Two Ranked Teams In Three Games>
For the second time in three games the BYU women's soccer team will face a nationally ranked opponent, this time facing off at home with No. 7 Tennessee (2-0-0).
The Vols were a Sweet 16 team last season in the NCAA Tournament who finished with an 18-6-1 record, and have started off the 2003 season with wins over UC Santa Barbara and Fresno State.
This is the second meeting between the Cougars and the Lady Vols with Tennessee edging out BYU in 2001 in Provo at South Stadium with a 1-2 victory.
For the Cougars, it is a chance to even the series between the two teams and find redemption for last Friday's double overtime 0-0 tie to No. 17 Michigan.
BYU (1-0-1) will also host the T-Birds of Southern Utah University (0-2-0) on Monday, Sept. 8. The game will be the first meeting between the two schools.
Kick off is set for 7:00 p.m. (MDT) on Friday, Sept. 5 at South Stadium with BYUTV broadcasting the game live. The Cougars and T-Birds get will get underway at 5:00 p.m. (MDT) on Sept 8.
The Last Time>
The first and only game played between BYU and Tennessee took place a little more than two years ago on Sept. 1, 2001 on the Cougars' home field, when the then No. 13 ranked Cougars were surprised by an unranked Tennessee team with a 2-1 loss.
In the game, Tennessee struck early with a goal five minutes into the game by Keeley Dowling giving the Vols an early 1-0 lead. Both teams then went scoreless until the closing minutes of the second period, when the Lady Vols sealed the victory with a late goal by Sue Flamini and only 11 minutes left on the clock. The Cougars' lone goal came in the final minutes when Kim Devine scored off an assist from Aleisha Cramer Rose with four minutes left in the game to avoid the shutout.
Rose On Hermann Trophy Watch List>
Three-time All-American senior Aleisha Rose, of the BYU women's soccer team, was named to the Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy watch list Tuesday.
The M.A.C.'s Hermann Trophy is college soccer's equivalent to the Heisman Trophy and represents the highest level of individual achievement in the sport.
Rose, a preseason All-American, is one of 16 athletes who make up the watch list that includes the top Division I athletes in the country. Past recipients include some of the biggest names in soccer, such as Mia Hamm, Kristine Lilly, Shannon MacMillan, Cindy Parlow, Claudio Reyna, Tony Meola and Alexi Lalas.
A native of Lakewood, Colo., Rose has become one of the most decorated soccer athletes in Cougar history. As a freshman she was named the Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year, was the MWC Player of the Year as a sophomore, a first-team All-MWC and MWC All-Tournament team selection and has received three-consecutive All-America citations.
Jensen Named First MWC Defensive Player of the Week>
BYU freshman defender Nicole Jensen was named the Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Week after her performances against No. 17 Michigan and Colgate last weekend.
Jensen, a Denver, Colo., product, was the defensive catalyst in the Cougars' two shutouts last weekend to begin the season. In BYU's 0-0 tie against No. 17 Michigan, she helped hold the Wolverines, who averaged 14.6 shots per game in 2002, down to five total shots (three on goal) in the contest. In the 2-0 win over Colgate, Jensen turned in another strong defensive performance and managed to push the ball to the Cougar forwards to start the offensive game. The Cougars defense held Colgate's tandem of Kate Barrett and Kelly Kuss to three total shots on goal.
Scouting The Opponents>
The No. 7 Tennessee Vols started off the season with a 1-0 shutout victory over UC Santa Barabara and followed that up with a 3-1 win over Fresno State. In the first two games of the season, the Lady Vols out shot their opponents by a combined 26-12 margin, and have a two goal per game average. Junior Lyndsey Patterson leads Tennessee with two goals and one assist and Herman Trophy candidate junior Keeley Dowling has one goal in two games. In two games the Vols have committed only nine fouls to their opponents 24.
SUU has struggled offensively this season, getting shutout in the team's first two games while allowing a combined three goals. Dating back to last season, SUU has been held scoreless in its last five games. The
T-Birds have been out shot 14-28 by their opponents with only five shots on goal in two games. Freshman Ashley Smith leads the team with two shots on goal and five shots total.
Last Game: No. 17 Michigan and Colgate>
Last weekend the Cougars opened the 2003 season with a win and a tie, defeating Colgate 2-0 and playing to a 0-0 double overtime finish against No. 17 Michigan. Against the Wolverines, lightning delayed the game 90 minutes with action being suspended with 21:01 left in the second period. When the game finished the teams had tied but BYU out shot Michigan 13-5. The next day, Saturday, Aug. 30 the Cougars faced off against Colgate and earned their second shutout of the season. Sophomore Jaime Rendich scored both of the Cougars' goals in the game with senior Terra Bigelow and sophomore Charlene Lui getting the assists. Rendich's goals were the only goals in the game as the Cougars claimed their first win of the 2003 season.
NSCAA Places Cougars No. 24 in Preseason Poll>
National Soccer Coaches Association of America announced its preseason rankings for NCAA Division I schools with BYU weighing in at No. 24.
The Cougars, who finished the 2002 season with a No. 23 ranking, are the only Mountain West Conference school to make the preseason top-25.
Also making the cut are four teams on the Cougars' regular season home schedule, No. 14 Tennessee, No. 17 Michigan, No. 19 USC, and No. 21 Florida.
"We are looking forward to hosting four ranked teams at South Stadium," said BYU head coach Jennifer Rockwood, "Playing top caliber teams will challenge our squad, and provide great games for the fans to come and see."
Cougars Picked Second in mwc preseason>
The Mountain West Conference announced its 2003 preseason poll Monday with the league's coaches selecting BYU to finish second behind Utah.
One point and one vote separated the Cougars and the Utes in the voting, with BYU totaling 33 points and three first place votes, while Utah grabbed 34 points with four first place votes.
For the 2003 season BYU returns eight starters and 11 letterwinners while the Utes return six starters and 14 letterwinners.
MWC Preseason Coaches' Poll
Pl.Team(1st pl. votes)Points
1. Utah (4) 34
2. BYU (3) 33
3. New Mexico 26
4. UNLV 19
5. San Diego State 18
6. Air Force 9
7. Wyoming 8
Four-straight MWC Titles>
With a 2-1 win over Utah in the final game of the regular season, BYU ensured itself a fourth-straight MWC Regular Season Championship.
The Cougars first goal of the game came in the 41st minute on a header by sophomore forward/midfielder Kimmie Davis. Senior forward Jeni Willardson-Viernes put BYU up 2-0, scoring her sixth game-winning goal of the season in the 64th minute on a pass from junior All-American Aleisha Cramer-Rose. Utah's only goal came on a penalty kick by Ute forward Shauna Gurr-Bingham.
Going into the MWC Tournament the Cougars earned a first-round bye before defeating San Diego State 9-2 in the second-round. The win advanced BYU to the championship game where they came out on top of New Mexico 5-1, winning their fourth consecutive MWC Championship title. To date, the Cougars remain the only team in the MWC to ever win the either conference crown.
Rose Named Preseason All-America >
On Tuesday, Soccer America announced its 2003 preseason All-Americans, and heading up the list is three-time All-American senior Aleisha Rose of the BYU women's soccer team. Rose, a native of Lakewood, Colo., is one of the most decorated athletes to ever play for the Cougars and has been an integral part to the team's success the past three seasons.
Now entering her final year of eligibility, Rose has helped the Cougars win three Mountain West Conference titles, was named the 1999 National High School Player of the Year, the 2000 MWC Freshman of the Year and the 2000 ESPN/Soccer Times Freshman of the Year, the 2001 MWC Player of the Year, has been placed on the All-MWC first-team and the MWC Tournament all three years, and has received three All-America citations. Rose is one of 11 athletes that makes up the 2003 Soccer America preseason All-American list.
Cougar Awards in 2002>
National
NSCAA ALL-AMERICAN: Aleisha Cramer-Rose, 2nd Team
NSCAA All-West Region: Aleisha Cramer-Rose, 1st Team; Jeni Viernes, 1st Team; Brooke Bowman, 3rd Team
SOCCER BUZZ ALL-AMERICAN: Aleisha Cramer-Rose, 3rd Team; Brooke Bowman, Freshman 3rd Team
SOCCER BUZZ ALL-WEST REGION: Aleisha Cramer-Rose, 1st Team; Jeni Viernes, 1st Team; Brooke Bowman, All-Freshman Team
Conference
MWC PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Jeni Viernes
MWC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Brooke Bowman
MWC FIRST TEAM: Aleisha Cramer-Rose, Jeni Viernes, Brooke Bowman
MWC SECOND TEAM: Annie Hoecherl, Charlene Lui
MWC TOURNAMENT MVP: Jeni Viernes
MWC TOURNAMENT TEAM: Aleisha Cramer-Rose, Jeni Viernes, Jennifer Fielding-Henry, Brooke Bowman
MWC ACADEMIC ALL-CONFERENCE: Brooke Bowman, Aleisha Cramer-Rose, Jennifer Fielding-Henry, Katherine Gabbart, Britney Holman, Charlene Lui, Terra Smith-Bigelow, Jeni Viernes
The Streak Stops at 13 Wins>
After starting the season 3-5, the Cougars pealed off 13 consecutive victories, including seven road wins. The Cougars attempt for 14 straight fell short as BYU lost to Utah in the first-round of the NCAA Women's College Cup. It was the Cougars' first loss to the Utes in the program's history. The Cougars 13 game victory streak is the second longest in BYU history, with 14 being the record.
A Packed House>
A record crowd packed into South Stadium on Friday, Aug. 29 to watch the No. 24 Cougars take on the No. 17 Wolverines. The game drew a capacity crowd with 2,191 fans in attendance, breaking the old record of 2,172 set during the WAC Championship game against SDSU on Nov. 9, 1996 when BYU won its first conference championship.
South Stadium>
For the past eight years South Stadium, formerly South Field, has been the battlefield for the Cougars as they have taken on, and defeated, the top teams in their conference and in the NCAA. The Cougars have amassed a 62-11-2 (.840) record at home, a record that is among the best in the nation over the same time period.
Of those 62 home-game wins, an outstanding 40 have ended in a shutout. The Cougars consistently hold their opponents scoreless when playing at South Stadium with 53.33 percent of all their games ending in shutout victories, while BYU has been shutout only five times in the stadium's history.
The Stadium's crowds consistently rank in the top 15 in the NCAA for the largest crowds in the country. With an average attendance of 1,075 fans during the 2002 campaign, the Cougars had the 15th largest attendance average in the country making South Stadium one of the toughest places for opponents to play in college today.
The Rockwood File>
In only eight short years, head coach Jennifer Rockwood has taken the BYU women's soccer team to national prominence and established herself as one of the premier coaches in Division I soccer today.
Rockwood currently ranks eighth in winning percentage among active NCAA coaches with an impressive 142-39-3 (.780) overall record for her career, with the likes of Anson Dorrance, John Walker, Chris Petrucelli, Becky Burleigh and Clive Charles being the only coaches ahead of her. Over the last seven seasons, Rockwood has averaged 18.85 wins per year, an average that has her ranked second behind only Anson Dorrance of North Carolina.
In eight years as head coach, Rockwood has guided the Cougars to five conference championships. After going undefeated in conference play and winning their fourth straight Mountain West Conference title last season, the Cougars managed to remain the only team to win the conference title in the history of the MWC.
On the national scene, Rockwood and her teams have made six consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament and reached the "Sweet Sixteen" in 1998 and 2000. Under the watch of Rockwood, the Cougars have also had seven consecutive top-25 finishes including last season's No. 23 finish.
Among the many achievements and awards she has received over her career, Rockwood has been honored with two Coach of the Year citations, one by the Western Athletic Conference in 1996, and then by the MWC in 2000. She also became the first MWC coach to eclipse the 100-win total mark when the Cougars shutout Milwaukee-Wisconsin 2-0 on Sept. 23, 2000.
Under Rockwood's tutelage, a long list of All-American soccer players has emerged from BYU's program. These athletes include Aleisha Rose, Jeni Viernes, and Michelle Jensen. Among the players who have been coached by Rockwood are four athletes that were drafted by the women's United Soccer Association: Shauna Rohbock, Maren Hendershot, Sara Reading, and Staci Reynolds.
Prior to becoming the head coach, Rockwood led BYU's highly successful club soccer team for seven years. In that time she amassed an overall record of 128-25-9, and in the final two years she took her teams to the Western National Collegiate Club soccer Association (NCCSA) title and placed second in the NCCSA National Championships.
The Lake Oswego, Ore. native was a three-sport athlete in college playing soccer, basketball, and track. After one year at Ricks College on a basketball scholarship, she transferred to BYU where she became a four-year starter at center midfield on the Cougars' club soccer team. Rockwood has also coached in the Utah ODP, youth club programs, and at the high school level.
ROCKWOOD, YEAR-BY-YEAR>
YearW LTConference
199511 81WAC
199622 10WAC
199719 40WAC
199820 50WAC
199921 40MWC
200019 41MWC
200114 71MWC
200216 60MWC
Total142393(.760)
BYU club team under Rockwood:
128-25-9 (.790), six years (1989-1994)
ROCKWOOD AMONG COACHING ELITE
Rockwood currently ranks eighth in winning percentage among active NCAA Division I coaches with an impressive 142-39-3 (.780) overall record for her career. Anson Dorrance, John Walker, Chris Petrucelli, Becky Burleigh and Clive Charles are the only coaches ahead of her. Over the last seven seasons, Rockwood has averaged 18.85 wins per year, an average that has her ranked second behind only Anson Dorrance of North Carolina.
Fresh Faces>
This season's incoming class of Cougar freshman can be expected to make strong contributions to the team, with five of the nine recruits hailing from Utah.
With the loss of some key defenders from last year's squad, expect freshmen Claire Thomas and Nicole Jensen to make an immediate impact for BYU.
Jensen was a 2002 All-State selection out of Denver, CO, and Thomas was a 2002 and 2003 Barons All-Tournament Team selection as well as a 2002 second-team All-Palomar athlete.
Among the Utah athletes headed to BYU is the 5A MVP in 2002 Elizabeth Affleck out of Alta High School and the two-time 4A MVP Courtney Asay from Mountain View High School.
The Cougars' incoming class ranks along side with the best classes the school has ever had. Affleck and Bobbi Tillotson were both members of the 5A State Championship Alta High School, and Asay, Haylee Cuthbert, and Ali Williams all played for the three-time 4A State Championship Mountian View Bruins.
Home Sweet Home>
The 2003 regular schedule is set to be one of the best home game schedules in school history. The Cougars will be playing 13 of their 19 regular season games at South Stadium. Highlighting this season's home schedule will be three teams that finished in the 2002 NSCAA top-25: No. 11 Michigan, No. 10 Tennessee, and No. 22 USC. BYU will also host four teams that are ranked in the NSCAA preseason top-25: No. 14 Tennessee, No. 17 Michigan, No. 19 USC and No. 21 Florida.
In the past home field advantage has paid great dividends for the Cougars as the team has amassed an impressive 61-10-1 record at home. In the those games BYU has managed to shut out its opponent 38 times, while losing only four games in a shutout.
Also included in the home schedule is the 1998 NCAA Championship team, Florida, as well as in-state rivals Southern Utah, Weber State, and Utah. The Cougars and Utes will face-off in the final regular season home game for BYU on Nov. 1 at South Stadium.
With seven teams on the regular season schedule that qualified for the 2002 NCAA Tournament, this year's schedule promises to be one of the most competitive seasons for the Cougars who finished No. 23 in the NSCAA final rankings last year and are No. 24 in the NSCAA preseason poll.