By Ronell Hugh
“Movin” on up” is the tune being heard around the BYU women”s soccer team after a 2-0 whooping against the Idaho State University Bengals on Saturday, Nov. 15, at Ute Field.
“I have said all year that this is a special team,” said head coach Jennifer Rockwood. “This group of seniors has done great things for our program, and they deserve a good ending to their careers.”
The Cougars advance to the Sweet 16 for only the third time in their history. The prior two visits came in 1998 and 2000.
“I want to do it for the seniors,” said 17-year-old defender Claire Thomas, referring to moving up the NCAA Tournament bracket. “The seniors have contributed so much … and I just want to win it for them.”
The Bengals were coming off of a shootout win over the No. 14 University of Utah on Thursday.
Likewise, the Cougars advanced to the second round by stumping the No. 11 University of Colorado in a 2-0 win on Thursday.
BYU started the first half on fire capturing an early goal by junior Krissa Campbell.
Sophomore Jaime Rendich dribbled down the right side of the field and crossed the ball into the box. Campbell headed the ball into the bottom right corner to put the Cougars up one in the 7th minute.
“I found myself open, and Jamie hit a great ball, and I was just able to find it on my head,” Campbell said.
Campbell picked up her second goal in the 36th minute.
Senior Jennifer Fielding passed the ball into Campbell who turned and took a shot. The shot was blocked by goalie Shannon Boyle but landed at the feet of Campbell, who knocked in her second goal of the game.
“I took a touch, my second touch was a little too far, but luckily the goalie dropped it, and I was able to get back up and put it in the net,” Campbell said.
The Cougars kept pressing the Bengals” defense. They ended the first half with six shots on goal and 2-0 lead.
The Bengals opened the second half putting a little pressure on the BYU defense.
The Cougars managed to hold off Idaho State with strong defense from freshman Thomas and Nicole Jensen, sophomore Charlene Lui and senior Britney Holman.
Thomas said, being young doesn”t bother her, but instead she gets excited for the opportunity to play against great opponents.
“I”m playing against the best players in the country, and I have this opportunity to do it earlier than someone else normally would,” Thomas said.
Campbell had an opportunity to get a hat trick when senior All-American Aleisha Rose took a free kick from 20 yards out. The ball sailed over the Bengal wall and rattled the crossbar.
Campbell jumped up to head the ball in, but it floated over the goal.
“I needed just two more inches,” said Campbell about her missed hat-trick opportunity.
The Cougars” defense held the Bengal”s to five shots the entire game.
BYU ended the game with 21 shots, six shots being on goal.
The Cougars season has had its ups and downs, but they are ready for the next round of the NCAA tournament, Rockwood said.
“Our first goal was to win a conference championship, and then our next goal was to get to the tournament and see how far we could go,” Rockwood said.
The Cougars are capable of playing against top ranked opponents, it depends on what our consistency is going to be like, Rockwood said.
“I think we”ve played very well the past two games and we”ll see how much further we can go,” she said.
BYU moves into the Sweet 16 to meet No. 15 Villanova. The site, date and time is still to be determined. The Wildcats beat No. 7 Virginia on Sunday, 4-2.
