BYU Men's Soccer Announces 2008 Roster
By Kim Christenson
2007 BYU Men's Soccer Team Photo
Provo, Utah (March 2, 2008)
Both disappointment and excitement hung in the air as the 2008 roster for the BYU men's soccer team was announced late tonight.
"It's never a good day when you have to cut people you know so well," said head coach Chris Watkins. "I feel strongly about our program, so when I realize someone can't be a part of it, its sad because I know the opportunities they're going to miss. But I definitely feel like we're going to have a good team this year."
Eighty-six people showed up to the first round of tryouts last Thursday. The final roster includes twenty-four players.
New faces to the team this year are: Bryan Black, Scott Heaton, and freshman recruits McKay Corbett, Richard Harrison, Colby Bauer, Jordan Huber, Will Burton, and Jace Green.
"I'm really happy I made the team," said Scott Heaton from Timpview High in Provo. "I got cut last year, so I've been playing a lot more soccer and conditioning ever since then. I was questioning if I'd make it or not this year because there were tons of guys at tryouts that had played for BYU before. I don't even come from a big club or high school so I just worked as hard as I could."
2008 Roster
Three players have returned from serving LDS missions and are back on the team: Brent Jensen, Tyler Christianson, and Jordan Cushman. Also returning to the team is Aaron Gabbart, who is getting his MBA at BYU. The Cougars' first game is against Mesa State on March 29th.
Bryan Black: Orem, UT
Daniel McKinley: Layton, UT
Brent Jensen: Salt Lake City, UT
Stephen Fellows: Sandy, UT
Steve Magleby: Alpine, UT
Clay Christenson: Sandy, UT
Quin Shepherd: St. George, UT
Aaron Gabbart: Las Vegas, NV
Curtis Graham: Orem, UT
Mike Moreno: Orem, UT
Garrett Losee: Draper, UT
Drew VanWagenen: Salt Lake City, UT
Brandon Gilliam: Dallas, TX
Morgan Gilliam: Dallas, TX
Daniel Turnbull: Boise, ID
Richard Bindrup: Las Vegas, NV
Jon Junca: Canton, MI
Jordan Cushman: Atlanta, GA
Derek Taylor: Boise, ID
Tyler Christiansen: Salt Lake City, UT
Easton Folster: Springville, UT
Scott Heaton: Orem, UT
Zach DeFrancis: Tempe, AZ
Brit Osborne: Bountiful, UT
BJ Pugmire: Yorba Linda, California
Incoming Freshmen
McKay Corbett: Orem, UT
Richard Harrison: Sandy, UT
Colby Bauer: Mesa, AZ
Jordan Huber: Boise, ID
Will Burton: Bountiful, UT
Jace Green: Beaverton, OR
Kim Christenson
(801) 520-0778
kimchristenson@gmail.com
