WASHINGTON TERRACE -- The Outlaws aimed for a strong showing as the second half of the Premier Development League season got underway.
Surging Ogden did exactly that on Friday night.
Despite struggling in the attacking third, the Outlaws commanded the pitch from start to finish, and earned a 1-0 victory over the Southern California Seahorses at Bonneville High School.
"I think this was one of the better matches we've had in terms of possession and keeping control of the ball," Ogden forward Daniel Burnham said. "We stayed calm and closed out the match better than we have been."
Burnham provided the match-winner in the 83rd minute, zipping a 10-yard shot between the Seahorses' goalkeeper and the post after Elias Hatungimana rolled into the deep right corner of the box and fired a centering pass to Burnham.
"We know that we have the potential to be a good team," Burnham said. "We really believe that we have the ability to play with anyone. Our goal is to keep improving and try to make the playoffs, and we feel like we're good enough to do that."
Ogden blistered Southern California 16-2 in shots on frame, forcing the Seahorses goalkeeper to make 14 saves, including several on power shots and tough angles.
"A good goalkeeper can keep a team in a game, and their goalie did that for them today," Ogden owner/head coach Mike Hickman Sr. said. "We struggled to make the right decisions in the right situations in the attacking third. We created a lot of opportunities, but we didn't make the last play we needed to capitalize on them."
K.C. John earned the shutout in goal, his third of the season, and second against the Seahorses (2-6-2).
Ogden improved to 4-3-2, matching the best start to a season in franchise history, with its 14 points marking a new record for the team during the four seasons it has spent in the Southwest Division. Ogden is currently tied for fourth place in the division with Orange County (3-3-5), which it will face this evening at 6 p.m. at Bonneville High School. The Blue Star, who defeated Ogden 3-1 on May 20 in Irvine, Calif., are coming off a 4-2 loss to BYU on Friday night, and are on a five-match winless streak overall.
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