LAS VEGAS -- The BYU women's soccer team got the opportunity of a lifetime on Thursday night as the Cougars faced off against the Mexican National Team at Peter Johann Memorial Field on the campus of UNLV.
In front of 1,032 fans, the Cougars were defeated 2-1 in a tight game with one of the premier teams in international competition today.
Mexico, who recently qualified for the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, during the CONCACAF Final Round Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Costa Rica, came to Las Vegas for games with the Cougars and Rebels in preparation for the team's Olympic run.
For BYU, it was an opportunity to test its skills against one of the top teams in the world and gain some experience from playing against some of the best soccer athlete's on the planet.
In the game, the Cougars managed to play to their strengths by getting the ball out on the wings and playing possession offense. They also kept Mexico from getting too many looks at the net with pressure defense from their defenders Nicole Jensen, Claire Thomas, Charlene Lui and Rachelle Dixon, as well as the rest of the team.
Despite out shooting Mexico 20-9 including a 10-5 advantage on shots-on-goal and gaining a 2-1 margin on corner kicks in this friendly game, BYU came up short on goals to win the game.
The game started with the national anthems of both countries being sung and then the athletes exchanged gifts that each team had brought for the other.
Mexico gained the edge in the first period as the Olympians scored on a bicycle kick from 18 yards out in the 16th minute to go up 1-0.
BYU came back with several good looks that came within inches of striking the back of the net thanks to Bobbi Tillotson's ability to find a teammate in the box with a serve from the outside.
Both Krissa Campbell and Jaime Rendich nearly struck for the Cougars off of Tillotson's passes but just weren't able to convert a goal.
Mexico scored again before the end of the period with a free kick that ricocheted off of the left goal post and trickled across the line to send the Mexican National Team into the break ahead of BYU at 2-0.
Coming out of the break the Cougars seemed even more determined to prove they were capable of beating their opponent.
Kimmie Martins put BYU on the board in the 50th minute of regulation with a 20-yard blast from the left side that caught Mexico's keeper by surprise and flew into the upper-right-hand corner of the net for the Cougars' lone goal of the game.
The two teams battled it out through the remainder of the competition but the score stood at 2-1 when the final whistle blew.
BYU will now continue to prepare for the 2004 season with its spring schedule of scrimmages.