Update from Tuesday, Sept. 2:
BYU women’s soccer lost to Baylor on Monday afternoon 2-1 at South Field. The Cougars (1-1-2) face off against the Utah Utes (3-0-1) this Friday in Salt Lake.
Original Text
The BYU women’s soccer team started off the season 1-0-2, tying both Cal State Fullerton on the road and Washington State at home, and defeating Tennessee on Friday night.
Midfielder Elena Medeiros scored the lone goal for BYU in its first win of the season. She scored in the 17th minute on a pass from forward Niki Fernandes, and the defense held firm for the remainder of the match for the 23rd-ranked Cougars.
“The energy from the team tonight was amazing,” BYU Coach Jennifer Rockwood said in a press release. “We came out and were able to get the ball wide as we have been practicing, and Niki served a great ball to Elena.”
BYU held the shot advantage, outshooting Tennessee 13-6 throughout the match. The Cougars also held the advantage in corner kicks, shooting six compared to the Volunteers’ two.
BYU ended its first two matches of the season in draws, despite only playing into one draw all of last season. Forward Ashley Hatch scored the only goal in BYU’s 1-1 tie against Cal State Fullerton in the season opener on Aug. 22. Hatch’s goal appeared to be the game winner, as it was made in the 77th minute, but CS Fullerton equalized in the 83rd minute.
In the two overtime periods that followed, CS Fullerton outshot BYU 3-1, but neither team could score, and the game ended in a 1-1 tie.
“It took us a little while to settle down,” Rockwood said of the game in a press release. “We just weren’t dangerous enough in the attack. We were missing that last pass or that last touch that led to a shot.”
In BYU’s home opener on Aug. 25, the squad tied Washington State 0-0 despite outshooting the team 18-16 throughout the match. Again, it took two overtimes to determine the final outcome, but the crowd of 2,255 at South Field didn’t get to see a goal from either team.
The undefeated Cougars host Baylor on Monday at 1 p.m. at South Field. They travel to Salt Lake City to face the University of Utah on Friday. The Baylor game will be broadcast on BYUtv, and the Utah game on Friday will air on the Pac-12 network.
