunities.  It’s like the USA national team today.  I compare how I felt after watching the USA play today and how we played this weekend.”

Britton Osborne scored in the loss to Lancaster. (BYU Photo)

BYU scored first for the third time this season when Toni Niccoli stole the ball from the Lancaster back line, passed off to Blake Tillotson who took a shot while Brit Osborne took the deflection and finished it in the 10th minute.  It was Osborne’s third goal of the season, which is tied for most on the team with Toni Niccoli and was the second fastest goal of the season.

Lancaster struck back in the 18th minute when Tyler Coombs scored his first goal of the year off a deflection by a Cougar defender to tied the score at one.  Just seven minutes later the Rattlers, Mauricio Harrie scored the game winner on a breakaway to beat BYU goalkeeper, Cory Cosgrave.

“It was just another unlucky game,” said junior defender, Doug Clark.  “We got beat by a team that we could have and should have beaten.  Whether it was the ball bouncing the wrong way or not finishing our chances, that’s just the way it went.”

Just before the half freshman, Pedro Vasconcelos scored a goal off a Britton Osborne cross but the goal was disallowed for an offside call.

The Cougars will bus back to Provo and prepare for their first meeting with in-state rival, Ogden on Saturday, July 3 at the Stadium at South Field.  Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. MT and fans can watch the Stadium of Fire fireworks show in the stands, following the game.

Starters:
GK-Cory Cosgrave
D-Tyler Christiansen (Brady Marshall), Drew Van Wagenen, KC Whitworth, Cameron Lamb (Trevor Henderson)
M-Matt Rider (Doug Clark), Brent Jensen, Pedro Vasconcelos, Britton Osborne
F-Blake Tillotson (Zach De Francis), Toni Niccoli

Postgame Notes:
-The current three-game losing streak is the second three gamer of the season and ties the longest such skid since 2006
-After going 1-0-1 against the Rattlers in 2009, BYU lost both games this season
-BYU lost despite scoring first for the first time this year (2-1-0 when scoring first)
-The Cougars have scored eight goals in 11 games this year.
-BYU lost both games this week by a single goal
-BYU is 2-7-2 with five games remaining, meaning it will need to win its remaining games to salvage a .500 record.
-All five are in Utah, with four in Provo.