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Bulldogs Blank BYU 3-0 In Men's Soccer Exhibition
Aug. 24, 2000 SPOKANE, Wash. - Gonzaga University scored three first-half goals, and Mike McCarthy and Joe Smith combined for the shutout as the Bulldogs topped Brigham Young University 3-0 in an exhibition men's soccer match Thursday at Martin Field. BYU operates as a club team, but has won the College Cup - the national championship of club teams - the past four years. "This was a good test for us," Gonzaga head coach Einar Thorarinsson said. "They are a good team. We were a little slow getting going, but by the middle and end of the first half we were firing everywhere. We lost a little bit of momentum in the second half." The Bulldogs got on the scoreboard at 12:31 when senior midfielder Alika Cosner took a thru ball from Brian Ching and beat keeper John Morris 1-on-1 to the left side. Gonzaga made it 2-0 at 27:49 when senior Jason Kuska picked up a loose ball on the left side and buried a shot to the upper right corner over the out-stretched Morris. Sophomore Connor Quinn completed the scoring at 43:56 when he took a pass from Abbas Faridnia and beat Morris to the far side. Gonzaga held a 19-13 edge in shots, with Morris making seven saves. BYU had few solid scoring chances, McCarthy with one save in the first half, Smith with two in the second period. Both teams had a goal nullified by an offsides call. "McCarthy and Smith both did well," Thorarinsson said. "It was good to see Joe Marks back in the lineup and Cosner and Ching had a solid match. They double and triple teamed Ching a lot of the match which left other players open. That's how we got most of our goals. Ching was dominant." Marks, who suffered a season-ending and at the time thought career-ending knee injury last fall, was back in the starting lineup after petitioning the NCAA for a sixth year of eligibility. His petition was granted and Marks' year was re-instated. The Bulldogs suffered two minor ankle sprains. Faridnia limped off in the 82nd minute and Tryggvi Bjornsson went to the turf after blocking a shot and spraining an ankle in the 86th minute. "I think they'll be okay," Thorarinsson said. "Both were walking on the sprains after the match." The Bulldogs open the regular season Sept. 2-3 at the Rocky Rococo Classic hosted by the University of Wisconsin.
Goals by Period 1 2 Tot ------------------------------- BRIGHAM YOUNG....... 0 0 - 0 GONZAGA BULLDOGS.... 3 0 - 3
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