The men’s soccer club at Weber State University remained undefeated and put on a show at home, toppling Utah State University 4–1 on Sept. 24 with many club legends watching in what was the club’s alumni night.
Wednesday was a night of celebration, family, friends and free food at Spence Eccles Ogden Community Sports Complex. Weber recognized former players and coaches for their influence and contributions to the program’s historic success while partnering with Gear Up for Good to donate athletic gear internationally. The Aggies could not spoil Wildcat festivities, and the home supporters left with something to smile about.
Tim Crompton, now the athletic director at Weber State, is proud to see the fruits of his labor flourishing all these years later.
“It gave me some purpose in giving back,” Crompton said. “We created a lot of pride in the institution itself, and I certainly feel like that’s stayed with me.”
In a scoreless first half, the match’s temperament was set with tackles and hostile retaliation flying in from both sides. The Wildcats thought they had found the opener when midfielder Corbin Bodily headed into the net with 20 minutes played. After deliberation amongst the referees, the lineswoman raised her flag for offside and cancelled the goal.
The deadlock was broken in the second half when Weber midfielder Paraskevas Bolos found forward Ben Gladwell wide of the Utah State defensive line with a sweeping pass. Gladwell controlled the ball at full speed before rattling it off the underside of the crossbar and into the goal to bring the score to 1–0 from outside the box.
Minutes later, Bolos doubled Weber’s advantage. The midfielder moved up the pitch into an advanced position and found himself in the right place at the right time. The ball bounced into the Aggie penalty box through a swarm of players, and Bolos slid in to fire his first-time shot past the Utah State goalkeeper.
USU got their consolation goal when forward Manav Soorma applied pressure on Wildcat goalkeeper Chance Izatt and poked the loose ball into the net for 2–1.
Gladwell grabbed his second of the evening through an unaided effort down the middle of the pitch. He picked up the ball roughly 40 yards from the Utah State goal and closed in on the dribble. Despite several Aggie defenders tracking back to stop him, Gladwell kept his balance and slotted the ball into the bottom corner for Weber’s third goal.
Wildcat defender Jonathan McKinney put the result beyond doubt with a solo effort of his own for 4–1. After Utah State’s defensive clearance saw the ball fall to McKinney’s feet, he darted up the wing and slithered past two Aggie defenders before firing home past the near-post from the right side of the box.
Bolos had his say from midfield in the match and proved influential in attack and defense.
“Good win for the boys, hard fought and dirty,” Bolos said. “It was physical through the first half. I think the 0–0 score definitely led to that, but we’ve just got to keep our heads. In the end, it’s whoever keeps their heads the most, and that was us.”
Weber State Coach Mike Genta was pleased with the result, and its implications with the novelty of the occasion.
“It feels amazing. We knew that … this would probably be the toughest match we’ve had going into the season thus far,” Genta said. “We came out and set the tone of how we were going to play and match them physically. We didn’t back down, and they’ve got a big back line.”
