Club soccer takes to road
The Utah State University men’s club soccer team takes to the road for a two-day tournament Saturday and Sunday at Colorado Mountain College in Glenwood Springs, Colo.
This is the second of three road trips for the team on the season, with the first being in California and the final trip to Las Vegas, Nev., in November.
Utah State is scheduled to play at least three games this weekend, two on Saturday and one on Sunday, but may play more depending on their performance. The tournament is divided into four pools of four teams, and each team plays the other three teams in their pool.
Sixteen teams are participating in the tournament including club teams from the University of Colorado, Air Force University, Colorado State University, University of Utah and Weber State University.
Following the end-of-pool play on Sunday, the winners of each pool continue on. Pool winners will play each other and then the remaining two teams will play for the championship.
Utah State goalkeeper Paul Dowdy said the team was placed in a decent pool for the tournament, and though USU doesn’t know much about the other teams, Dowdy said he believes they will match up well.
“If we play smart soccer, we’ll do fine,” Dowdy said.
One factor the team will have to face is fatigue, playing at least three games in two days.
“I think it will be difficult playing that many games,” Dowdy said. “It will be both mentally and physically straining.”
This is not the first time Utah State has played several games in a short period, though. Earlier this season, USU played games on back-to-back days and also traveled to California for two games in three days.
“We are well-conditioned,” Dowdy said. “We are playing at a higher elevation than Logan, but we should be all right conditioning wise.”
To help keep players fresh, USU expects to use many of its bench players.
“We’re going to need everyone,” Dowdy said.
Though the Aggies lost a few close games this season, Dowdy said a good performance could put the team over .500.
“If we do well, our chances for nationals will look brighter,” Dowdy said. “Our morale will also be high to come back and play Weber at home.”
Weber State is ranked as one of the top teams in the country and usually goes to Nationals every year.
Dowdy said beating Weber would go a long way toward helping Utah State’s bid for a spot at nationals.
Nationals are held in November, and teams are selected based on their record and schedule.
To win the tournament in Colorado, Utah State would most likely need to win five straight games, and Dowdy said the team is capable.
“We just have to play ball and let that take care of itself,” he said.