Men's soccer crushes Aggies, ready for regionals

Coming off a disappointing loss in the championship game at a regional tournament Oct. 3-5, the Weber State University Men's Soccer Club came back to a home game on Oct. 18 and crushed Utah State 5-1. This was the Wildcats' final regular season game. The team came out roaring in the first half of the game and within 15 minutes WSU was up 2-0. The two goals came from forwards Alex Neve and Scott Whiteside. Whiteside's goal was scored off an assist from goalkeeper Jeff Rogers who sent a long ball downfield. Whiteside let it bounce once and then headed it in over Utah State's goalie "Our first 20 minutes were the best we've played all season," said Rogers, club president and team goalkeeper. In the 25th minute, up 2-0, WSU had a breakdown in its defense as Utah State slipped one into the goal on a breakaway. Following the Aggies' goal, both teams played physical and defensive the remainder of the half. WSU was fortunate and got two significant breaks as the Aggies were called on fouls just outside of their penalty box resulting in two free kicks for the 'Cats. WSU midfielder Erich Toomey took both shots for the team. Toomey hurled the first ball around Utah State's line of defending players and placed the curling ball in the goal out of reach of the Aggies' goalie. Weber State was then up 3-1. Toomey also made the following free kick on another Aggie foul from about 25 yards out. WSU went into halftime with a 4-1 lead. "We corrected things at halftime, made some minor changes to help keep possession and move the ball around," Rogers said. "We dominated the second half, played solid and shut them down." The play of the game, and the fifth and final goal for Weber State, came only 15 minutes into the second half. Whiteside scored his second goal of the game as he drilled a long ball from about 30 yards out and tucked it just inside the post. The USU goalie had no chance to stop the flying ball. "It was a SportsCenter Top 10," Rogers said. "You see something like that, and you can't help but cheer and be excited." The Wildcats now boast an impressive 17-2-1 record heading into the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association Region 6 Championships this weekend. The 'Cats are the No. 1 seed in the region and defending region champs. Weber State will host the regional tournament this year. The University of Oregon is seeded second in the tournament and may prove to be the 'Cats' toughest challenge if they face them in the championship game. Other teams qualifying for and attending region include the University of Utah, Idaho State University, Salt Lake Community College, Utah State University, Utah Valley University and Portland State University. "Our team is ready to play," said Will Rader, WSU head soccer coach. Three-year starter at center midfielder, Garrett Swift said this team might be better than the team that won region and made it all the way to the quarterfinals at nationals last year. "We have more threats as far as scoring," Swift said. "There are more goals coming in from more people. " The team's top offensive threats come not only from the typical forward position, but the Wildcats are also getting some good goals and playmaking from the midfield positions. In the last 20 games of this season the 'Cats have learned teamwork and how to work for each other. They've learned how to best utilize the skills of each of the 11 players on the field and to work together to get the victory. "We have established ourselves," Swift said, "and are coming in strong. Realistically, we should repeat again this year if we stick together and play together as a team." Anything short of a region championship and a better showing at nationals than last year would be a disappointment to this talented squad of players. The team will open its region play on Friday at a 10 a.m. They also have a 2 p.m. game time scheduled on the soccer field just south of the Swenson gym.