In their fourth game this season, the Weber State University men’s soccer team dominated Southern Utah in route with a 4–0 victory.
Getting off to a fast start, Weber State got out to a quick 2–0 lead, which allowed them to play in their forte by dropping back more and playing defensively.
Even though the Wildcats dropped back from the attack, they still controlled possession of the ball for the majority of the 90 minutes as part of their strategy.
“We’re playing to keep possession, be patient and strike when the time is right,” junior Jaiden Marriott said.
Marriott, who contributed two goals to the win, put on a striking clinic. Showing great patience and choosing his shots wisely, Marriott launched two laser shots into the back of the net from over 30 yards out.
“The offense is built to get me the ball, play it to someone else, then get it right back to me,” Marriott said. “This game the defense was setting back, and I took advantage of it and ripped a couple long ones.”
The Wildcat chemistry on the pitch was unmatched throughout the entire game, seeming as if this team had been playing together for years, when, in fact, this is almost a completely new team.
“This year is kind of a rebuild year, and we’ve improved a lot. We’re continuing to build chemistry, and it’s coming together really nice,” Marriott said.
In the post-game team huddle, Head Coach Blake Barnes, who is in his second year as head coach for the Wildcats, explained to his team why he wasn’t totally pleased by their performance and why they should have easily scored six or seven goals in this game.
“We need to do a better job of finishing, and that comes with always being confident and patient in the final third,” Barnes said. “We’ve got to make the right decision, and put that shot where it needs to be.”
The Wildcats get to play on their home field for their next two matches and look to build on this commanding victory as they get ready to face Boise State and Utah State.
“We’ve had to start over from scratch, go back to the basics and get the team jelling again because we have a lot of new players,” Barnes said.
Despite being at home, these are not easy matches, so the Wildcats will definitely have to touch up a few tactical errors in preparation.
“Consistency is what we want and getting the players to be more patient but confident with the ball,” Barnes said. “Moving it back and forth across the field more and finishing when the time is there.”
