By Spencer Rogers
“That was the most incredible team effort I’ve ever seen,” said BYU men’s socer head coach Chris Watkins. His team earned its latest national championship last November 20, at the four-day Intramural Recreation Sports Association tournament in Statesboro, Ga.
The Cougars’ nationwide dominance, now in its fourth straight year, is the product of strong starters and a deep bench–“an effort of 24,” according to all-tournament defender Dax Cuthbert, a junior from Orem, Utah. Besides its Cuthbert-led defense, which allowed only three goals in six games, the club boasted all-tournament sharpshooter Brandon LeRoy, a sophomore from Salt Lake City, and tournament MVP Bryce Jolley, a junior midfielder from Orem, Utah.
Entering the tournament seeded sixth, the Cougars weren’t expected to four-peat. Nevertheless, true to BYU soccer tradition, the team dismantled their opponents one at a time, including #1-ranked Michigan, in-state rival Weber State, and then Texas Tech in the title game.
The soccer players made their tour-de-force quietly–with sportsmanship and respect for their opponents. “As a coach I am especially proud to be associated with these young men,” comments Watkins. “They really understand who and what they represent.”
