PROVO — Despite its best season yet in the Premier Development League, BYU can't help but feel some disappointment in the way the regular season ended and its position in the Western Conference playoffs.
Making the playoffs for the first time in the PDL was one of the Cougars' primary goals going into the season, but dropping their last three games at home was not the way they wanted to get there.
The final loss was especially disappointing coming Saturday night with the Northwest Division championship on the line against the Ogden Outlaws, a team the Cougars had beaten three times already this season.
"With everything on the line, I thought they'd come out a lot stronger than they did," said coach Chris Watkins of his players after the loss to Ogden.
The loss allowed the Abbotsford Rangers of Abbotsford, British Columbia, to capture the Northwest Division championship by winning its final two games against the Cascade Surge and Tacoma FC. The Rangers finished with 30 points and a 9-4-3 record to BYU's 28 points on a 9-6-1 record. The Yakima Reds finished in third place, out of the playoffs, at 7-7-2.
The best news for BYU going into the Western Conference playoffs on Friday and Saturday is that the Cougars will be hosting the event. Although they are only 4-4 at home this season, South Field has traditionally been very good to the Cougars.
"This is a great opportunity and a true honor for us to have this opportunity," Watkins said. "It's a testament to our excellent facilities and our team. I'm proud of how fare we've come this season."
BYU will host the Southern California Seahorses, who captured first place in the Southwest Division with a 13-3-0 record. The Seahorses won their last nine straight, the last eight on shutouts. It's Southern California's first division title, but the team's third playoff berth in six seasons.
The other semifinal game on Friday will pit Abbotsford against the Orange County Blue Star. The Blue Star finished at 10-4-2 and are the defending Western Conference champions with five playoff appearances in six years. Orange County also finished strong with five straight wins before falling to San Fernando Valley in its final game of the regular season.
The Cougars played in the Southwest Division in their first three seasons in the PDL before moving to the Northwest Division this season. Last year, BYU dropped all four of its games against Southern California and Orange County despite finishing with an 8-7-1 record.
Abbotsford plays Orange County on Friday at 5:30 p.m., with BYU then hosting Southern California at 8 p.m. The winning teams will meet each other on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. for the championship.