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.Tweet

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.Tweet

Click here for the game notes PDF

PROVO, Utah (May 3, 2010) — The BYU men’s soccer team will begin the 2010 Premier Development League season this Saturday, May 8 on the road against the Orange County Blue Star.  The game begins at 5 p.m. (PT) at Concordia University in Irvine, California.

PREVIEWING THE COUGARS
Eight starters return this season, including goal keeper, Bryan Black, veteran defenders, KC Whitworth and Drew VanWagenen, midfielders Brent Jensen and Britt Osborne, as well as forwards Zach De Francis, Brady Marshall, and BJ Pugmire. The Cougars lost seven players to graduation, including All-PDL western conference honorable mention midfielder, Richie Bindrup. BYU welcomes back five returned missionaries and seven freshman will join the team out of high school in June after their graduations.

2009 REVIEW
BYU finished 7-5-4 overall, in fourth position in the southwest division and just one spot out of the playoffs. Despite some major injuries the Cougars defeated Southwest Division champion, Hollywood Hitmen, 1-0 and tied eventual PDL champ, Ventura County 2-2.

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.

QUICK FACTS
Who: BYU Cougars vs. Orange County Blue Star
When: Saturday, May 8 at 5 p.m. PT
Where:  Concordia University (Irvine, CA)

Senior forward, Zach De Francis and the Cougars open the PDL season this Saturday at Orange County.

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Can you believe the Premier Development League regular season begins next Saturday for BYU?  The Cougars will face the Orange County Blue Star on the road in the first contest of the 16-game regular season.  The Cougars were one spot out of the playoffs last season and are working hard to get back into it.  The playoff format changed from three teams back to two from each division this season so it will be that much more competitive.  BYU has a nice collection of veterans, returned missionaries, newcomers, and incoming freshman.

I’m really excited to see it all gel on the field.  The team feels it has gathered some momentum from the spring exhibition contests against the likes of Mesa St., UNLV, Real Salt Lake, and Weber State to start the season strong.

After the Cougars first PDL game, they’ll play the U-21 Mexican national team the next Wednesday, May 12 at 7 p.m. in Provo.  That game is huge.  Their players are professionals in Mexico, could play in the Olympics in two years, and even the World Cup in four years for Mexico.  They are quite talented.  If you can’t make it to the game ($10 reserved, $6 general admission), watch it on BYUtv or online at www.byu.tv.

It’s always fun to see the great games BYU lines up.  It awesome to play in the PDL but to add teams in the past couple of years to the schedule like Real Salt Lake, Fiji, Coventry City, and the U-21 Mexican national team is impressive.  Don’t miss out!Tweet

Jarom Jordan
Media Relations Director
jarom.jordan@byu.edu

PROVO, Utah (March 26, 2010) — The BYU men’s soccer team will head south on I-15 this weekend to play the UNLV Rebels in Las Vegas in preparation for the Premier League Development season on Saturday, March 27 at 11 a.m. pacific time.

The game will be played at Johan Soccer Stadium.  Admission is free.  The BYU women’s team will also play UNLV, at 9 a.m.

The Cougars defeated Mesa State twice last Saturday in Grand Junction, Colorado in the team’s first pre-season games.  The Cougars won the first game 3-0 on goals from BJ Pugmire (‘13), Zach DeFrancis (‘16), and Brady Marshall (‘56).  In the second game the Cougars won 2-1.

“It was a good chance for us to try some new things out,” said coach, Chris Watkins.  ”We are excited to measure our progress again this week.  Last week we were able to keep the ball pretty well with only three midfielders.  We’ll see how we do against a little better competition.  It’s early but we are training well.”

PREVIEWING THE COUGARS
The Cougars begin the PDL regular season May 8 at the Orange County Blue Star before returning to Provo for its first home against the Los Angeles Legends on May 21.

2009 REVIEW
BYU finished 7-5-4 overall, in fourth position in the division and just one spot out of the playoffs. Despite some major injuries the Cougars defeated Southwest Division champion, Hollywood Hitmen, 1-0 and tied eventual PDL champ, Ventura County 2-2. Seven starters return this season, including goal keeper, Bryan Black, veteran defenders, KC Whitworth and Drew VanWagenen, and forwards Zach DeFrancis, Brady Marshall, and BJ Pugmire. The Cougars lost seven players to graduation, including All-PDL Western Conference Honorable Mention, Richie Bindrup.

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

QUICK FACTS
Who: Brigham Young University vs. University of Nevada-Las Vegas
When: Saturday, March 27 at 11 a.m. MT
Where: Johan Soccer Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada

Senior defender, KC Whitworth and the Cougars will play UNLV in a pre-season game Saturday at 11 a.m.

PROVO, Utah (Feb. 22, 2010) — The BYU men’s soccer team will hold its annual tryout Thursday, February 25 through Saturday, February 27, 2010 in the Indoor Practice Facility (IPF) on the campus of Brigham Young University.

“We return a lot of players who have some sort of affiliation to the team whether it was before their mission on a fall team or before their mission on the real team,” said head coach, Chris Watkins.  “It will be competitive.  It will probably be the most competitive tryout we’ve had based on how many people feel like they have a chance of making the team.

“We will only have 21 players at practice the following Monday (March 1).  That’s a pretty significant change.  Typically we’ve had about 24, 25 at that point.  All the returned missionaries will fit into those 21 roster spots.  I’m not happy about having to do this but I think it’s the best thing for our program.”

Tryout Schedule

Thursday, Feb. 25
6-9 a.m. (Indoor Practice Facility)
4-6 p.m. (Richards Building Turf)

Friday, Feb. 26
6-9 a.m. (Indoor Practice Facility)
4-6 p.m. (Richards Building Turf)

Saturday, Feb. 27
4-6 p.m. (Richards Building Turf)
10 p.m.-12 a.m. (Indoor Practice Facility)

Eligibility

Tryouts are open to interested BYU students and potential incoming freshmen for the Fall of 2010. All incoming freshmen must have a completed application turned in. However they do not have to be accepted at the time of the tryout. All players on the BYU soccer team are full-time, continuing students (12 credits per semester) at the university.

Tryout

The tryout begins on Thursday, February 25th at 6 a.m. in the Indoor Practice Facility. Tryouts will conclude Saturday night. Practice for the team will begin the following week. The team will train on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, from 6:30-8:50 a.m. (weight training included), and Saturdays from 5-8 p.m. Incoming freshmen who make the team will join the team immediately following their high school graduation.

The tryout will consist primarily of controlled (e.g., 1 touch) scrimmaging and fitness tests, including the beep test and cooper (2 mile) test.

Documentation

All players must fill out a proof of insurance form and provide an official BYU transcript (if a current student) and pay the $30 tryout fee prior to the tryout. This can only be done in person at room 112 of the Richards Building. After submitting these forms and paying the fee you will be given a tryout number to be worn during the tryout. This office is open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Athletes will need to register prior to the tryout date.

Contact Information

Mailing Address:
Chris Watkins
Head Coach, Soccer
Brigham Young University
206 Smith Fieldhouse
Provo, UT, 84602
cwatkins@byu.edu

Chris Watkins and the BYU coaching staff expect a competitive tryout, starting Thursday February 25.

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