BJ Pugmire and the Cougars went undefeated during the fall season. (BYU Photo)

Jarom Jordan
jarom.jordan@byu.edu

PROVO, Utah (Nov. 29, 2010) — After a summer season in the Premier Development League with tough competition and 4-10-2 record, BYU ripped through its fall exhibition season, going undefeated and netting multiple goals in every game to take a step forward in preparation for next year.

“I’m very happy with this team,” said Watkins. “As we thought, it’s not the most talented team but they really work together for each other. They are fun to be around. I’m excited to see where we can go.”

The Cougars schedule featured three in-state teams, all home games and a contest against the BYU alumni and a scrimmage against BYU-Idaho.

September 24 BYU opened its three-week slate with a matchup against the Utah State Aggies.  BYU outshot USU 21-3, possessing the ball nearly the entire game.  The Cougars got goals from Tyler Christiansen (3′), Jantzen Romney (42′), and Kip Critchlow (67′) for a 3-1 win.

Two weeks later on October 8 the Cougars had a cat fight with the Weber State Wildcats.  The game got messy with eight yellow cards and three reds against WSU while BYU also earned a yellow and red.  The Cougars won 2-0 with both goals coming from senior forward, BJ Pugmire.

“We’ve got passion,” said Pugmire. “The guys really want to win. We’ve got desire. We’ve got the players and talent. It’s fun. There’s still a lot of work to do but it’s better. It’s so fun to play with these guys.”

Later that evening the BYU Alumni played the Utah Valley University Alumni to a 3-0 win with a hat trick coming from BYU head coach, Chris Watkins.

The next day BYU played the BYU Alumni, whomping the old-timer’s, 9-0.  The Alumni also scrimmaged each other resulting in an 8-7 win for the, yep you guess it, Cougars.

The final game of the fall was October 15 when BYU played Utah Valley in the “University Parkway Collision”.  The Cougars amazingly didn’t allow a shot while putting in five on the Wolverines for a shutout victory.

The next afternoon the BYU reserves defeated sister-school, BYU-Idaho 2-1.

BYU finished the fall undefeated at 3-0 (beating Utah State, Weber State, Utah Valley), outscoring its opponents 10-1.  Tyler Christiansen, Jantzen Romney, BJ Pugmire, and Blake Tillotson scored two goals each while Kip Critchlow and Doug Clark had a goal a piece.

Clark, Toni Niccoli, and Romney all added two assists and Pugmire and Ethan Meyer had one assist each.

Romney finished first in points with six, trailed by Pugmire with five, and Clark, Tillotson, and Christiansen with four.

“From our first fall game to the last fall game, seeing that progression is what we want,” said assistant coach, Chad Sackett.  “All in all, pretty good.”

“I feel like we have a style,” said senior defender, Tyler Christiansen. “I credit that a lot to our center midfielders who are very confident receiving the ball and moving forward with it. That was something I feel really good about.”

The Cougars now take a break until the first week in January when the team will begin to train for tryouts in February and the PDL season next May.

Listen to an audio interview with head coach, Chris Watkins about the fall season.

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BJ Pugmire and the Cougars play Weber State, Friday at 6 p.m. (Daily Universe)

PROVO, Utah (Oct. 6, 2010) — BYU and its alumni are preparing for a weekend of reunion and matches as the Cougars play Weber State, this Friday at 6 p.m. and the Alumni play Utah Valley at 8 p.m. at South Field. Tickets go for $5 each for the first game, while the second game is free. The Alumni will also play each other Saturday at 12 p.m. for free.

“I know they (Weber State) always play us really well,” said BYU head coach, Chris Watkins. “They bring out a good team. They really compete hard against us and that’s what we need right now. It’s a great match for us.”

BYU is 1-0 in the fall season after a 3-1 win against Utah State on September 24. Senior defender, Tyler Christiansen gave the Cougars the lead three minutes into the game. Jantzen Romney added a goal before the half for the game-winner and Kip Critchlow scored in the second half to seal the victory.

“I think we are probably a better team than we were a year ago,” said Watkins. “I like our team now for sure. The difference now is we struggle to score goals. Any game is competitive if you struggle to score goals. It’s not life or death to win or lose. It’s really important for us to play well and show improvement.”

In 2009 the two teams tied 1-1 in a double overtime draw. Blake Tillotson scored for BYU in the first half and Weber State’s Kyle Christensen scored in the 83rd minute for the tie. The Wildcats are a club team competing in the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association. The Wildcats won the national championship in 2009. BYU competed in the same league prior to 2003.

“We’ve got a lot to prove,” said senior forward, BJ Pugmire. “This year everyone is coming back really committed. Weber is a very physical team. They’re the club national champions. They’ve got a good resume. They’re a good team. They’ll be the best competition we’ve played thus far but I’m pretty confident in the way we are playing right now that we’ll be able to show well and dominate possession as usual.”

Prior to BYU’s entrance into the Premier Development League in 2003, the Cougars won seven national titles between 1993 and 2001. BYU expects 45-50 alumni to return to Provo for a game or two of action plus a close up look at the 2010 fall team and some fund raising opportunities.

“It’s a fun weekend for a lot of us,” said Watkins. “It’s good for our players to see and appreciate the alumni.”

The Cougars wrap up the fall season with a game against Utah Valley next Friday, October 15 at 7 p.m. in Provo.

Follow the Cougars on www.byusoccer.com and www.twitter.com/byusoccer.

Quick Facts
What: Men’s Soccer — Weber State @ BYU
When: Friday, Oct. 8 at 6 p.m.
Where: The Stadium at South Field in Provo, Utah

What: Men’s Soccer — Utah Valley @ BYU Alumni
When: Friday, Oct. 8 at 8 p.m.
Where: The Stadium at South Field in Provo, Utah

What: Men’s Soccer — BYU Alumni vs. BYU Alumni
When: Saturday, Oct. 9 at 12 p.m.
Where: Haws FieldTweet

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

Coach Chris Watkins announced today, BYU will play Weber State on Haws Field on April 24 at 6 p.m. BYU and Weber State tied 1-1 in the fall.

The Premier Development League opener is on the road at Orange County on May 8 and the first home game is May 21 against the Los Angeles Legends.Tweet

The team is practicing three days a week and preparing for their final fall exhibition game versus Weber State this Friday. Come to the game at the Stadium at South Field at 7:30 p.m. to see the exhibition. Tickets are $10 for a reserved seat, $6 for adults/children, and $5 for students with a valid ID.

BYU has played Utah State (2-0 W) and Real Salt Lake (4-1 L) in exhibition games this fall.

The alumni will play two games next week, Friday Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 12 p.m. in an alumni versus alumni game.

Jarom Jordan

If you haven’t seen this video from the PDL season, check it out right here.

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