By DAVID FUHRIMAN
The BYU men’s soccer team, unsatisfied with a tie with U.C.-Berkeley the night before, took out its frustrations on Cal State-Stanislaus with a 4-0 drubbing Saturday night.
The BYU squad dominated the game, holding CSU to no substantial scoring chances with stellar play by the BYU defense and goalkeepers Brian Jolley and Matthew Bond. Four different BYU players scored in the game.
BYU got off to a quick start with a goal by Robert Millet four minutes into the contest. BYU kept pressure on during the rest of the half with several scoring opportunities, but went into the half with a 1-0 lead.
Once again, BYU wasted no time at the beginning of the second half to extend its lead. Senior midfielder Steve Crook scored just six minutes into the half, and Mike Essig and Jeromy Bailey teamed up for another score 15 minutes later. The final goal came 30 minutes into the half when Nathan Lowe was fouled in the penalty box on a speedy run through the defense. Lowe converted the penalty kick, bringing the score to 4-0.
But scoring goals wasn’t the only thing BYU had to deal with on the field. Numerous yellow cards were issued during the game, and a Stanislaus player was ejected 15 minutes into the second half for his unusually rough play. One foul on the spectator side of the field in the first half sent the crowd into a frenzy as two players tangled in their attempts to get up from a slide-tackle.
“They were pretty physical, but we gave it right back,” said Dave Bryan, a junior defender.
Despite the rough play on both sides of the ball, BYU showed they were the dominant team, maintaining ball control for virtually the entire game and impressing the crowd with several shots rocketed towards the goal from outside the penalty box. The team found little in its play to complain about.
“It feels like the team’s coming together,” Bryan said. “We’re playing our game, marking up well on defense, and we’re finally beginning to finish.”
Lowe, a freshman forward, was also pleased with the team’s play. “We moved the ball well tonight, and overall just played very well on offense and defense,” Lowe said.
Bryan said the team is beginning to be more aggressive and rely on each other to do their jobs. “The key was that we played with more confidence, and that was the difference in our play,” Bryan said.
The team will try to continue its winning ways next weekend, when it takes on Northern Arizona at home and Weber State on the road.
