Reserves v BYU

[AreliusII]

BYU soccer falls to Real

Date April 28, 2005



Jason Franchuk

DAILY HERALD

It was a night of injustice at BYU's South Stadium. The steady, cold rain hardly did the crowd's fervor and size any favors.

And the final score, 3-1 in favor of Real Salt Lake's reserves, doesn't mirror how close BYU's club team was to pulling off a huge upset Wednesday night.

"We went from 'chance to win,' 'chance to win,' to 'holy crap we just lost' in a matter of minutes," said Cougar coach Chris Watkins.

The mood swing happened in a matter of two minutes. RSL went ahead 2-1 in the 81st minute on a Cameron Knowles header that came off a perfectly placed free kick from Jordan Cila. The 6-foot-3 Knowles swooped through the goalie box just as the kick was being delivered and he slammed home the game-winner.

Just to be on the safe side, Cila struck again. From about the identical spot, 30 yards away to the right side of the goal, he put in another delivery that bounced off BYU goalie Mike Lacey.

Adam Acosta cleaned up the mess, giving the reserves a two-goal lead.

It looked like it would be BYU's night, with the heavy rain leveling the playing field. The Cougars started sluggishly, giving up the first seven shots, and a 1-0 lead.

Watkins had good reason to believe his team was every bit as fast, but it was RSL's technical superiority that was minimized because of the weather.

The ball moved along the short grass slower than usual, and very often (especially late in the game) kicks were tampered by puddles. Footwork of any kind was tough to come by.

RSL's Jamie Watson scored 30 minutes in, and BYU found its confidence at halftime. Chris Lamb scored in the 49th minute on a long pass from Matt Affleck, capitalizing on a one-on-one with RSL's goalie by slipping a shot into the bottom right corner.

"We're as fast as they are," Watkins said. "We have pace."

And, for a few minutes, more composure. RSL's Leighton O'Brien was given a red card with 35 minutes left after arguing with the referee about an aggressive slide tackle garnering a yellow card. Normally, that would have meant RSL playing a man short for the rest of the game. But Watkins agreed, because it was a friendly, to let the visitors make a substitution as O'Brien was escorted back to a dry locker room.

"I kind of wish I hadn't done that," Watkins said, smiling. "But you have to in these kinds of games. They would've done the same."

RSL coach Peter Mellor agreed, but called Watkins' sportsmanship a "fantastic gesture."

The drenched crowd had a lot to appreciate. Besides the home team giving a solid effort, save those letdown few minutes, it got to witness one of the country's rising stars. Nikolas Besagno, a 16-year-old from the Seattle area, was the top pick of Major League Soccer's draft in January. He played the entire second half.

RSL's reserves are basically a minor-league team. Although the players are part of the main roster, most don't play because of the rare substitutions allowed -- only three per game. The league set up this format to give more players experience. Besagno doesn't figure to be a reserve very long.

"He showed he's a man, not a boy," Mellor said.

[AreliusII]

Viewpoint: BYU shows heart even in loss to REAL
By Brandon Judd
Sports Editor
28 Apr 2005


Battling a pouring rain and a skilled and quicker opponent, the BYU men’s soccer team opened its exhibition season Wednesday night.

Consider it a success, even in a 3-1 loss.

BYU hustled, slipped and fought with the Real Salt Lake reserve team, putting forth a determined and hustle-driven effort in a game that BYU coach Chris Watkins said he wanted to use to help solidify a lineup before the Cougars open up the regular season in two weeks.

At times, the reserve team of one of MLS’ expansion franchises took control with its speed and cohesiveness.

But for the most part, the talent level between the two squads wasn’t that evident. RSL kept the Cougars away from the net much of the night, while RSL had an easier time finding itself in position for shots at the net.

One thing is for certain, however. Those days of BYU struggling in the Premier Development League are gone. In reality, the Cougars only have had a year of struggling back when BYU entered the PDL in 2003 and was simply the rookie team that was learning along the way. Last season, the Cougars, with a year of professional ball under their belt, forged their way to an 8-9-1 record and made a name for themselves in the league, even as the only college to own a franchise in a professional league.

The experience and cohesiveness of the Cougars was evident. With a handful of players with significant experience at every position, that was expected. But when the whistle blew, the Cougars put forth a strong team effort that showed the player’s experience in past seasons has helped to make this a tight-knit group.

Perhaps the only negative part of the night was the weather. With a steady, hard rain saturating the field, players slid and found themselves out of position many times during the game. A wet field helped contribute to the first goal of the game when BYU goalie Mike Lacey slipped during a Real breakaway. With Lacey down, RSL midfielder Luke Kreamalmeyer had an open shot at the goal.

But not even the weather could stop a fair-sized and BYU-pro crowd from showing up. From the looks of it, more fans showed up for the game Wednesday night than RSL attracted for its inaugural game at the MetroStars in New Jersey back on April 2. Of course, that game was riddled by a hurricanesque, driving wind and unrelenting rain, which would scare away many a faithful fan.

But back to the Cougars.

In its third season in the PDL, it apparent that Watkins has this team headed in the right direction. And while it may take a bit more time for them to be competitive in the PDL, one thing is for sure: Last night, the Cougars showed the heart of a champion when lining it up against a formidable foe.

With more performances like these and a dedicated staff such as Watkins’, the future of BYU soccer, unlike some of the other sports here at the Y, appears to be on the rise.

[dysko]

Originally Posted by AreliusII

Viewpoint: BYU shows heart even in loss to REAL
By Brandon Judd
Sports Editor
28 Apr 2005


But for the most part, the talent level between the two squads wasn’t that evident.

I don't think this kid went to the same game I did... 😲

This is some pretty bad homering.

[AreliusII]

Originally Posted by dysko

I don't think this kid went to the same game I did... 😲

This is some pretty bad homering.

He is a BYU reporter...

[Czar Jake]

Originally Posted by AreliusII

He is a BYU reporter...

For the Daily Unifarce?

[dasoccerplayafosho]

I had a game @ orem that day, and 2 of our players went down with what we thought could be ACLs, even though they were only MCLs. I went to the hospital with em, just cuz i was worried (that's 8 mcl/acl tears for the springville soccer program in april :o. I'm one of em)