During Friday night's men's soccer game between BYU and Utah State, things got physical — and bloody.
At one point, the Cougars' Brayden Gonder was holding his head as BYU staff rushed onto the field to help.
"He's bleeding!" yelled BYU teammate Talmage Woodhouse.
Gonder had just knocked heads late in the game with a Utah State player while going up for a header. Trainers wrapped towels around his head, wiped his bloodstained hands and prepped him to receive staples to close the wound.
The game came to a halt. The referee and staff brought a bucket of cleaning solution onto the field to clear the blood and Gonder was well taken care of on the sideline.
The pool of Gonder’s blood may have been cleaned, but on Friday BYU men’s soccer bloodied Utah State with a permanent score of 4-0.
BYU started the game out strong by controlling possession and getting three balls into the box within the first two minutes. Those opportunities didn’t land, but the first goal came in the 10th minute.
Cameron Pennock took a corner from the southeast corner of the field that floated just outside the six-yard box where striker Kyle Walbruch headed it into the bottom left corner.
The party quickly continued in the 16th minute, as Alex Frankhauser sprinted down the left side of the field to send in a ground ball cross to Evan Smith who smashed it into the bottom right corner.
BYU’s next two goals came in quick succession in the 37th and 39th minutes, as James Dunning rifled one into the bottom left corner and Weston Starley being in the right position to guide it in off a rebound.
“Our possession going into the attacking half was very nice in the first half. They got into that space well and attacked it well. It was very collective. There was also a bit of hunger and fight in the first half,” said coach Brandon Gilliam.
Everything was going well for the Cougars until the second half came on. Utah State became more physical with racking up two yellow cards and the Aggies kept BYU out of the net, ending the game 4-0.
“Complacency can sneak in there. That’s what we talked about at the end of the game. It doesn’t matter if the score is 4-0 or 1-1 or whatever it is," Gilliam said. "They need to have the same hunger on the field and make sure they stay disciplined in that aspect. So that’s something we’ll have to work on."
Despite the disappointing end to the game, the Cougars remain undefeated on the season and continue to roll over their opponents with high goal totals.
BYU finished the night huddled together in prayer. They then applauded the fans for their support and left the pitch.
Next up for the Cougars is a rematch with Utah. They travel up north to face the Utes in Salt Lake City on Saturday.