PROVO — Ethan Meyer played more than 1,000 minutes during his senior season with the BYU men’s soccer team in 2016.

Yet none was as hard as the final minute of the club’s final Premier Development League match, a 3-1 loss to FC Golden State Force at South Field on Wednesday night.

When first-year head coach Brandon Gilliam called Meyer’s number, replacing him with young defender Christian Guthrie in the 88th minute of the match, the crowd stood, chanting his name, and gave the right back an ovation louder than any of the 20 goals that have been scored at South Field in 2016.

The senior from Dallas, who graduated with an economics degree in April, stood and applauded them back. Then he walked over to best friend and roommate Brenden Ottman, the goalkeeper, and put his blue-and-white striped captain’s armband on the third-year player’s bicep.

With that, Meyer headed to the bench. He embraced Guthrie, gave a few fist bumps and bro-hugs to some teammates, and embraced Gilliam on the sideline.

His career was over, and he fought to control his emotions — much like Meyer has fought since he first arrived at BYU in 2010.

“It never really feels like it’s going to end,” Meyer said after visiting with fans following the match. “You play, and all you focus on is playing. And then when I saw the ref call for the sub, that’s when it hit me. I started to tear up a little. But I know this team will go far.”

Meyer won’t go far; he’s accepted a job at Provo-based Qualtrics, and he’s still entertaining thoughts of graduate school — possibly at BYU. But his soccer career is over, he said, and the former Texas youth soccer standout reflected on it Wednesday night.

The veteran right back wasn’t the team’s leading goal scorer or assist man — though he did score a howler in a win at San Francisco City FC. Still, when Gilliam and previous head coach Chris Watkins needed someone to step up and fill a leadership role, the two-year team captain has been there.

“He was one of the first ones I identified and picked out (as an assistant coach),” Gilliam said of Meyer. “I guess there’s a lot of emotional attachment with him. His career has been fantastic, both on and off the field; he’s a great student, a great leader and a fantastic player.

“Seeing the joy he has with his teammates and the passion for a team is what I’ll miss the most. He loves the game, but he has a passion for being a part of a team.”

The most important part of his soccer career wasn’t the wins, nor the team’s U.S. Open Cup entry in 2014 — a rare feat since BYU left the collegiate club scene for U.S. Soccer’s fourth division of semiprofessional play in 2003.

“The friendships are the main thing that will stick with me,” Meyer said. “The teams I’ve played on were always so close, and we bonded so much. Soccer is just one part of it; we love the sport, but it’s the friendships that will last forever and what I will remember most.”

Among those friendships is Ottman, whom Meyer chose to place the armband upon in his final substitution because he believes the junior will best lead next year’s squad in his absence. The Cougars finished 4-6-4 in 2016, which doesn’t sound like much — except that it’s four more wins on the field than a year ago, and three more if you count a forfeit in the final PDL match of 2015.

“He’s meant a whole lot,” said Ottman, who will be tasked with filling Meyer’s leadership vacuum next season. “He’s been a captain for two seasons, and he’s brought a lot of life and heart to this team. There were a lot of seasons where we were down and out, but you can always count on Ethan to keep us going and pushing us. That’s what we’re going to miss the most. He’s a motivator, and that’s what we’re looking for going into next season.

“Those are huge shoes to fill.”

BYU fans recognized Meyer’s role on the team as well. The final ovation was just one of many instances were he was cheered, lauded and applauded during his career on South Field. There wasn’t always a lot of reasons to cheer for BYU in his time in a Cougar uniform.

But they cheered for Meyer.

“He has a very charismatic personality,” Gilliam said. “If you see any photos of him, he always has a smile on his face. He’s always having fun, and you can’t help but love the guy.”

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BYU soccer closes season with loss to Golden State

BYU men’s soccer entered Wednesday night’s season finale at South Field with as little to play for — in the grand scheme of the season — as its interdivisional opponent from California. But the Cougars had one thing going for them, and BYU coach Brandon Gilliam gave them the motto: Fight until the end.

Flanked by his brother Jacob and sister Zoe, Meyer received his senior sendoff gift, the only player making his South Field finale Wednesday night. He fought back tears during the pregame ceremony, and again through 88 minutes of soccer where BYU fell behind, lost defender Junior Lartey to a red card, tied the game around halftime, and ultimately lost 3-1.

Meyer will still be around next season, working professionally like so many BYU men’s soccer players before him. The Cougars haven’t played in the NCAA for more than four decades, and are more commonly producing businessmen and software developers than pro soccer players.

But Meyer didn’t rule out the possibility of returning to the pitch — however rare it may be. If nothing else, he could still hold his own in a local rec league.

“I’ll stick around,” he said with a smile that rarely left his face in four seasons at BYU. “If I come back to BYU, maybe I’ll put the jersey back on.

“I think my plan is to retire the boots for good, though.”

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