BYU women’s soccer advances to Elite 8 with 1-0 upset over 1-seed Virginia
A goal by senior forward Cameron Tucker early in the second half gave BYU a 1-0 lead and the Cougars were able to hold on against No. 1 seed Virginia to advance to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday.
“So proud of the team and the staff and everything. What a game,” head coach Jennifer Rockwood said. “Just proud of the way we fought…and defensively it was one of our best performances.”
The victory was a revenge game for the Cougars, as Virginia eliminated BYU from the NCAA Tournament during the spring season.
It was a tight and intense match, with 13 total fouls and three yellow cards for the Cougars. Virginia led BYU in both shots and corner kicks, but the Cougars were the more accurate squad, putting five shots on goal to just three for the Cavaliers.
Virginia out-shot BYU 9-6 in the first half, but keeper Cassidy Smith had three saves to keep the score level at 0-0 at halftime. Tucker’s game-winner came just two minutes into the second half in the 47th minute.
“That was a tiring game, Virginia was very good,” Tucker said. “Our defense did a great job tonight. We played great team defense. We never want it to end. We’re so happy.”
The Cougars advance to the Elite 8 for the fourth time in program history (2003, 2012, 2019 and 2021).
Up next, BYU will face the winner of South Carolina and Penn State, which airs on Sunday, Nov. 21 at 3 p.m. EST in Los Angeles, California. The date, time and location of the regional final will be announced at a later date.
