The playoffs in the Premier Development League don't officially start for another couple of weeks, but for the BYU men's soccer team and visiting Fresno, they started Friday night in Provo.

In an intense physical game that saw a pair of Cougars leave the game with injuries and one Fuego player sent off, it was BYU that found the finish it needed to escape with the 1-0 win.

"At this point, it's all about results," said Cougar head coach Chris Watkins. "I thought we were the better team, but we could've done a better job of closing out the game."

The game-winner came for BYU in the 51st minute off a set piece. The ball came in off a corner kick to fullback Steve Magelby about 30 yards out on the left side, and Magleby placed it perfectly across the goal to the far post.

That's where midfielder Brent Jensen had timed his run perfectly and headed it in to give the home team the lead.

"That was something we'd worked on in practice," Jensen said. "When Magleby gets the ball on top like that, the defense has a tendency to step up. That allowed me to slip in behind and he played in a perfect ball. It's hard to miss it when it's played in that well."

The outcome became more secure seven minutes later when Fresno midfielder Shaun Culver tried to draw a foul and fell on the ball. Instead, the official called a handball on Culver, who in fury kicked the ball away as the Cougars tried to set it up.

That resulted in a red card and the Fuego had to play the rest of the contest with just 10 men.

Fresno still managed to put plenty of pressure on the net, but BYU keeper Bryan Black held firm. He did get some key help from Ritchie Bindrup in the 72nd minute when the defender cleared a long ball off the line with his face.

"That was the big save because that shot had gotten past Bryan," Watkins said. "I think we could've scored another one if we'd needed to, but it was nice not to have to."

Culver was actually involved in the most violent result of the contest when he and BYU forward Zack DeFrancis raced to the end line to get the ball. Culver stepped in to block DeFrancis, who fell awkwardly to the ground.

The fall snapped the humorous bone between the elbow and the shoulder cleanly, probably meaning he'll need surgery and be done for the year.

"It's going to be hard to lose Zac when he's such a threat offensively," Jensen said. "He's a really good player."

While the loss of one of the team's leading scorers hurts, the Cougars are focused on finishing strong through the final three games.

"Our hopes of making the playoffs are slim, probably less than 50-50, even if we win out," Watkins said. "But there's a chance it could work. I feel good about our team. This is a team that feels like it deserves to have more success than it's had."

BYU will try to get another win when Orange County comes to town tonight for a 7:30 p.m. start.

• Jared Lloyd can be reached at jlloyd@heraldextra.com.

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