Cougars Defeat Hitmen in Heated 1-0 Battle
Brittany Eads
(310) 804-7245
britteads@gmail.com
Richie Bindrup
Provo, Utah (May 24, 2009) — Heading into Saturday evening’s game in Provo against the Hollywood United Hitmen, the BYU men's soccer team was in search of an identity, having a 1-1-1 record and not sure how it would fare against one of—if not the most—talented team on its schedule.
Facing a Hitmen lineup boasting two players on loan from the Major League Soccer team L.A. Galaxy and several others from outside of the United States, the Cougars may have set the tone for the rest of their season as they pulled out a hard-fought, emotional 1-0 win in front of an estimated 700 screaming Cougar fans.
Cougar head coach Chris Watkins liked what he saw from the opening whistle, as BYU came out aggressive and pushed its offense up the field launching several solid shots at the Hollywood defense.
The emotions and intensity were high on both sides and only escalated when a Hollywood halfback was ejected from the game in the 37th minute after viciously slide-tackling a Cougar midfielder, leading to a cascade of boos from BYU fans.
The score remained 0-0 heading into the second half and BYU continued its offensive attack before breaking through in the 46th minute with the only score of the game, as BYU’s Richie Bindrup launched the ball into the Hollywood net on an assist from forward Zach DeFrancis.
The Cougars once again played solid defense including another strong performance by goalkeeper Bryan Black who blocked a number of Hollywood shots.
In action more resembling the current NHL playoffs than a collegiate soccer contest, a foul on a BYU midfielder erupted into a fight in which even the Hollywood goalkeeper got involved before game officials stepped in to stop the conflict.
Despite six minutes of suspended time, BYU was able to hold on for the impressive shut-out and show, at least to itself, that it can play not only against pro-caliber talent, but also can play with passion and aggressiveness.
“The physical sacrifice our guys made tonight was outstanding,” head coach Chris Watkins said proudly. “We fought a tough, brave, and smart game and left with a win that we definitely needed.”
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The Cougars next home game is June 9 against the Ogden Outlaws. Tickets can be purchased online or at the gate for $6 (general public) or $5 for students. For more information, visit www.byutickets.com.
