BYU Cougars soccer

BYU Cougars

Full name	Brigham Young University Cougars
Nickname(s)	The Cougars
Founded	2003
Stadium	South Stadium (Capacity: 3,000)
Chairman	Deneice Oates
Manager	Chris Watkins
League	USL Premier Development League
2009	4th, Southwest did not qualify for playoffs
Home colors Away colors

BYU Cougars is an American soccer team based in Provo, Utah, United States. Founded in 2003, the team plays in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference.

The team plays its home games at South Stadium on the campus of Brigham Young University, where they have played since 2003. The team's colors are dark blue and white.

History

The BYU Cougars team is, essentially, the college soccer team of Brigham Young University, and are one of the few openly religious teams in the PDL, their host university being the flagship educational establishment of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Brigham Young University purchased a franchise in the PDL in 2003. The move, at the time unprecedented at the college level, followed a long and successful record in competition among college teams, with the team having won seven National Championships in collegiate club soccer in the decade prior to their entry into the PDL. Their first season in the PDL saw BYU in the Southwest division, competing against traditionally strong southern California sides such as Orange County Blue Star and Southern California Seahorses. Despite a 3-0 victory over Nevada Wonders in their first game, BYU's first season was a difficult one, and saw them pick up just one more victory all year, 2-1 over intra-divisional rivals Boulder Rapids Reserve in early July which featured goals by Matthew Affleck and Christopher Lamb. The Cougars ended their freshman year in a distant 4th place, 35 points behind eventual champions Fresno Fuego.

2004 was an improvement for the college men, but the strength of their opposition remained an unmovable obstacle. Despite picking up 8 wins in a competitive season, the Cougars still finished their year in 4th place behind Orange County, Southern California and Fresno; the highlights were a quartet of impressive wins - 6-2 over Colorado Springs Blizzard, 5-0 over California Gold, 4-0 over Nevada Wonders and 4-3 over Fresno Fuego - all of which were enlivened by goals from Matthew Affleck, Christopher Lamb and Bryant Pugmire.

2005 was much of the same, as BYU remained the Southwest 'best of the rest' behind Blue Star, the Seahorses and Fuego. 8 wins in 16 games was a decent return, enough to leave them in fourth place for the second season in a row, and the Cougars' home form was certainly impressive, including a 6-2 thrashing of Colorado Springs Blizzard and a final day 4-0 victory over San Diego Gauchos. Yet again Christopher Lamb was BYU's top marksman with 7 goals and 5 assists on the season, while midfielders Brock Trejo and Brazil-born Gilbert Gaertner were also influential with 5 assists each.

BYU realigned to the Northwest division in 2006 and, with the 'big three' finally out of the way, the Cougars finally began to see success. Five wins in their first six games took them to the US Open Cup for the first time in their history, and although they were comprehensively beaten 5-1 by Arizona Sahuaros in the first round, it was indicative of BYU's newfound status as a regional power. The rest of the season progressed accordingly, highlighted by a dominant 4-0 win over Cascade Surge in June, and despite a late-season stutter which saw them lose their final three regular season games, they finished a strong second in the league, 2 points behind champions Abbotsford Rangers, and were headed for the playoffs for the first time. BYU won their conference semi-final against Southern California Seahorses 2-1, with goals from David Clark and Jacob Cavanaugh, and only lost the conference final to Orange County Blue Star on penalties, after scoring two goals in the final 4 minutes to tie 2-2 in regulation time. It was a much more impressive season for the Cougars, anchored by 7 goals from striker Brock Trejo and three assists from Jacob Cavanaugh.

2007 was the most dominant season yet for the Cougars. Four wins in their first five games took them to the US Open Cup for the second year in a row, although they again lost their opening game, going down 2-1 to strong opposition in the form of USL-1 franchise California Victory. BYU's loss to Tacoma Tide in the second game of the year turned out to be their only loss of the season; they were unbeaten at home the entire year, and enjoyed a number of comprehensive victories over their opponents, putting 6 past Tacoma Tide in June, and hitting Ogden Outlaws for six in early July. The Cougars qualified for the post-season playoff with ease, wrapping up their first divisional title by mid-July, and finishing nine points clear of second place Tacoma Tide. BYU overcame the San Fernando Valley Quakes in their playoff-semi final in front of almost 3,000 fans in Fresno, but were bested in the Conference final by the impressive Fresno Fuego. Zachary De Francis, Steven Fellows and Tyson Miller scored 16 of BYU's 37 goals between them.

BYU began 2008 as defending divisional champions, and got off to the best possible start with a comprehensive 5-1 home victory over Cascade Surge in the season opener. They followed this up with a satisfactory 2-1 home win over Spokane Spiders, but following this auspicious beginning, began to lose their way somewhat. They won just one of their next six games, 2-1 over Yakima Reds, and suffered a tough 4-1 loss to newcomers Vancouver Whitecaps Residency in the middle of the stretch; and while Tacoma, Vancouver and Yakima stretched out at the top of the division, BYU found themselves constantly playing catchup. A pair of wins over Utah neighbors Ogden Outlaws briefly raised spirits somewhat, but by the final round of matches they had already been eliminated from playoff contention. A 1-1 tie with Abbotsford Mariners on the final day of the season compounded the disappointment, and the Cougars finished a distant fourth in the standings, 10 points off the playoff spots. Zachary De Francis proved to be BYU's most potent striker, with 8 goals for the season.

BYU realigned to the Southwest Division in 2009 following the PDL expansion in the Pacific Northwest, and won their opening game 1-0 over the Lancaster Rattlers off a goal by Steven Fellows, but found the early games tough going, winning just one of their next six games (1-0 at home over the Hollywood United Hitmen), while suffering a 4-0 defeat in the return fixture against Hollywood in which midfielder B. J. Pugmire ruptured his knee ligaments. BYU's season was literally one of two halves - the first spent mainly on the road, the second at home in Provo - and their home form was impressive. They won four of their last six regular season games, including an impressive 3-0 victory over Bakersfield Brigade, but concluded with a disappointing 3-3 tie with the Lancaster Rattlers. In the end, BYU's spotty early season form cost them dearly, and they ultimately finished fourth in the table, three points out of the playoffs. Richie Bindrup and Steven Fellows were the Cougars' top scorers, although the fact that netted just three goals each highlights their problems.

Players

2009 roster

No. Position Player 0 GK Bryan Black (bio) 1 GK Quin Shepherd (bio) 2 MF Curtis Graham (bio) 3 MF Richie Bindrup (bio) 4 MF Brent Jensen (bio) 5 MF Daniel Turnbull (bio) 6 DF Drew Van Wagenen (bio) 7 DF Daniel McKinley (bio) 8 MF B. J. Pugmire (bio) 9 FW Zack De Francis (bio) 10 MF Britton Osborne (bio) 11 MF Jordan Cushman (bio) 12 DF Cameron Lamb

No. Position Player 13 FW Rich Harrison (bio) 14 DF K.C. Whitworth (bio) 15 DF Tyler Christiansen (bio) 18 FW Steven Fellows (bio) 21 FW Brady Marshall (bio) 22 DF Steve Magleby (bio) 23 MF Joshua Patino 24 FW Trevor Henderson 00 GK Brian Hale DF Jeremy Glauser MF Jordan Layton DF Nils Lofgren GK Michael Petersen

Year-by-year

Honors

• USL PDL Northwest Division Champions 2007

Head coaches

• Chris Watkins (2005-present)

Stadia

• South Stadium; Provo, Utah (2003-present)

Average attendance

External links

• BYU Cougars Soccer
• Official PDL Cougars site

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