The Real Monarchs made the trip to BYU's South Field Wednesday night.
This match was ruled a friendly game with the outcome not determining anything for either team. Both teams still played with an aggressive style throughout the whole game. Scoring their final goal with only a few minutes to spare, the Monarchs made this game a real nail-biter. The Monarchs took down the Cougars 3-2.
Pedro Vasconeclos takes the ball down the field against the Real Monarchs. BYU lost the game 3-2. (Ari Davis)
The Cougars were able to strike first with an assist delivered by Pedro Vasconcelos to senior forward Garret Gee right outside the penalty box. Gee trapped and dibbled before drilling it past Real's keeper.
The first half seemed all Cougars as their defense did a great job catching the Monarchs' offsides multiple times. Cougar defender Ariel Chavez made multiple stops and used his speed to cut off attacking players.
Freshman Christian Bain put the Cougars ahead again by scoring BYU’s second goal right before half, and the Monarchs came into the second half down two goals.
“I think we did a good job in the first half, and in the second half they had like a full rotation,” Vasconcelos said after the game. “They had fresh legs, and we felt tired.”
Real's continuous second-half substitutions seemed to make a difference and sparked a turning point.
The Monarchs' big push in the second half overwhelmed the Cougars, and two goals by Alec Sundly eliminated BYU’s comfortable lead.
BYU wasn’t able to hold off the Monarchs for much longer, allowing them to score their third goal in the 84th minute and seal the game.
BYU's last-ditch effort came in the 87th minute with a well-positioned free kick. The ball was put past the keeper and appeared to be a goal but was retracted due to an offsides call.
BYU's rough season, in and out of exhibition, ended with a record of 1-8-5, an effort Coach Chris Watkins feels can improve.
“I’m mostly proud kind of how we started in March and finished now,” Watkins said after the game. “We had a completely inexperienced team and came together and played well today.'
Check out previous game at https://www.youtube.com/user/mensbyusoccer/feed.