BYU ties Orange County in PDL Opener
Jarom Jordan
Media Relations Director
jarom.jordan@byu.edu
801-471-4469
Britton Osborne
IRVINE, California (May 8, 2010) -- The BYU Cougars opened the Premier Development League season with a 2-2 tie on the road against the Orange County Blue Star (0-0-2). BYU is now 5-0-1 since 2005 in season openers. The Cougars (0-0-1) gave up two quick goals on defensive miscommunications but rallied to get a result.
"It was a tale of two halves. In the first seven minutes we were as bad as we've ever been," said BYU head coach, Chris Watkins. "I'm not satisfied with the overall way we played but I am with the resolve and fight we played with tonight."
"It was frustrating to go down 2-0 in the first seven minutes but this was a great team building experience to tie a good team like Orange County on the road," said assistant coach, Chad Sackett.
The Blue Star got goals from Oscar Aguero in the third minute and Amani Walker in the seventh minute to take an early lead. Brady Marshall helped lead the Cougars back with a goal in the 25th minute off a counter attack set of passes from Kip Critchlow and BJ Pugmire. Marshall's speed created problems for the Blue Star defense.
"Brady Marshall was a lot faster than their back line," said senior, Britton Osborne. "He created 2-3 chances for himself and got the momentum back for us."
The Cougars tied the game later in the second half with a cross on the end line from Kip Critchlow to Britton Osborne to tie the game at 2-2 in the 70th minute.
Goalkeeper, Bryan Black came up with a couple of huge saves to help secure a result on the road for BYU.
"Most of the time we're on the road, we're happy to get a point," said Chris Watkins. "Today a point was fair and the right outcome for us. Orange County is a really good team and good on the attack. We had our hands full."
BYU now prepares for a friendly with the U21 Mexican National Team on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Stadium at South Field. The game will be broadcast live, worldwide on BYU Television. It will also be streamed online, for free at www.byu.tv. Tickets are $10 for reserved seating and $6 for general admission and can be purchased at Rancho Markets, Utah Community Credit Union, or www.byutickets.com.
POST GAME NOTES
SCORING SUMMARY
'3 Oscar Aguero (OC 1-0)
'7 Amani Walker (OC 2-0)
'25 Brady Marshall (OC 2-1)
'70 Britton Osborne (2-2)
SEASON OPENERS
BYU is now 5-0-1 in season opening games since 2005.
BACK-TO-BACK
The Cougars ended the 2009 season with a 2-2 tie at home against Orange County. BYU has now tied the Blue Star with that same score in consecutive games, spanning two seasons.
CAPTAINS
Seniors, KC Whitworth and Britton Osborne will both wear the captain's armbands simultaneously each game for the Cougars.
STARTERS
Forwards: BJ Pugmire, Brady Marshall, Toni Niccoli
Midfielders: Britton Osborne, Brent Jensen, Kip Critchlow
Defenders: Drew Van Wagenen, KC Whitworth, Doug Clark, Cameron Lamb
Goalkeeper: Bryan Black
SUBS
James Bindrup, Zach De Francis, Blake Tillotson, Matt Rider, Trevor Henderson
PREMIER DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE
After winning seven club national championships, Brigham Young University joined the PDL in 2003. The Cougars reached the elite eight in 2006 and 2007. The PDL is the top U23 men’s league in North America and features 68 teams within four conferences across the United States and Canada. The PDL season consists of 16 regular season matches for each team, eight home and eight away. The PDL provides elite collegiate players the opportunity to taste a higher level of competition while maintaining their eligibility. BYU is the first and only university to own a franchise in the PDL. In addition to league play, PDL teams compete in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup as well as various exhibitions. The USL Premier Development League has proven to be an important stepping stone for top professionals now playing around the world.
