BYU Cougars men's soccer

BYU Cougars is an American soccer team based in Provo, Utah, United States. The team plays in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference.

The team plays its home games at The Stadium at South Field on the campus of Brigham Young University, where they have played since 2003. The team's colors are dark blue and white.

History

Early years

The BYU Cougars team is the men's college soccer team of Brigham Young University, and are one of the few openly religious teams in the PDL, their host university being the flagship educational establishment of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The soccer tradition at Brigham Young University is one filled with great success and constant improvement. From the time soccer was given club status in the 1980s to its present day, the soccer program has moved forward finding success in competition, player development, and community service. Brigham Young University dominated the Collegiate Club Soccer Championships (NIRSA) for a decade, winning national championships in 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2001 including an unprecedented run of 30 straight victories at the Club National Championships. This dominance has led to the program seeking higher quality competition in order to create a challenging environment where players can develop.

BYU Cougars

The BYU Cougars are the collegiate athletic teams that represent Brigham Young University (BYU), a major university in Provo, Utah. BYU fields 21 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) varsity athletic teams. They are a member of the West Coast Conference for most sports. Other sports compete in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and as independents. They were a member of the Mountain West Conference (MW) from its formation in 1999 until leaving in 2011 as part of a major NCAA conference realignment. Before the formation of the MW, the Cougars competed in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the Mountain States Conference, and the Western Athletic Conference.

All teams are named the "Cougars", a name that was first introduced by Eugene L. Roberts in the 1920s, initially only applied to the football team. In 1924 two live cougar kittens named Cleo and Tarbo were brought to BYU and used as its mascots. In 1930 Tarbo died and Cleo was sent to the Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City. By the 1950s all sports teams were known as the Cougars and it was decided that having a person in a costume was a better mascot form than live animals. In 1953 Cosmo the Cougar was created by Dwayne Stevenson. The school's fight song is the "Cougar Fight Song".