BYU Travels to Play Division Champs, PDL Champs
Jarom Jordan
jarom.jordan@byu.edu
Drew Van Wagenen and the Cougars fly southwest to face Hollywood and Ventura this week. (The Daily Universe)
CLICK HERE for the game notes in PDF form.
PROVO, Utah (June 2, 2010) -- BYU hits the road for a second consecutive week to play the Hollywood United Hitmen on Thursday, June 3 and the Ventura County Fusion on Saturday, June 5. Both kickoff at 7 p.m. PT. The Hitmen won the Southwest Division and the Fusion won the Premier Development League championship in 2009.
"This is kind of like playing Real Madrid and FC Barcelona the same weekend," said BYU head coach, Chris Watkins. "These are probably two of the top 35 teams in the United States right now. These will be tough games for us for sure."
BYU (1-3-1) is 1-1 all-time against Hollywood (2-2-2), winning 1-0 at home and losing 4-0 on the road last season. The Cougars are 0-1-1 against Ventura (4-2-0), tying 2-2 at home and losing 4-2 on the road last season.
Ventura is currently leading the division with 12 points in six games with a division leading four goals allowed and +9 goal differential.
Hollywood is in fourth place with eight points, has a +1 goal differential, and is tied for fifth with 10 goals allowed.
The Cougars are in eight place (out nine teams) with four points, are fifth in goal differential (-3), tied for second in goals allowed (8), and sixth in goals scored (5).
"We're going to play two of the best teams in the league and pretty much in the country, for the PDL," said senior defender, Drew Van Wagenen. "They are going to be tough games. We can't have any lapses from minute one to minute 90. We've got to be mentally and physically tough if we're going to come out with a result from these games."
The Cougars look to build on the first win of the 2010 season. Last Saturday BYU defeated Southern California 2-0 on two goals in the first eighteen minutes. The win snapped a three-game losing streak, the longest such streak since 2006.
"I'm really happy with the flow of the team right now and the way we knock the ball around," said Watkins. "A lot of our combination work in the midfield is pretty good. Up front we haven't combined as well as I'd like. Certainly we haven't finished the way I'd like. There's a lot of work to do. I know we're a lot better than our record shows."
PREMIER DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE
After winning seven club national championships from 1993-2001, Brigham Young University joined the Premier Development League 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.
FOLLOW THE COUGARS ONLINE
Check out the Cougars on twitter at www.twitter.com/byusoccer or on the official website at www.byusoccer.com.
QUICK FACTS
Who: BYU Cougars vs. Hollywood United Hitmen
When: Thursday, June 3 at 7 p.m. PT
Where: Palisades High School in Pacific Palisades, CA
Who: BYU Cougars vs. Ventura County Fusion
When: Saturday, June 5 at 7 p.m. PT
Where: Buena High School in Ventura, CA
