BYU Soccer: Cougars out-shoot the Mobsters 3-2

On a beautiful night for soccer at South Field, the Cougars pulled out another win to keep their undefeated record in tact.  With the 3-2 win the Cougars earn the 3 points to give them 12 on the year which is good enough to put them all alone in first place in the Mountain Division of the PDL.

First Half

In the first half, the Las Vegas Mobsters came out and controlled the game for the first five minutes but the Cougars were able to withstand the pressure and kept the game scoreless.  Momentum quickly shifted as BYU began to pressure the Mobsters and Blake Frischknecht almost scored as his first shot hit the cross bar and bounced away in the 5th minute.  In the 6th minute Garrett Gee took a long pass deep in Las Vegas territory, hit it off his chest and then slipped it past Las Vegas Goalie Lewis Wilcox with his right foot.

With the 1-0 lead the Cougars continued to press.  The Cougars had another chance to score in the 14th minute as Frischknecht stole a bad pass and took his defender one-on-one before passing the ball to Jace Green deep in the box.  The pass was just off and Green couldn't get the ball into the net as it went into the side.  In the 22nd minute, the Cougars again found themselves deep into the Mobsters side of the field and after drawing out Wilcox for a save, Scott Heaton took the deflection deep for a long strike and put it just under the crossbar for the second goal of the game.

With a 2-0 lead the Cougars began to play conservative and allowed Las Vegas to spend some time on the Cougars side of the field and a header from in the box just missed for the Mobsters first score.  The Cougars scored one more time, but Frischknecht was called offside so the goal was nullified.  With one more chance to score, Pedro Vasconcelos kicked the ball just high of the post.  Neither team could force another threat and the half ended with the Cougars up 2-0.

Second Half

The Mobsters came out determined in the second half and initially set the pace.  They continued to push their way onto the Cougars side of the field but struggled to get good shots.  With one of their best chances in the balance, the Mobsters were given a yellow card for flopping and lost the ball.  Las Vegas continued to pressure the Cougars, but BYU had a chance for another score but the kick by Gee went wide.

In the 59th minute, the Mobsters had a corner kick that was played well but Jake Peterson kept it out of the net.  The Mobsters continued to push the ball deep into BYU territory, but again failed to convert on cross passes and even one-on-one plays after turnovers.  In the 71st minute, the Mobsters finally broke through with a long kick that slipped through Peterson's hands and was tapped in by Victor Arbelaez to cut the score in half at 2-1.

In the 79th minute, the Mobsters went on the attack but Arbelaez tripped over Peterson and broke his leg as his shin hit Peterson's knee, causing a long on field delay.  After he was carted off the field and taken to the hospital by the ambulance, the game resumed as both teams were subdued.  It appeared that the delay initially caused more sluggish play from the Mobsters as they settled for long kicks and defensive play.  The Cougars began to pressure the Mobsters in the 82nd minute and just missed a goal as Wilcox knocked it over the post.  On the ensuing corner kick the Cougars had a few shots but were unable to get it past Wilcox.

In the 84th minute the Mobsters had a prime chance to tie the game but a couple of sensational saves by Peterson saved the Cougars.  On the ensuing counter-attack the Cougars pushed but couldn't get through the defense.  Things heated up quickly as yellow cards came out for both teams as players became physical.  The Cougars were awarded a penalty kick in the 88th minute and Vasconcelos placed the ball perfectly in the net as Wilcox dove the opposite direction.  With the 3-1 lead the Cougars looked to be sitting pretty but in the 90th minute the Mobsters took a long kick that was headed into the net to cut the lead to 3-2.  The clock would run out for the Mobsters and the Cougars would walk out with the 3-2 win.

Next Game

The Cougars next play on Thursday, May 29th at 8:30 pm MST against FC Tucson.