By Brenna Jackson
The BYU men''s soccer team came home from its weekend road trip 1-1.
The Cougars started off their weekend in Oregon, where they lost to the Cascade Surge 2-0. Monday, the team beat the Abbotsford Rangers 1-0 in British Columbia, Canada.
In Oregon, BYU maintained possession of the ball during the first half but was unable to finish their chances on goal. When halftime rolled around, both teams were held at zero goals.
The Cougars started out the second half slow allowing Oregon to capitalize and successfully put two shots in the net. After that, the Cougars regained the momentum, but never recovered from their lapse.
'It was a really frustrating game,' BYU defender Hugh VanWagenen said. 'In the first half we controlled the game, we controlled the momentum, but we weren''t able to score. In the second half, we came out a little flat and they scored two goals in the first 15 minutes, and we weren''t able to catch back up.'
Despite the 2-0 score, BYU out shot the Surge 15-7.
'We played fairly well,' head coach Chris Watkins said. 'We just couldn''t finish. We did everything we wanted to. Unfortunately, we just couldn''t get it in the net, and in the end, that is what matters.'
Steve Magleby, a sophomore midfielder, led the team with four shots. Forwards Jacob Cavanough and Travis Winn and defender Morgan Gilliam had two shots each.
Monday the Cougars found themselves in British Columbia, playing against the Abbotsford Rangers.
'It was a tough game since we had been traveling a lot and the weather wasn''t the greatest. So we had to adapt to the conditions,' Magleby said. 'In the beginning, we were slow and they dominated the play, but our defense was really solid and didn''t give up any good shots.'
The Cougar defense, led by goalie Mike Lacey, who had six saves, held the Rangers scoreless.
'They are quite a good team,' VanWagenen said. 'They held the ball really well, but we played a good defensive game; we stayed solid in the back.'
BYU came out strong after halftime and took control.
'In the second half we started to move the ball,' Magleby said. 'We applied a lot of pressure, starting with the forwards all the way to the defenders. It was a real team effort. That is what led to our goal, pressuring the other team''s defense. We stole the ball and scored a goal.'
Forward Tyson Miller scored the game''s lone goal off of an assist from Magleby.