I wasn’t able to watch the game live Friday night, but I did record the BYU-TV broadcast to watch on Saturday. I really wanted to see how the Vancouver Whitecaps Residency program looked. I’ve got to say that it’s an impressive program.
For the most part, Vancouver owned the field last night—coming away with a 2-0 win. While the whole team looked good Randy Edwini-Bonsu stood out, with both great speed and nice control. At one point he turned on the jets and made up about 20 yards overtaking a BYU midfielder in front of him.
I’m interested in seeing which other teams (USL or MLS) might start up another PDL level residency program. I don’t know that we’ll see anything for another year or two. If the Whitecaps can capture a couple of solid players I think we’ll see more teams picking up the idea.
While BYU didn’t manage to put anything into the back of the net, they did have some dangerous looking moments. Steve Francis and Zack DeFrancis both had good looks at the goal but weren’t able to convert. Bryan Black started in goal and looked pretty good, his size and positioning worked out pretty well.
It’s been a good weekend for the teams I follow. Both BYU and RSL won their games, with BYU claiming the season series over Ogden 3-0-1 and RSL climbing into 1st place in the (somewhat weak) west. RSL’s U-17 team also won it’s final round game against DC United’s U-17 team, earning both the SUM U-17 championship and entry into the 2009 Trofeo Quixote U-17 tournament in Madrid, Spain.
BYU and the RSL Reserves will be facing each other on Tuesday night to open BYU’s new ‘Stadium at South Field. This should be a fun game, and I can’t wait to go and see it. (As usual, I’ll be taking my son—not quite as usual, he’ll be on crutches after dislocating his knee.)
One interesting bit is that RSL’s win put them at 1.43 ppg, good enough for first place in the MLS West, while BYU’s 1.64 ppg is only good enough for fourth in the PDL Northwest and leaves them out of the playoffs. The PDL might be a few steps below the MLS in terms of quality, it looks like they’re ahead of them in terms of competition …
Tonight I’ve decided to try something new. I’m typing up this blog entry and will post it once I get home (I’d have posted it from here, but I can’t get any WiFi signal here at Haws Field). Hopefully this goes pretty well.
After last weeks loss, BYU coach Chris Watkins talked about using the remainder of the season to get younger players some time as the Cougars build toward next season. Given the rivalry between these two teams you’ve got to think that the grooming process might have to wait for another game. We’ll see how things look when we get to game time.
Okay, BYU’s starting lineup seems like it’s pretty seasoned. It looks like the rivalry trumps last week's comments.
Game starts
At five minutes in, the game has been fairly balanced BYU has had a bit more posession, but Ogde has looked more organized. I still think BYU loses too much posession on the long balls they tend to play out of the back.
Jordan Cushman is taking the right side corners tonight.
Drew took a bit of a knock in the 12th minute, but game back onto the field quickly and doesn’t seem ot have lost a step.
Fifteen menutes in and things are about the same, BYU seems more energetic but not as crisp as Ogden.
BYU is starting to look like they’re getting it together. Their passing is more crisp and they’re winning more balls and creating some chances.
at the thirtieth minute BYU is controlling most of the possession, but can’t put the final touch together. They look pretty solid on defense though, when Ogden does gain control and pressese the attack. Steve Fellows almost put in a beautiful cross by Zach DeFrancis, bu the effort goes just wide.
I can’t tell if BYU’s problems are chemistry or concentration. They show flashes of great play, putting together good passes and nice control, but then drop a cross into a slot without a runner coming on to it.
Ogden puts a nice attack together with about nine minutes left in the hald, but it comes to naught as the shot is over the crossbar. The Outlaws continue to come on strong as time is winding down, they’ve put together three or four good attacks while allowing BYU only one.
Maybe I spoke too soon, with about two minutes left, BYU get’s a great run from Steve Fellows resulting in a corner kick. Derek Taylor gets on the end of it, but puts a header high and left. They take the ball back just past midfield and drive again, only to see a beautiful ball go just left of the goal.
Britton Osborn earns a yellow with a minute left on the clock, but Ogden isn’t able to capitalize. Brit continued to jaw at the ref, and could well have drawn a red.
End of first half.
Overall, the center ref has been a bit hesitant to call anything, but the game hasn’t gotten out of control. Neither team has been able to put their stamp on the game. It's been great fun to watch so far, I'm looking forward to a strong second half.
Second half starts
Ogden has owned the game in the early minutes of the second half, controlling posession and forcing two corner kicks.
BYU is able to take back some possession and go on the attack, though Zack DeFrancis put the final shot wide.
(BYU) Curt Graham goes in for Derek Taylor in the fifty-second minute. The substitution pays of moments later as Curt puts the ball in the back of the net.
0-1 BYU
The Ogden bench is steaming abut what they’re claiming are non-calls. But they manage to put a sitter over the crossbar when it’s dropped in their lap. You can complain about the refs all you want, but you have to make those shots if you want to win a game.
Play has evened out a bit, both sides are attacking well and looking dangerous.
Ogden makes a double substitution, let’s see if it pays off as well from them.
BYU counters with a substitution of their own, brining Steve Magleby on for Jordan Cushman.
Ogden has been on the attack, but is a call or two and a big save from Brandon Gilliam from equalizing.
BYU just dodged a bullet with a goal line clearance on a a shot by Ogden 21. Ogden earns a corner from the clearance though.
BYU subs their captain off, with #26 going on in his place. It looks like a trade for fresh legs and a bit of height.
Ogden equalizes on a beautiful cross to an unmarked Kyle Christenson.
1-1 Ogden
BYU gets it right back on a quick goal by Steve Fellows (assist Brit Osborne). One of the Ogden players had stepped out of play with an equipment problem and BYU struck fast.
1-2 BYU
BYU nearly picked up another goal as Steve Fellows drove a nice pass just beyond a driving Zack DeFrancis.
Another sub on both sides are standing on the side just waiting to be signaled in. BYU’s Zack DeFrancis is coming of and being replaced by Jace Green. While James Jarmillo is being replaced by Zach VanWagenen for Ogden.
BYU misses wide left on a nice shot by Jace Green. Brit Osborn is coming off and Scott Heaton replaces him after the shot.
Steve Magleby is able to take a shot, but it’s a low roller that’s easily stopped by Ogden’s keeper.
BYU has controlled the last 10 minutes or so of the game at the end of regulation. The ref has indicated 3 minutes of stoppage time, and the Ogden bench is going crazy.
Jace Green gets another great chance, but the Ogden keeper is able to touch it wide.
End of game
This was a very fun game to watch. The Ogden coaches and players are obviously still unhappy, but I don't think either team was unduly favored by the ref tonight. As usual, there were more chances left on the field by both teams than potential scoring opportunities lost to bad calls or non-calls.
Zack De Francis has been the most searched for name on my blog, and has played a big roll in BYU’s success so far this year. Over the last several days, Zack has been kind enough to trade emails with me to create the interview below. Read on to learn a little bit more about BYU’s star striker.
Right now you’re among the statistical leaders in the PDL, despite having played fewer games than the other players. Looking over your roster page at byusoccer.com, it looks like you’re in familiar territory. What do these kinds of individual recognitions mean to you?
Zack Individual recognitions of all kinds have served as motivators in my life. Many times, they serve as milestones. In soccer, I try not to dwell on the fact that I played well for too long. Instead, I feel more motivated to work hard so I can get better and better.
RSL has been known to pick up the occasional BYU player for their reserve squad, would you be interested in doing something like that? What value do experiences like that bring to a player?
Zack First of all, I feel lucky to be part of a program that is connected to a professional organization like RSL. I have been contacted a couple of times to work out and play in reserve games and think it’s a great opportunity. Being in that kind of environment introduces a new level of professionalism and commitment to the game. It’s very exciting. It has also been valueable in bringing me closer to friends I grew up with playing soccer, who are now professionals.
After your last home game, Coach Watkins said that you had velcro on your feet, and were able to create your own chances. What’s your secret?
Zack I feel like there are a couple of things that help me improve consistantly. First, I try to find time to do individual training each week. After evaluating my performance, I try to work on my weaknesses and fine tune the things I already do well. I feel like individual training is equally important to training in a team setting. Secondly, visualization helps me a lot.
Where do you see the biggest opportunity for improvement in your game?
Zack I believe the biggest opportunity for improvement in my game at the moment is getting more shots off, especially from a distance. Getting shots off tests the keeper and keeps the opposing defense honest. It also builds confidence in the entire team when we see scoring chances.
You mentioned evaluating your performance. How do you do that? Do you have video to look at, or are you working from your in-game observations and those of the coaching staff?
Zack Evaluating my performance mostly comes from in-game obeservations. My mind goes over many plays from the game where I made a difference or should have made a difference. The observations include plays where I could have done better and plays where i executed well. My coaches help all of us players recognize areas where we need to improve and spend extra time in training.
Can you walk us through one of your goals this season?
The most recent goal I scored was in Washington against Tacoma. I expected the ball to come to me and it did (in this case it was an excellent pass). At that point, you can sense where the defender, the keeper, and the net is. Then I just hit the ball where the keeper couldn’t get it. It happened without thinking as I had made similar shots in my mind and practiced them hundreds of times before.
The last couple of weeks haven’t gone so well for the team. What do you think the next couple of games (this weekend) hold in store.
Zack The games coming up next week are crucial for us and will most likely set the tone for the remainder of the season. We face two of the best teams in our conference at home and need wins. We will have had two weeks to build confidence in ourselves again and make adjustments to our game. We had our chances to beat both Yakima and Tacoma the first time around, so we are optimistic about our chances at home. Two wins this weekend will require a disciplined effort.
Finally, a non-soccer question. What’s your favorite part of being a student-athlete at BYU?
Zack My favorite part of about being a student athlete at BYU is the unique opportunities that we have in representing the University. We are able to participate in international trips where we play soccer as well as address the local communities. Each team member has the responsibility of speaking to a large group or contributing to the community in some way. I feel like i’m growing in several areas of my life, not just soccer.
I just saw a couple of articles that update my recent posts on SYL players training with West Ham and BYU’s new soccer facility. In the interest of keeping people informed, here’s what I found:
Coach Watkins stopped me on Friday evening and told me I didn’t want to miss the Saturday evening (and final) session of the tryouts. He told me the competition was intense and there would be a lot of great soccer on display. With a teaser like that, how could I stay away.
The first two rounds of cuts took the pool of players from eighty-five down to fifty, and by the end of Saturday night, it would have to be trimmed to twenty-five plus six incoming freshmen. After warming up, the players were divided into groups that would scrimmage on a full sized field.
This provided a different look at the players than the reduced field 6v6 games I’d seen up to that point. Some of the players that had looked dangerous on the smaller fields didn’t seem to bring the same presence to the bigger pitch. The palyers with real class continued to shine though.
After two scrimmages, the coaches pulled out twelve players to rotate through a very fast paced series of 3v3 scrimmages on a 1/4 sized field. These were the players on the cusp and they played like they knew it. Jukes and step-overs alternated with blistering shots on goal, quick tackles, and rapid fire passes. Players would come off the field, sweat-soaked, after 5 minutes.
KC John, a high school goal keeper was relegated to the sidelines due to regulations about how many days of tryouts the high schoolers could take part in. He watched the play intently. When I asked him what he thought about it, he responded, “This is just sick, there’s so much going on out there … I just wish I could be out there playing.”
Listening to the returning players on the sidelines I heard the same kind of comments—“Did you see that?” ... “I can’t believe he got that shot off” ... “Wow! That was a rocket.” ... “Did you see that save? How’d he stop that?”
Interspersed among their appreciative comments came an almost constant stream of advice—“Take your shot.” ... “Play into space.” ... “Watch the open man. Pass! Pass!”
The scrimmage also brought out one of the scariest moments of the night, when one of the veteran keepers took a blast of a shot to the face. He dropped immediately, and stayed down for what seemed like forever before being assisted off the pitch by the trainer. Fortunately he was up and around by the end of the session, looking just fine.
There were a number of injuries during the evening. By the time the coaches went off to huddle over their selection process, I counted eight players iced, wrapped, or hobbling around to various degrees. None of them looked too serious but I did overhear comments about not being able to run for a while.
More painful than the injuries though, was watching the final cut. The coaches walked through the crowd of players to post the roster on the doors of the facility, and as they moved away the players moved forward looking to see who’d made the cut. Nearly half of the fifty players who’d started the evening went away disappointed. A couple of the trialists that I’ve been watching survived, two more made a ‘reserve list’, my term, and will in place to join the team later in the year in response to missions, graduations, or other circumstances.
This was my first year of watching tryouts. I was really impressed with the level of play, the camraderie between players, and the kind of effort required of the coaching staff. If you’ve got a PDL team near you, go check out their tryouts—it’s a great way to get a pre-season soccer fix.
I ended up catching a bit of the evening session of the tryouts on Friday. At this point, the tryout roster had been trimmed by over 20 players (there are still some big cuts to go though). I was really happy to see that KC, Bryan, and Robert (the three keepers I’d noticed Thursday and Friday morning ) were all still on the roster.
The scrimmages I watched were even more interesting than the others. At this point, they were playing one-touch ball and the player’s skill levels were showing more clearly. There were a number of good plays, and good players, but here are some that stood out:
I had to leave before the end of the session, so my notes are certainly incomplete, but I’ve blocked out the time to watch the entire final session. Coach Watkins promised that it would be the best session yet, especially the concluding scrimmage.
No pictures today, since I made an unplanned stop at the tryouts while dropping my son off for early morning seminary classes. I was only able to stay for 30 minutes or so, enough time to catch two rounds of 8v8 scrimmages. They play two scrimmages at a time, side by side on the indoor field, which makes it hard to pick out all the good stuff that’s going on—it’s awfully fun to try though.
The play was faster and more aggressive today. I was talking to one trialist today right after he’d scored an opportunistic goal on a rebound off the top bar (I don’t see him listed on the roster, so I don’t know his name). He mentioned the increased urgency as well saying, “People are more aggressive today, there’s always someone going for the shot.” Another observer and I thought the players looked like they were getting more confident with each other too, resulting in much smoother play.
I also spoke with Robert Grant, a keeper from Scotland, after the first scrimmage. He made a comment that must be common around the PDL, “I’m tired, homework just knocks me out.” It's got to be hard to juggle playing soccer and keeping up on the classes.
Bryan Black, one of the keepers I wrote about yesterday, was at it again this morning. He seemed to be holding his own, making a tough challenge during the second scrimmage.
Just before I left, I talked to Chad Sackett. He’s not looking forward to trimming the roster down to the 24 player limit. He also mentioned that they’d recruited three high school players to come out, and would have one more slot to fill from the other high schoolers who’d come out.
One final note, I was surprised at how international the trialists were. There were a couple of guys from Scotland, a couple from Brazil, and some from Mexico. It’ll be interesting to see how many of them make the team, and how that will affect the flavor of play this year.
I've really liked James Edward's new RSL blog and wanted to pass along the news to James and a couple of the editors over at Deseret News to let them know about it. Unfortunately, the mail bounced due to 'content restrictions'. So I've decided to make this an open letter instead. Here's the message itself (along with the failure message from the desnews mail server).
This is an automatically generated Delivery Status Notification
Delivery to the following recipient failed permanently:
jedward at desnews dot com
Technical details of permanent failure:
PERM_FAILURE: SMTP Error (state 16): 550 5.7.1 Message rejected due to content restrictions
----- Original message -----
Received: by 10.142.178.13 with SMTP id a13mr7307458wff.196.1203580103267;
Wed, 20 Feb 2008 23:48:23 -0800 (PST)
Subject: RSL Blog
James,
I just wanted to send off an email to tell you how much
I'm enjoying your RSL blog. I've really appreciated
the extra coverage of the team during the FL segment of
their pre-season.
Too bad you can't make the Argentina leg too, it would be
great to get the inside scoop on what's sure to be the most
important phase of RSL's pre-season. Hopefully you'll be
able to get some good info from the team.
While I didn't write it in the original email, this seems like a good time to put in an additional plea. I'd love to see the blog (and the Deseret News in general) cover other aspects of Utah professional soccer as well. We're not too far away from the PDL preseason for Ogden and BYU, and it would be great to see them both get better coverage.
The PDL’s West Virginia Chaos have made a move that looks new to me. I’ve been thinking about the PDL’s impact on the upper level USL leagues and MLS for a while, and this seems like another step in the right direction.
On January 29th they announced the hiring of a ‘international consultant’, Dave Beasant. Beasant was a goalkeeper for a number of english clubs and for the English National team (playing in the 1990 World Cup). With his links to Fulham (as a goalkeeping coach), his move to American soccer seems a natural fit.
What’s really appealing to me is the role that Beasant is supposed to play. Quoting from the press release:
Beasant will take an active role in Chaos camps and with talent evaluation through videos and personal visits to several matches this season that will help the Chaos place players on MLS, USL-1, USL-2, and potentially European teams.
The idea of a member of the FO working as a ‘reverse scout’ or a pseudo-agent is intriguing. It will be interesting to see how many Chaos players end up moving on to more senior sides because of it and how many other PDL clubs start doing the same thing.
In the same announcement, the Chaos also announced the hiring of another Brit, Jack Thompson. Thompson will be a player/coach and the Director of Chaos Camps. He’s 24 and holds a USSF ‘C’ coaching license.
The face of the PDL Northwestern Division is changing. In addition to a brand new team this year (and one more for 2009), there are a couple of new coaches on existing teams. None of these coaches appears to be super well known, but here’s what I know about them.
The Cascade Surge have hired Larry Delamarter as the team’s new Head Coach. He has been a High School level coach for the last seven years, being named Coach of the Year for the 2006 and 2007 seasons. His Chieftains have posted an incredible 62-6-9 record over the last four seasons. He also coached the Azusa Pacific University and University of Tampa. (In fact, he coached current Surge President Dave Irby who played at Azusa and later made Irby an assitant coach there.) It will be interesting to watch Coach Delamarter’s transition to the PDL.
h2 Abbotsford Rangers
Last season, Coach Colin Miller joined the staff at Derby County in the EPL. Hehas been replaced by Shaun Lowther. Coach Lowther is a former Canadian mens’ national team player, and earned 14 caps. He played professionally from 1980-1988. He’s also been involved in managing soccer clubs in the CSL. Coach Miller is the only one of the three new coaches to have a page on wikipedia so far.
The new team in the bunch, the Vancouer Whitecaps Residency, has named Thomas Niendorf, Managing Director and Head Coach. Quoting from their site:
Thomas Niendorf is a European coaching specialist who holds a DFB (German Soccer Federation)professional coaching license, and maintains an extensive network of contacts in Europe.
Coach Niendorf has a long history with Canadian soccer. He coached the Calgary Storm (and then Mustangs) of the old A League for a number of years, he also coached in Germany. He ‘discovered’ Owen Hargreaves, helping him get a trial with Bayern Munich when he was cut by the Canadian U17 squad.
It’s safe to say that Coach Niendorf has the best credentials of the three. It will be interesting to see how he does with a first year PDL team.
Since they won’t start playing until 2009, there’s not much to say about this club yet. Victoria is a great city though, and did well hosting U20 World Cup games. This should be a solid addition to the division. (Not to mention taking the ferry from Port Angelas, WA or Vancouver, BC will make for a fun trip—and a great pre-tailgate party.)
The PDL has released its schedule for 2008. I’ve extracted the BYU games here:
| Date | Day | Visiting Team | Home Team | Time (MDT) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 16 | Friday | Cascade Surge | BYU Cougars | 7:30 PM |
| May 17 | Saturday | Spokane Spiders | BYU Cougars | 7:30 PM |
| May 23 | Friday | BYU Cougars | Yakima Reds | 8:05 PM |
| May 24 | Saturday | BYU Cougars | Tacoma Tide | 8:05 PM |
| May 30 | Friday | BYU Cougars | Abbotsford Mariners | 7:30 PM |
| May 31 | Saturday | BYU Cougars | Vancouver Whitecaps | 4:00 PM |
| June 13 | Friday | Yakima Reds | BYU Cougars | 7:30 PM |
| June 14 | Saturday | Tacoma Tide | BYU Cougars | 7:30 PM |
| June 17 | Tuesday | BYU Cougars | Ogden Outlaws | 7:00 PM |
| June 13 | Friday | Yakima Reds | BYU Cougars | 7:30 PM |
| June 14 | Saturday | Tacoma Tide | BYU Cougars | 7:30 PM |
| June 17 | Tuesday | BYU Cougars | Ogden Outlaws | 7:00 PM |
| June 26 | Thursday | BYU Cougars | Spokane Spiders | 8:00 PM |
| June 28 | Saturday | BYU Cougars | Cascade Surge | 8:05 PM |
| July 4 | Friday | Ogden Outlaws | BYU Cougars | 7:30 PM |
| July 12 | Saturday | BYU Cougars | Ogden Outlaws | 7:00 PM |
| July 15 | Sunday | Ogden Outlaws | BYU Cougars | 7:30 PM |
| July 18 | Friday | Vancouver Whitecaps | BYU Cougars | 7:30 PM |
| July 19 | Saturday | Abbotsford Mariners | BYU Cougars | 7:30 PM |
This year, all of BYU’s games are against conference foes (unlike last year when the Colorado Rapids U23 played at BYU). Ahh, the joys of expansion.
I did see some interesting bits:
This looks like a pretty exciting season. I’m really looking forward to mid-May when I can catch my first regular season game. Who knows, maybe I’ll b able to sneak in some pre-season action too.
With the end of the PDL season and before the recent RSL resurgence, it’s been hard to work up the interest in putting together a good post here. The last couple of weeks have helped build up a bit of momentum though, and here’s the result—my look at the future of RSL, the PDL in Utah, and MLS in general. I hope you like it.
Wow! It’s been another hard fought year in the Utah Cup, but the St. George Dragons have pulled out a victory in their first year back in the PDL beating out the division winning BYU Cougars.
The Utah Cup is a twelve year old competition between the Utah based teams in the PDL’s Northwestern Division. Each year, the cup is awarded to the team with the best intra-Utah record (ties are decided by head to head record, then goal differential). BYU has won the cup five times; Salt Lake City United and FC Jordan have both one it twice; and the Ogden Outlaws, FC Jordan, and the St George Dragons have each one it once.
While the Utah Cup highlights the best Utah teams in the PDL, there’s also a competition none of these teams want to be in, the relegation cup. The Utah Soccer Association (UTSA)1 is a six team league that sits just beneath the PDL, in which it owns three franchises2. Each year at the end of the season, the UTSA owned team in the PDL with the worst record plays in a one-game playoff against the UTSA champions. The winner plays in the PDL the next year, while the loser plays in the UTSA.
Last year, the St George Dragons dominated the UTSA season and beat the Ogden Outlaws in the relegation cup to join the PDL. This year, the Outlaws are back in the cup, hoping to knock off the Salt Lake City United and get back into the PDL.
This system of relegation/promotion and cross league franchise ownership has proven to be a good model for other leagues to investigate. A number of MLS fans have started to call for the league to try out something similar with the USL, especially after they’ve essentially promoted four USL1 teams as part of their expansion over the last ten years.
1 The UTSA was founded in 2012 with the intent of developing semi-pro soccer in Utah. They bought their PDL franchises and established their system of promotion/relegation in 2016 to further push semi-pro soccer in Utah.
2 Just for reference, here are the Utah teams in the PDL and the UTSA:
Four PDL TeamsThere’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while, and it’s finally percolated long enough that I wanted to get it out in front of everyone to see what you think. We’ve got two solid PDL teams here in Utah (and could probably support a third in Salt Lake City if it came to that). They play a pretty fierce rivalry (even if it’s been a bit one-sided so far), but I think there’s a way to get the clubs, and their fans, a bit more involved.
What we need is … ‘the Utah Derby’. A fan supported cup awarded to the Utah PDL team with the best record against in-state foes each year. It wouldn’t take much more than a handful of fans from each team (or maybe a sponsor or two) to kick in some money for a trophy to get this started. I’d like to think that the teams themselves would be interested.
This is certainly something that’s done in other parts of the soccer world—heck, the Rocky Mountain Cup even includes a Utah team. Making it happen along the Wasatch Front could be a great way to build an even better rivalry between Ogden and BYU, give more fans a reason to travel to the nearby away games, and maybe even put some more fans in the seats if we can get the local press going on it.
So here’s what it comes down to, if this is going to happen we’ll need to start organizing now for the 2008 PDL season. Anyone else want to get involved?
The 2007 season also marks the last season for six departing seniors and assistant coach Brian Jolley.
This loss won’t be the last game that BYU plays in 2007 though. They’re promising a series of friendlies in the fall, though I’ve not seen any specifics yet.
I winced when they introduced Brett Stevens as the ref tonight. It seems like he’s really called a bad game every time I’ve seen him. Tonight was no exception, with a number of missed calls. He also tends to call the scoreboard, and when Colorado went down a man that really hurt BYU.
Colorado scored first and controlled the run of play even when they went down a man early in the first half. Jake Cavanaugh scored the equalizer for BYU and both teams went on to squander a number of chances. When I asked Coach Watkins about the game he responded, “It wasn’t our best night, but we played hard and got a point.”
Sadly, the PDL playoffs are going to be in California this year. I’m not going to be able to make the roadtrip to watch the games, but I’ll be keeping an eye on the games the best I can. Good luck to Coach Watkins and the boys!
I took off for a week of scout camp, and BYU landed another spot on the PDL Team of the Week. Hugh Van Wagenen (D) was received the honor for second time this season, this time for his play in BYU’s two wins over Ogden. This marks the fifth time a BYU player has earned this honor.
In last night’s game, BYU seems to have put on another pretty good show. Steve Fellows and Daniel McKinley both scored with Hugh Van Wagenen and Zach DeFrancis getting assists. With another strong showing tonight BYU might land a sixth Team of the Week mention.
Next week, the PDL will announce their playoff schedule. With BYU near the top of the league in points, they should get get the chance to play several games at home.