BYU men’s soccer defeated the BFC Dragons 2-1 on Saturday night in its home opener.
The game started with BYU having possession of the ball the majority of the first few minutes.
BYU’s Taylor Fankhauser scored in the 12th minute off a pass from Josh Hunter, giving the Cougars a 1-0 lead.
“I think we really wanted it, so we were playing really hard,” Fankhauser said. “We got the ball wide and we combined well.”
BFC began to be more aggressive after the Cougars’ goal. BYU’s keeper Brenden Ottman had a big save in the 21st minute to preserve his team’s lead.
BYU had a good look on goal in the 31st minute, but the on-target shot was saved by the BFC keeper. BFC had a decent shot off of a penalty at the 34:20 mark, but the shot was high.
Ottman had another save in minute No. 37, keeping the momentum with BYU.
Despite BFC’s push, BYU’s defense remained strong and kept the score at 1-0 going into halftime.
Hunter had a good look on goal at the 55-minute mark, but the Dragons were able to make a save.
In the 64th minute Hunter came back by scoring a goal that bounced off the right post before it went into the net. Hunter’s goal gave the Cougars a 2-0 lead.
“Our coach constantly tells us to be aggressive,” Hunter said. “When I get the ball or Taylor gets the ball out wide, (we want) to attack their outside backs.”
The Dragons were aggressive after Hunter’s score. In the 83rd minute BFC scored, cutting the Cougars’ lead to 2-1.
BYU was able to keep the Dragons at bay for the remainder of the game, winning 2-1.
BYU will play San Francisco on Thursday, May 26 at 7:00PM on South Field.
