Quick start lifts Y. to win over Ogden

OGDEN — The BYU Cougars' PDL soccer team started its fourth game against the Ogden Outlaws this year with a bang Saturday night.

Tyson Miller headed the ball in for a goal in the second minute, assisted by Richie Bindrup, and the Cougars rode the hot start to a 2-1 victory over the Outlaws.

"Scoring early was huge," Cougar coach Chris Watkins said.

Miller said he knew that the game was going to be a battle coming into it and that the score gave him a good feeling.

"It's just good to get a goal that early in the game," Miller said.

The play gave BYU momentum.

Game play stopped when BYU's Clay Christensen collapsed on the field in the 35th minute with an injured back. Play resumed shortly, but soon brought trouble for both teams.

A team member was ejected from Ogden's bench in the 41st, a Cougar received a yellow card in the 43rd, and an Ogden player received a red card seconds before the end of the first half.

The incident injured another Cougar and left the Outlaws down one man for the remainder of the game.

The second half did not have the dramatic beginning of the first half. Both teams received a yellow card and had a couple of close scoring chances.

The next score was not until the 74th minute. It was Toni Nicoli to Steven Fellows for the 2-0 goal, both had just come off the BYU bench.

"I thought it was breathing room," Fellows said, "but it ended up being the game-winning goal."

The Outlaws rallied with Andrew Morris's score in the 88th minute.

"The boys played with a lot of energy and a lot of heart," Ogden coach Mike Hickman said. "The boys kept fighting even when they were down 2-0. They kept fighting and fighting to the end."

With a 12-1-1 record, the Cougars clinched the Northwest division title. Four years ago they were just 2-15-1.

"We couldn't be more thrilled," Watkins said. Division title secured, the Cougars can now rest up and start preparing for the playoffs.

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E-mail: hlebaron@desnews.com