After beating Utah 3-0 last Saturday, BYU's women's soccer team clinched this year's MWC regular season crown. The Cougars also pick up the number one seed in the tourney and a first round bye. The team's first opponent will be either SDSU or Utah on Thurs. Nov. 8 at 4 p.m. PST at Peter Johann Memorial Field on the UNLV campus.
MWC Standings As Of 11/05/01
TEAM CONFERENCE GS ALL GS
1. BYU 5-1-0 11-6-1
2. New Mexico 3-2-1 4-11-2
3. UNLV 3-3-0 10-6-2
Utah 3-3-0 10-6-0
5. San Diego State 2-3-1 6-10-1
6. Wyoming 1-3-2 4-10-3
Air Force 2-4-0 7-10-1
MWC Championship Schedule
Wednesday, Nov. 7
Game 1 - #4 Utah vs #5 San Diego State, 1:00 p.m.
Game 2 - #2 New Mexico vs #7 Air Force, 4:00 p.m.
Game 3 - #3 UNLV vs #6 Wyoming, 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 8
Game 4 - #1 BYU vs Game 1 Winner, 4:00 p.m.
Game 5 - Game 2 Winner vs Game 3 Winner, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 10
Game 6 - Semifinal Winners, Noon
•The Cougar team was picked to win the MWC Championship by the conference coaches earlier this year. BYU received five first-place votes and collected a total of 36 points to capture the top spot in the poll.
Last Week Recap
BYU clinched its second consecutive regular season MWC crown with the 3-0 shutout over Utah on Saturday evening. In that game Kim Devine, Lydia Ojuka and Aleisha Cramer each scored a goal in an offensive effort that saw the Cougars outshoot the Utes 23 to eight.
BYU And The MWC
In 2001 the Cougar team compiled a 5-1-0 record in conference games with the lone loss coming at the hands of second seeded New Mexico. The Lobos picked up a 1-0 victory at South Field on Oct. 19. Three of the BYU victories over conference opponents were shutouts.
Cramer Picks Up Player of the Week Honors
Aleisha Cramer, a 5-10 All-American sophomore defensive center midfielder was named this week's (Nov. 5) Mountain West Conference Player of the Week. She led the BYU team to the 3-0 victory over Utah last Saturday and she's the team's leading scorer with 25 points. This is Cramer's first honor for the year and for her career.
Hermann Watch And MAC Collegiate Soccer Award Nominee
• All American Aleisha Cramer is also one of 13 college players to be nominated for the Hermann Trophy. She's the lone sophomore nominated. She was made a finalist for the prestigious Missouri Athletic Club men's and women's Collegiate Soccer Players of the Year awards. The M.A.C. award is the official National Soccer Coaches Association of America/adidas award for Division I players.
Returning Starters To Watch
• 17 Aleisha Cramer - MF, So (9G, 7A, 25PTS, 58SH)
• 11 Sarah Higham Yee - MF, Sr (4G, 2A, 10PTS, 30SH)
• 18 Jeni Willardson Viernes - MF, Jr (7G, 6A, 20PTS, 51SH)
Newcomers To Watch
• 15 Kim Devine - 5-5 F/Fr, Laguna Niguel, CA (Has started in all but one game, 9G, 3A, 21PTS, 48SH)
• 9 Krissa Campbell - MF/F, Fr, Folsom, CA (Played in 16 games, 1G, 2PTS, 11SH)
• 2 Kimmie Davis - MF/F, Fr, Torrance, CA (Played in 16 games, starting in one, 2G, 4A, 8PTS, 7SH)
Cougar '01 Quickie Stats
• Averaging 19.06 shots on goal per game
• Averaging 2.39 goals per game
• Average 2.17 assists per game
• Average 6.94 points per game
BYU Notes
The BYU women's soccer team finished its regular season schedule with an 11-6-1, 5-1-0 record, clinching its second consecutive regular season MWC crown. All-American Aleisha Cramer is the team's leading scorer with 25 points from nine goals and seven assists. Freshman Kim Devine follows in scoring with nine goals and three assists for her 21 points. She's followed by junior Jeni Willardson Viernes who has seven goals and six assists for 20 points. Senior Sarah Higham Yee rounds out the double digit scoring for the Cougars with four goals and two assists for 10 points. BYU is out shooting opponents 343 to 172, that's an average of 19.1 shots a game. The Cougars have tallied 43 goals to opponents 17. The defense has had nine shutouts to date with senior goalkeeper Jennifer Waldron averaging a .99 in goals allowed.
Injury Report
Returning defender Farrah Hofheins is out for the season due to a torn ACL suffered in practice at the start of the season. Sophomore defender Britney Holman has not played in any games since breaking her ankle in the UNLV game on Oct. 11. She will travel with the team to the conference tournament, but is on a day to day basis.
Opponent Notes
Utah - Heading into the MWC tourney, the University of Utah tied with UNLV for third place in the conference with similar 3-3-0 records. The Utes conference losses were all on the road against SDSU in San Diego on Oct. 11 in a 1-2 ot decision, at UNLV on Oct. 13 (1-2) and then (0-3) at BYU. Utah was on a four-game winning streak before losing to BYU last Saturday.
SDSU - At the end of the conference season, SDSU compiled a 2-3-1 record for a fourth place finish in the standings. The Aztecs two wins were over Utah and UNLV. They tied 1-1 against Wyoming and lost to BYU, New Mexico and Air Force.
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: 123-32-3/6 (.778)
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: 11-6-1, 5-1-0
Rockwood Quotes
Our team is very excited to have won the regular conference title. The Utah game was a big game for us and I felt we came together as a team especially in the second half. It was a great way to send out our seven seniors. Our goal after the New Mexico game was to win the next five games and that gives us two more to win and that's all we're looking at right now. The players are confident and are coming together at the most important time of the season. We're looking forward to Thursday's game.
Cougars Travel Itinerary
The team leaves Tues. Nov. 6 at 11:35 a.m., on Delta Flight #1495, arriving in Las Vegas at 11:58 PST. The Doubletree Club Hotel is the headquarters for this year's MWC Championships. It is located at 7250 Pollock Drive, 702-948-4000, 702-948-4100 fax.
Practice Schedule While In Las Vegas
The Cougars will practice on Tuesday, Nov. 6 from 1 to 2 p.m., on the men's soccer field at UNLV. On Wed., Nov. 7 their practice time is from 10 a.m. to noon at Peter Johann Memorial Field.
Media Information At MWC Tournament
The women's soccer SID for the BYU team, Norma Collett will be traveling with the soccer team beginning Wednesday night, Nov. 7. Media representatives may interview head coach Jennifer Rockwood and any players prior to or right after the team's scheduled practices. For other interviews, please contact Norma Collett at the Doubletree Hotel, 702-948-4000 or via mobile phone 801-372-0989.