On Friday night, the Cougars tied the Wildcats in the Big 12 opener in Tucson, Arizona. The final score was 1-1.
BYU’s goal came from sophomore Mia Goettsche, her first of the season. The goal was assisted by junior midfielder Mika Krommenhoek in the 51st minute.
BYU held a steady lead for the majority of the second half. The Cougars had controlled most of the possession early in the second half before Arizona began to regain momentum during the final 10 minutes of the game.
Arizona started to find a spark as the game clock began to wind down. In the 84th minute, Wildcats forward Lainey Swanson fired a shot into the lower-right corner of the net to tie the game.
BYU outshot Arizona 18-6. The Cougars put five shots on goal, while the Wildcats had three.
In the first 45 minutes, it was a back-and-forth battle between the two Big 12 teams. The teams used different strategies, but each defended the other well.
BYU played a fast-paced, high-pressure style while Arizona tried to slow down the play and maintain possession.
BYU had nine shots in the first half, many of them from long range. The Cougars took every opportunity to try to break the scoreless tie. Arizona goalkeeper Sofia Cortes-Browne countered with three saves in the first half.
Arizona’s offense took a slower approach in the first half, using its strategy to find gaps in BYU’s defense. There was a stretch when Allie Brown lifted a shot over BYU goalkeeper Chelsea Peterson and tried to score on the open net but could not capitalize.
Seconds later, Jessica Bendolla sent a cross toward an open net but missed the connection.
BYU’s Bella Woods tried to capitalize on Arizona’s free kicks in the first half but could not get her chances to sink. The two teams went into halftime looking to break the scoreless tie.
The Cougars came out swinging. They controlled the majority of the possession in the second half and appeared to settle into their strategy.
Within the first five minutes of the half, BYU had taken the lead.
For the next 35 minutes, Arizona tried to regain possession and make up for the time it had lost with the ball, but BYU would not allow it. Its high-pressure defense meant that when Arizona gained possession, BYU often regained the ball within one or two passes.
Heading into the final 10 minutes of the game, it seemed BYU had the opener closed out. But Arizona was not done fighting.
Through the 70th minute, Arizona had been held scoreless in the second half. The Wildcats eventually regained possession and began creating more chances. After three missed opportunities, Swanson scored the equalizer to tie the conference opener.
The draw moved BYU’s overall record to 4-2-2 on the season. The Cougars will face UCF next Thursday at home at South Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.