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.

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!

Blake Tillotson and several members of the team will be at Franklin Elementary School (50 South 600 West in Provo) this Saturday from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. for a soccer clinic.  They’ll give away mini-soccer balls and tickets to the U-21 Mexican National Team game.  They expect 50 or more kids, ages 8-18 to attend.

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BJ Pugmire will be featured on “Nexos”, a television program on BYU TV International (Spanish) on June 26th at 3 p.m.  If you don’t get the channel, go to their website to watch online for free, live or on demand up to two weeks after the show.  The interview was all in Spanish and is a preview of the season for the team.

Jarom Jordan
jarom.jordan@byu.edu
801-471-4469

PROVO, Utah (April 26, 2010) — The BYU men’s soccer team will host the U-21 Mexican National Team, Wednesday May 12 in Provo.  Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at the Stadium at South Field in Provo, Utah.  The game will be broadcast live, worldwide on BYU Television.  It will also be streamed online, for free at www.byu.tv.  Tickets are $10 for reserved seating and $6 for general admission.   Those can be purchased at Rancho Markets, Utah Community Credit Union, or www.byutickets.com.  BYU expects a sellout.

“It will be a huge event,” said BYU head coach, Chris Watkins.  “Obviously it will be a great game for us.  There’s no question about their abilities and talents.  They are all full professional players and have been for several years and are the very best of what Mexico has to offer.  It’s a great challenge, opportunity, and platform for our team to play on.  Hopefully we bring out some of the local Latino population that want to come out and watch them play.  Hopefully we will represent ourselves well and have a good night.”

The Mexican under-21 team is second only to the senior national men’s team, which will compete in this summer’s World Cup in South Africa.  This is the first time a Mexican national team has played against the BYU men’s team.  It is the first international friendly for the Cougars since defeating the Fijian national team, 3-1 in 2007.

Other national teams to visit Provo are the USA (2005) and El Salvador (2009) senior men’s national teams who used BYU’s facilities to practice for games in Salt Lake City.

PDL SEASON APPROACHES
BYU’s Premier Development League season is almost underway. The Cougars will practice Thursday and Friday of this week, scrimmage Weber State on Saturday at Haws Field and begin afternoon practices next week.  BYU opens on the road at the Orange County Blue Star, May 8.  The first home game is May 21 versus the Los Angeles Legends.

2010 SPRING SEASON REVIEW
BYU is 2-1-1 in spring pre-season play. The Cougars defeated the Mesa State Mavericks twice on March 20 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. March 27 BYU tied the UNLV Rebels 0-0 in Las Vegas, Nevada.  April 7, MLS Cup Champion, Real Salt Lake won 6-0 in a scrimmage in Lehi.  In the fall, BYU went 1-1-1, defeating Utah State (2-0), tying Weber State (1-1), and losing to Real Salt Lake (4-1).

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 PDL 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 USL 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. U-21 Mexican National Team
When: Wednesday, May 12, 2010 at 7 p.m. MT
Where: The Stadium at South Field in Provo, Utah
Tickets:  $10 reserved, $6 general admission
TV: BYUtv or www.byu.tv

BYU will host the U-21 Mexican National Team on May 12 at 7 p.m.

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

PROVO, Utah (March 27, 2010) — BYU and UNLV played 90 minutes of pre-season soccer but neither came away with a goal to finish with a 0-0 tie in Las Vegas, Saturday.

“It was a valuable experience today. BJ Pugmire slightly hurt his knee and we played the entire 90 minutes without him. Overall, I think we found a few more answers for this season.”

Cougar goalkeepers, Bryan Black and Cory Cosgrave combined for the shutout. Windy weather conditions made connective play difficult as the Cougars and Rebels played. BYU will continue to practice and prepare for the Premier Development League season, beginning May 8 at Orange County.

BYU defeated NCAA Division II foe, Mesa State 3-0 and 1-0 last week in Grand Junction.

BYU head coach, Chris Watkins says the Cougars found more answers about the team, Saturday versus UNLV. (BYU Photo)

BYU had its second practice post-tryouts for the Premier Development League season this morning.  The team trained from 6:30 a.m.-9:00 a.m. by scrimmaging in the Indoor Practice Facility, conditioning with strength & conditioning with Josh Morzelewski, and some more conditioning at the end of practice on Haws Field.

The news of the morning came from recently returned missionary, Zach Dupaix who split his head opener and went to the hospital for stiches after he accidentally ran into James Bindrup.  There’s nothing like “welcome home” present like that.

Check out an audio interview with sophomore midfielder, Doug Clark.

Senior defender, Drew Van Wagenen waves to the camera as the team sprints at practice.

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

Thursday night was the first of several cuts. The players played some more 8v8 then ran some intense shuttles. You could tell who had ran them before because several of the current team paced themselves and excelled later rather than peaked early.

Let me at least tell you this: Kip Critchlow is fast.

Tomorrow morning’s tryout is bright and early at 6 a.m. Luckily I just show up at the end of it!

Listen to an audio interview with goal keeper, Bryan Black. He says some fun stuff about the competition in tryouts this year and the easier conditioning at the end of today’s tryouts.

Sophomore, Doug Clark looks to attack at tryouts this afternoon.

Goal Keeper, Bryan Black (in blue on the left) paces himself to make a Usain Bolt-like sprint to the finish.

Chris Watkins and the BYU coaching staff have the "fun" task of getting 99 participants trying out down to 21 (plus the incoming freshman already signed) by Saturday night.

Thursday afternoon's tryout was held on the RB Turf Field.

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

Listen to an audio interview with assistant coach, Chad Sackett.

PROVO, Utah (Feb. 25, 2010) — Day one of the morning portion of open tryouts concluded for the BYU men’s soccer team in the Indoor Practice Facility on campus. The tryout featured 99 players from 14 different states and four countries who competed from 6-9 a.m. this morning.

Players attended tryouts from 6-9 a.m. this morning in the Indoor Practice Facility on campus.

The players scrimmaged 8v8 most of the morning session. The first cuts will be posted after tryouts tonight from 4-6 p.m. at the RB Turf Field.

“It went pretty well,” said assistant coach, Chad Sackett. “In the morning tryout we are usually looking for guys that we kind of know aren’t going to make it. It’s tricky too because we want to get a good look at the guys we want to keep but we also want to cut it down to games that are a little more manageable.

“It’s surprising each year I’ve been involved, how much better the players are.”

The team will select 21 players to begin practice on Monday in preparation for the Premier Development League season. That does not include incoming freshman who will join the team following high school graduation this summer.

Today
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)

Stay posted to www.byusoccer.com for the latest from tryouts and other team news.

The roster will be finalized Saturday night and posted on the team blog soon thereafter.