By Amanda Egbert
A record-breaking crowd watched the BYU women?s soccer team defeat nationally ranked Texas 1-0 on Monday night.
The Cougars continued their undefeated 6-0 season with a win over the Longhorns, BYU?s first win against a ranked opponent since 2003.
?I am so proud of how the team played; the girls who did not play prepared,? BYU head coach Jennifer Rockwood said. ?They worked so hard and played tremendous soccer.?
Cougar fans filled the stadium. There was a total 3,322 people in attendance, shattering all previous attendance records.
?We are so excited for the support,? Rockwood said. ?The fans really make a difference.?
When forward Bobbi Tillotson fired a corner kick to the far post 25 minutes into the game, star midfielder Jamie Beck was there to receive it. Beck said she knew where the ball was going, and she managed to rise high above the defenders, getting on top of the ball and heading it into the far corner of the goal.
?We have been working a lot in the midfield, getting the ball up and keeping possession,? Beck said. ?We executed so well and played great all around.?
In the first half of the game, BYU controlled the ball by moving it throughout the field, connecting passes and getting good looks on goal. Carolyn Swenson and Katie Larkin dominated the offensive end of the field, moving the ball up and taking many close shots.
Early in the second half BYU had a couple of nice shots just miss their target. With a drive down the line and Texas? goalie on the ground, Larkin barely missed a low shot to the goal.
The Longhorns nearly tied the game with less than 10 minutes to go, but BYU goalkeeper Erika Woodbury laid out as Priscilla Fite?s shot clanged off the post.
The Cougars suffered a great loss last Friday when defender Claire Thomas left the field with a torn anterior crucial ligament. Haylee Cuthbert stepped up in the lineup, helping the BYU defense play a strong, successful game.
?Haylee played the best game of her career tonight,? Rockwood said. ?So far with the team defense, so good.?
BYU will travel to Madison, Wis. this weekend to play 13th-ranked University of Wisconsin and Colgate in the Big Toe Invitational.
? is in the top 15. It will be a difficult weekend, but the way we have been playing, we expect good things.? Rockwood said.
?If we keep playing this way, no one can stop us,? Beck said. ?We play as a team and for each other.?