After a hard-fought battle, the BYU men’s soccer team pulled off a 1-1 draw against the Ogden Outlaws in Provo on Saturday night.
“The first few minutes of the first half we struggled, then halfway through we played our game,” sophomore defender Junior Lartey said. “Once we played our game we started to have chances.”
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The Cougars brought the momentum from a win over Los Angeles the week before and made the Outlaws play solid defense. BYU took 14 shots and had seven corners during the game.
“We outplayed Ogden by far tonight,” freshman forward Winston Sorhaitz said. “We should have finished them off in the first half.”
Recently named to the Premier Development League’s team of the week, Sorhaitz had some solid shots on goal, but the Ogden keeper showed his athleticism in protecting the net.
“Their keeper had some big saves,” Sorhaitz said. “I had probably three of four looks that should have gone in, but the goalie was there to stop them.”
The Cougars took the momentum and a 0-0 draw into the half. As the second half got underway, the Outlaws came out with more energy, looking to steal the game.
It was another physical matchup for the in-state rivals, as each team was called for 14 fouls on the night.
Just five minutes into the second half, junior Lartey made a run in the box and was taken down just before he was able to make a cross. The Cougars were awarded a penalty kick. Lartey tore his left deltoid on the play and had to leave the game.
Senior forward BJ Pugmire was called on to take the shot.
“It was my third [penalty kick] of the season,” Pugmire said. “So I feel pretty comfortable taking them now. … I just want to help my team and get some wins.”
In the 63rd minute, Elias Hatungimana took advantage of a break in BYU’s defense and scored Ogden’s only goal.
BYU played solid defense throughout the second half before Ogden forward Chance Bukoski broke through the defense in the 88th minute and made a nice play that almost gave the Outlaws their first win of the season.
“Ogden’s No. 11 had a nice pass and play,” Sorhaitz said. “The game felt different after that. … It really put them back in the game.”
Despite further Cougar attacks the game ended in a 1-1 draw.
“It was a tough result,” Pugmire said. “We had a lot of good chances and we just didn’t finish. I thought we played well overall but just didn’t take advantage of opportunities.”
BYU moves on to face the top-ranked Ventura County Fusion in Southern California on Friday night.
