Defender Rachel Bingham Lyman sends a pass across the pitch during BYU’s 8-0 win over Saint Mary’s. (Addie Blacker)

BYU women’s soccer downed Saint Mary’s 8-0 at home Friday, Oct. 18, after climbing back to No. 5 in the rankings.

Saint Mary’s started off strong defensively, with a particularly strong performance by goalkeeper Maleah Milner, who held BYU off from scoring until the game’s 27th minute. The stalwart Saint Mary’s defense faltered when defender Danika Serassio corralled a shot that rebounded off the bottom of the crossbar to forward Cameron Tucker who scored BYU’s first goal of the night off the rebound. 

Within the following five minutes, BYU’s aggressive attack proved useful as the Cougars added a second goal to the scoreboard. In the 31st minute, midfielder Mikayla Colohan fired the ball to forward Elise Flake, only to receive the ball right back, and Colohan nailed a shot in the back of the net. 

It wasn’t long before Flake made her first goal of the night — a goal that brought her to a tie for No. 8 in all-time career goals at BYU. Less than a minute after Colohan’s first goal, Flake stole the ball at the top of the center circle and powered down the field as she sent the ball flying past Milner, bringing BYU to a 3-0 lead. 

Freshman Ellie Maughn sealed off the first half of the game with the Cougar’s fourth goal of the night thanks to an assist from Colohan. Just like that, the Cougars went into the second half with a 4-0 lead. 

The Cougar’s fierce attack has been one of their strongest weapons throughout the season, this was especially apparent against Saint Mary’s. 

“Our last two games, offensively and defensively, we attacked so strong. It is just something that we wanted to stay consistent with,” BYU head coach Jennifer Rockwood said. “We challenged them before the game to go out and make a statement.”

BYU showcased its power and depth in the second half by scoring four additional goals, resulting in their highest-scoring game of the season.

Flake and Colohan continued to raise the score as each player scored another goal in the early second half. With BYU sitting at 6-0, the reserves received significant playing time. 

Forward Ella Ballstaedt recorded her third goal of the season in the 88th minute of play, which was followed by forward Lytiana Akinaka’s first career goal with BYU.

“It’s good to see that the goals can come from anywhere. I think it shows how good we really are as a team and how dangerous we are on every part of the field,” Colohan said. 

The Cougar’s next game will be on Friday, Oct. 23 against the University of Portland. 

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