By LESLIE ARMSTRONG
The BYU women’s soccer team returned home Saturday night after a tough but victorious weekend at the Nike UC Irvine Invitational in Irvine, Calif.
The Cougars squeaked by their weekend opponents, winning both games by one goal. BYU beat Oregon State 1-0, and UC Irvine 3-2.
BYU won the opening game of the tournament by scoring the first and only goal of Friday night’s game against Oregon State with 1:16 left in the game. The ball was headed in by forward Michelle Jensen. Kim Lowe and Maren Hendershot were credited with the assist.
Jensen’s goal was long-awaited for BYU, which outshot the Oregon State Beavers 27 to one.
“We dominated the game but weren’t very lucky,” said goalkeeper Camille Thomas. “They packed the defense and we just couldn’t score.”
“We kicked the ball in every place near the goal, the left post, right post, high post, and we just couldn’t get it in the net,” said BYU head coach Jennifer Rockwood in a news release. “Oregon State’s keeper had some terrific saves.”
BYU was able to put more goals on the scoreboard Saturday night when it beat UC Irvine 3-2.
The first goal of the game was scored by Hendershot who went one-on-one with the goalie. She placed the ball inside the right post after dribbling all the way in from midfield.
The next two goals were scored by UC Irvine, which outshot BYU 7-4 in the first half.
“Both goals were scored on questionable (penalty kicks), and we actually dominated the game,” said Thomas, who held UC Irvine scoreless in the second half.
The Cougars tied it up just before half time with a goal by sophomore Karen Robbins.
The final goal was off a penalty kick awarded to BYU in the first five minutes of the second half. All-American forward Shauna Rohbock took the penalty kick and scored the game-winning goal.
BYU’s victories this weekend give the team an 8-0 record and increase its winning streak to a school record 16 games.
The Cougars will play their fifth home game of the season Friday against the University of Texas at El Paso. The game begins at 7 p.m.
