Saturday, September 14 - Provo, UT
BYU Men’s Soccer kicks off its campaign against local rivals University of Utah on Saturday, September 14.
While BYU’s winning run against the Utes stretches back years, Brandon Gilliam is adamant that the teams “energy needs to be very high in this first game,” especially as the team “gets comfortable with organizational aspects.”
In a recent interview with newly named Cougars captain Christian Bain, the attacking midfielder highlighted cohesion and rhythm as his main focal points ahead of the Utah contest: “Team chemistry and rhythm are definitely our focus; we need to learn to play quickly, [and] attack with speed and numbers.”
With the BYU men’s roster being declared only this past week, the Cougars will have many opportunities to gauge the effectiveness of different lineups, formations and other tactical considerations. University of Utah team has historically employed a high-energy and physical approach in attempts to stifle BYU’s rhythm, and we can expect the same in tonights matchup right from kickoff.