By BRUCE JACOBS
When you’re as used to winning, even a tie can leave a bad taste in your mouth.
In men’s soccer last year, BYU and Colorado State battled to a 1-1 stalemate after 90 minutes of play. Then, in overtime, it started to rain. Hard.
With the slippery, soggy field conditions, neither team was able to score and the Cougars had to settle for a tie.
The Cougars (7-3) and Rams (4-1) will resume last year’s struggle tonight at 9 p.m. on the South Field. And this time, BYU intends to come out on top.
“We felt like we dominated them (last year),” senior defender Nate Morris said. “We’re looking forward to playing them on a better surface.”
Morris said this year, the Cougars have more confidence in their scoring ability.
Chris Bremner, club president and team member for Colorado State, said the Rams know that playing the national club champion Cougars won’t be easy.
“We’ve got to be strong or we’ll get blown out of the water,” Bremner said.
Despite being the underdogs, Bremner said the Rams don’t feel any pressure coming into tonight’s game.
“We have all the motivation in the world,” Bremner said. “BYU has everything to lose and we have everything to win.”
BYU coach Chris Watkins said Colorado State is a capable team that always wins its conference. They also make it to the club championships every year, Watkins said.
“We like to play them because they resemble teams we see at national championships,” Watkins said.
