PROVO -- After turning in one of the best seasons in BYU soccer history, the women's team is headed to Las Vegas for a showdown with the Mexican Olympic National Team - one of the top teams in the world.
The Cougars and the Mexican Olympians are set to face off in a Thursday, March 25 battle at Peter Johann Memorial Field in Nevada at 7:30 p.m. (PST).
"This is a tremendous opportunity for us to go and compete against a team that has just recently qualified for the Olympics," said BYU head coach Jennifer Rockwood. "We are really anxious and looking forward to it."
Mexico qualified for the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, at the CONCACAF Final Round Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Costa Rica after defeating Canada in the semifinal round.
In the finals, Mexico took on the US National Team and fell 3-2 after jumping out to a 2-0 lead, but the team's strength in the international community is unquestioned.
"Mexico has one of the best team's in the world," said Rockwood. "Playing them gives our players another opportunity to play against some of the top competition in soccer."
Top competition is something the coaches at BYU strive to provide their team with every year, including last season when the Cougars faced 10 top-25 opponents on the schedule and played their way into the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.
It was UNLV women's head coach Dan Abdalla who invited the Cougars to come to Las Vegas to play the Mexican Olympic Team. Abdalla formerly had a player who was a member of the Mexican National Team and contacted the Mexican Soccer Federation about the possibility of games with the Rebels and Cougars.
Negotiations for setting up this game have been in the works for months now. It was believed that the Cougars would get to play either the Mexican B-team or the country's Under-21 team.
"We will certainly have our hands full but it will be a great experience," said Rockwood. "The team is very excited about (the game) because it is something to really look forward to in the spring season."