Men’s soccer drops pair of road games

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    By KYLE CHILTON

    Despite dominating Colorado Springs in every statistical category, the BYU men?s soccer team could not pull out a win, falling 3-0 Saturday night to the Blizzard.

    ?We just can?t seem to get a break,? BYU coach Chris Watkins said. ?We had the shots but just couldn?t get them in the net.?

    BYU also fell 2-0 on Friday to Boulder Rapids. The losses dropped BYU to 3-6-1 on the season.

    The Cougars outshot the Blizzard 15-6 on Saturday, had 10 corners compared to one and a penalty kick, but could not get anything to go their way. BYU also held possession for nearly the entire game and had one goal called back.

    The key for Colorado Springs was taking advantage of limited opportunities. The Blizzard scored in the 20th minute and played solid defense to keep the Cougars out of the net. The shutout did not come without a little luck as BYU had three shots hit the goal posts.

    With the scored still 1-0 late in the game, the Cougars loaded their offense to generate scoring chances and left the defense thin. Colorado Springs scored its final two goals in the 78th and 89th minutes after BYU made the switch in strategy.

    On Friday, driving wind and an experienced Boulder Rapids team were too much for the Cougars.

    ?They were the better team and they came out and proved it,? Watkins said. ?They have some very accomplished players on their team and it showed.?

    The game was even for the first 30 minutes until the Rapids Reserve found the back of the net. They added their second goal just after halftime.

    The Cougars struggled with ball control due in part to winds reaching up to 40 miles per hour. Watkins said he was pleased with the effort of goalkeeper Ben Walunas, who made the first start of his career in the BYU net.

    ?It was a good outing for Ben,? Watkins said. ?He allowed a few goals, but he did very well considering the shots he faced and the conditions. He made some very good saves.?

    The Cougars will play their final road games this weekend against the Fresno Fuego and the California Gold on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

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