By Amanda Egbert
Bright lights and fresh-cut grass. The whistle blows and the game begins. Tap, tap, boom. Leather meeting leather, the sound of cleats meeting a soccer ball fills the air. The Cougars are off, making their way towards their opponent?s goal. For a fall evening, this depicts the typical picture of BYU?s women?s soccer games.
The Cougars have earned loyal support this year, netting a 6-0 current season record with 18 total goals scored. So far, opponents have scored just one goal against the Cougars; that?s just one goal in more than 540 minutes of game play. BYU is off to a tremendous start, vastly improving from its previous season record of 7-10-4.
?We are always trying to improve and do better than the last week,? BYU head coach Jennifer Rockwood said. ?We have certain goals for each game and want to continue to achieve those goals.?
?If we keep playing this way, no one can stop us,? star midfielder Jamie Beck said. ?We play as a team and for each other.?
BYU should continue their magic when they play University of Wisconsin tonight in Madison, Wis. and face Colgate University on Saturday.
Despite all the practice and previous wins, BYU knows that Wisconsin will be a challenge.
?It will be a difficult weekend, but the way we have been playing, we expect good things.? Rockwood said.
BYU has never played Wisconsin before. The Badgers are currently ranked No. 14 and are 4-1-1.
The Cougars last faced Colgate in 2003, beating the Raiders 2-0. Colgate?s 2005 season record is 3-2.
?This will be a great challenge,? Rockwood said. ?We have gained confidence in our home games and will carry it on the road. We are looking forward and want to play strong.?
New and returning players work together to dominate their opponents. The Cougar lineup is close on and off the field, Beck said.
?Chemistry is important especially with nine new players, they were welcomed by the upperclassmen,? Rockwood said. ?We are building our confidence level, especially with scoring, which we did not do last season. We have improved our ability to finish.?
While just beginning, the Cougars have already had an eventful season full of wins, MVPs, hat tricks and injuries.
Game 6 was the most noteworthy win thus far for the Cougars. A record-breaking crowd of 3,322 people lined up to watch BYU triumph 1-0 over No. 22 ranked University of Texas on Monday.
?We are so excited for the support,? Rockwood said. ?The fans really make a difference.?
Beating the Longhorns was the first win BYU women?s soccer accomplished over a nationally ranked team since 2003. Star midfielder Beck headed the ball into the goal off a corner kick.
Their season began with two wins at a tournament in Hawaii. Defeating George Mason 4-0 for their first season game led the Cougars to play the University of Hawaii in the championship game.
BYU won 1-0 after midfielder Charlene Lui, a native of Honolulu, ended 109 minutes of a scoreless tie with an unassisted goal, firing the shot from 35 yards out. Lui was named MVP of the tournament. Teammates Beck, Katie Larkin, Natalie Nate, Carolyn Swenson and Claire Thomas were named to the All-Tournament Team as well.
BYU returned to play Weber State for their first game at home. The Cougars beat Weber State 5-1. Freshman midfielder Jessica Aquino came off the bench early in the game and scored a hat trick, contributing three of the five goals.
?We work well together,? Aquino said. ?We play for each other and pass the ball.?
The entire Cougar team played a strong offensive game. Defender Haylee Cuthbert fired a long, left-footed shot from 30 yards out to score the first goal of her career.
Utah State was BYU?s opponent for Game 4. BYU triumphed over the Aggies, winning 5-0.
?So far so good,? Rockwood said. ?We are getting lots of shots off and we can always do better.?
BYU?s fifth game was played against the University of Denver. The Cougars defeated Denver 2-0 but paid a heavy price. Top defender Thomas left the field with a torn anterior crucial ligament, unable to return for the 2005 season.
?We will have to adjust and step up to the challenge,? Rockwood said.
While Thomas was an asset to the Cougar lineup, both coaches and teammates are positive and feel the Cougars will rise to the test.
?Our team is solid,? defender Brooke Thulin said. ?There is lots of depth. People are ready to step on the field. Instead of 11, we are 18 players deep.?
