With three road games under the belt and a 1-1-1 record in those three contests, the 17th ranked BYU women's soccer team returns home to host Pac-10 foe Arizona and Boston University this weekend. Kick off at South Field is set for 7 p.m. for Friday's game and 8 p.m. on Saturday.
Last Game Recap
The 17th ranked Cougar team participated in last week's Huskies/Nike Invitational hosted by the University of Washington. BYU played the late game in Friday's competition and picked up a 1-1 overtime tie against the tournament hosts (Washington). Jeni Willardson Viernes picked up her first goal of the 2001 season in the game. Then on Saturday, the Cougars met 4th ranked Portland where they tallied a 1-2 loss to the Pilots. Viernes and teammate Aleisha Cramer made the All-Tournament Team. Freshman Kimmie Davis picked up her second goal of the year in the game vs Portland. On Tuesday of this week, BYU traveled to Ogden to play Weber State. In that game, Jeni Willardson Viernes and Sarah Higham Yee scored a goal in each half to give the visiting Cougars their fourth shutout of the year in the 2-0 win.
Cougars in National Polls This Week
No. 25 by Soccer Buzz
No. 17 by Soccer Times Top 25 Coaches Poll
BYU & U.S.Women's National Team Connections
• Aleisha Cramer played on the U.S. Under-21 National Team this summer and is currently playing with the U.S. Women's National Team as they host this year's U.S. Women's Cup
• Cramer is also one of 13 college players to be nominated for the Hermann Trophy
• Kim Devine played on the U.S. Under-19 National Team this summer
Returning Starters To Watch (After 7 Games in 2001)
• 17 Aleisha Cramer - MF, So (1A, 1PT, 15SH)
• 11 Sarah Higham Yee - MF, Sr (3G, 1A, 7PTS, 14SH)
• 00 Jennifer Waldron - GK, Sr (5 GA, .73 Average GA, 4 SHO)
Newcomers To Watch (After 7 Games in 2001)
• 15 Kim Devine - 5-5 F/Fr, Laguna Niguel, CA (Played in all games starting in six, tallying 1G, 2A, 4PTS)
• 9 Krissa Campbell - MF/F, Fr, Folsom, CA (Played in all games, starting in the last two, 1G, 2PTS, 3 SH)
• 2 Kimmie Davies - MF/F, Fr, Torrance, CA (Played in all games, starting in one, 2G, 1A, 5PTS, 5SH)
Cougar '01 Quickie Stats - After 7 Games
• Averaging 15.0 shots on goal per game
• Averaging 1.4 goals per game
• Average1.28 assists per game
• Average 5.14 corner kicks per game
BYU Picked To Win MWC Crown
The MWC Coaches picked BYU to win its third consecutive title. The Cougars received five first-place votes and collected a total of 36 points to capture the top spot in the poll. BYU won the 2000 regular-season MWC crown with a perfect 6-0 league record and captured the conference tournament title with a 6-1 victory over Utah.
Cougar Notes
In the first full month of women's soccer competition the BYU team has compiled a 4-2-1 record with wins over USC, Minnesota and Northwestern. The Cougars also picked up a 1-1 tie over Washington and a disappointing close 1-2 loss to no. 4 Portland. This year's team is comprised of five returning starters and an experienced roster of letterwinners headlined by All-American Aleisha Cramer. She and senior midfielders Sarah Higham Yee and Jennie Christianson will assume key roles along with returning starters Jeni Willardson Viernes, Aurelin Weidner and Jennifer Waldron. The explosive BYU offense will remain intact with Cramer, Yee and Viernes who will be assisted by a highly touted freshman class of scoring threats in Kim Devine, Krissa Campbell and Kimmie Davis. Toping the scoring list is Yee with three goals and one assist. Waldron and the BYU defense have had four shutouts to date.
Injury Report
Returning defender Farrah Hofheins is out for the season after suffering a torn ACL in practice prior to the start of the season. Amber Anderson Johnson is questionable for this week's games due to back muscle spasms. Megan Dickerson has been cleared for practice and may be on the team's lineup within the next two weeks. She's been evaluated on a day to day basis. Dickerson tore her ACL during spring practice this year.
Arizona Notes
The Arizona Wildcats come to Provo after compiling a 3-1-1 record and playing their last four games at home. On the road Arizona has a 0-1-0 record losing their season opener at Nebraska 2-4. Their wins have been over New Mexico, Southern Utah and UNLV. The team hosted Pepperdine in a game that ended in a 2-2 tie in Tucson. Three forwards, two of which are freshmen are at the top of the stats for the Wildcats. Freshman Candice Wilks and senior Kristi Lorano have 10 points from five goals to date. Cassice Daniels another freshman has 10 points from three goals and four assists. Arizona is averaging 4.0 goals per game, are getting 20.6 shots a game and have a total of 28 corner kicks after five games.
Series Record: 3-0 favoring BYU. The Wildcats and Cougars have played three previous times with BYU getting all three wins (3-2) in 2000 in Tucson, (2-1) in '99 in Provo and (3-2) on a neutral site in 1996.
Boston University Notes
The Terriers will be making their first trip to South Field this weekend. Boston University has compiled a 4-1-1 record to date with wins over Drexel University, New Hampshire, Buffalo and Stony Brook. They tied 0-0 hosting Hofstra University and lost 0-1 against Quinnipiach College. The Terriers are members of the America East conference. The team is also 1-0 in road games to date. Senior forward Nicole Soules leads the team in scoring with three goals and one assist for seven points. Ann Buckley, a freshman forward follows with four points from two goals. Boston University is getting 23.2 shots per game, and averages 1.3 goals a game. They have tallied 32 corner kicks compared with nine for opponents.
Series Record: 0-1 for the Cougars. These two teams had their first and only previous meeting last season with BYU getting the 2-1 victory.
The Rockwood File
Jennifer Rockwood begins her seventh season at the helm of BYU's women's soccer program. In six years she has guided her team to three conference championships and four straight appearances in the NCAA Championships beginning with the 1997 season. The Cougars have had two "Sweet Sixteen" finishes in 1998 and in 2000. Her many honors include two Coach of the Year honors, by the WAC in 1996 and in 2000 by the MWC.
Last season, she became the first MWC coach to eclipse the 100-win total on Sept. 23 with a 2-0 victory over Milwaukee-Wisconsin. Entering the 2001 season coach Rockwood ranked fifth among active coaches by winning percentage. She has averaged 18.6 wins per season over the past five years, which ranks second behind only Anson Dorrance of North Carolina for wins per season. Dorrance has won an average of 22.2 matches per season.
Rockwood has also coached in the Utah ODP , the youth club's and high school levels.
Rockwood's Record (13 Years at BYU, 7 with club team)
Division I/years: 116-28-3/6 (.789)
1995 Record: 11-8-1
1996 Record: 22-1-0
1997 Record: 19-4-0
1998 Record: 20-5-0
1999 Record: 21-4-0
2000 Record: 19-4-1
2001 Record: 4-2-1
Rockwood Quotes
(On team) We're looking forward to playing at home this weekend after being on the road for the past 10 days. I know the team is anxious to play at South Field and in front of our fans. Tuesday's game against Weber State was not our best game, we weren't mentally prepared for it and that's something we cannot be doing. I'm pleased with the play o four bench players especially Kimmie Davis, Aydre Soffee and Krissa Campbell. They are giving us a good spark.
(On opponents) This weekend we have two very good opponents come to play us. Both have gotten off to great seasons this year. I know that they (Arizona and Boston University) will come in, be prepared and focused on the task at hand. We will need to also be prepared, focused and come ready to play.
BYU Media Information For Home Games
At home, the Cougars practice daily from 2:15 to 5 p.m. Player and/or coach Rockwood interviews may be done in advance by contacting Norma Collett at 801-378-4908 or via e-mail at norma_collett@byu.edu
There are no player interviews 24 hours prior to games. The Cougars practice at Haws Field, just west of the Smith Fieldhouse.
Up Next For The Cougars
Starting in October, the BYU team will be on the road the first two and a half weeks beginning Oct. 4-6 , traveling to Virginia and North Carolina to take on Virginia and Wake Forest. Then the Cougars open up MWC action on the road at UNLV and at SDSU on Oct. 11-13.