The Cougars (5-7-3) head to Austin, Texas, on Thursday, to face a talented University of Texas (8-5-1) squad in the first of a five-game road trip. Conference play began last week with a tie against San Diego State and a victory over UNLV and will resume Saturday in Colorado Springs, Colo., against Air Force. Live audio and stats for Thursday's game against Texas can be found by going to www.byucougars.com/soccer_w (upcoming schedule). The game will be tape-delayed broadcast by CSTV on Oct. 21 at 6 p.m. MST.
BYU seeks to regain the MWC Championship that it has won four of the last five years. In this year's MWC preseason coaches' poll, BYU was picked to finish second to Utah. A strong finish on the road against four conference teams could help the Cougars gain momentum and confidence before they return home to host the MWC Tournament in early November.
The Cougars are led offensively by junior forward Jaime Rendich with five goals and 12 points on the season. Rendich is complimented by sophomore forward Annie Zwahlen with four goals and 10 points. Another offensive threat on the squad is sophomore Bobbi Tillotson, with one goal and a team-leading four assists. BYU's defense is anchored by its freshman goalkeeper Erika Woodbury, who has posted a 0.95 goals-against average, and sophomore defender Claire Thomas. The duo have been major contributors in six shutouts this season.
Defensively, the Cougars have improved steadily throughout the season and tallied their third consecutive shutout against UNLV, sixth overall. Claire Thomas, Nicole Anderson, Lindsy Humphrey and Rachelle Dixon have played solid minutes and established a reliable defensive front. The Cougars have been slightly outscored by a slim 17-16 margin, despite gaining a 186-138 advantage in shot attempts.
WEEK IN REVIEW:
BYU and SDSU Play to a 0-0 Tie
After a physical double-overtime game that featured multiple scoring opportunities, BYU and SDSU battled to a 0-0 tie Thursday at South Stadium.
BYU came out loose and excited for a game against a team that consistently plays well against the Cougars. One of the best opportunities to score in the first half came on senior Jaime Rendich's third shot of the game, a direct kick from 15 yards out. The shot missed wide right.
Both teams came out in the second half and played with more intensity providing the 1,359 announced attendence with some solid entertainment. With 19:40 left in regulation, sophomore Bobbi Tillotson crossed the ball to an open Annie Zwahlen who headed the ball in the goal. The goal however, was called off on a BYU offsides penalty.
Two overtime periods and multiple scoring opportunities later, both head coaches met at midfield to congratulate the other on their respective teams' energy and hard play.
BYU's defense, which has steadily improved all season, recorded its fourth shutout, and held the Aztec offense to four shots on the evening. Goalie Erika Woodbury finished with three saves.
Senior Helps BYU Defeat UNLV in 1-0 Shutout
The last home game of the season thrilled all 1,421 in attendence as BYU picked up its third consecutive shutout in a 1-0 win over UNLV Saturday at South Stadium.
After a brief introduction honoring BYU's seniors, the game started with high energy coming from both squads. Several Cougars had shots on goal but ended the half tied 0-0.
The next scoring opportunity the Cougars had came with 31 minutes left in regulation after sophomore Bobbi Tillotson crossed the ball to senior Krissa Reinbold whose shot bounced off the top of the crossbar. Reinbold came back with 13 minutes reamaining in regulation and provided the lone goal of the game when she received a pass across the middle from freshman Natalie Nate. Reinbold took a few dribbles, drew out the UNLV goalkeeper Jenna Huff, and took a shot over Huff that found the back of the net for her second goal of the season.
The Cougar defense battled all night holding UNLV to just six shots in the game for its third consecutive shutout. Freshman goalkeeper Erika Woodbury finished with four saves and teamed with sophomore Claire Thomas for another shutout, the sixth of the season.
Prior to the start of the game, BYU's three seniors, Krissa Reinbold, Kimmie Martins and Mandy Gott were honored and the ceremony may have provided extra motivation for the Cougars.
SCOUTING THE TEXAS LONGHORNS:
The Longhorns are currently riding a six-game home winning streak. The 1-1 double-overtime tie at Colorado on Oct. 10 was the first tie for Texas since Sept. 27, 2002 (a 1-1 tie with Washington at home). UT's offense has scored three or more goals in seven of 13 regular-season games to date in 2004.
Senior goalkeeper Alex Gagarin returned from some nagging injuries early in the year to make her first two starts of the 2004 campaign at Nebraska on Oct. 8 and at Colorado on Oct. 10. Gagarin made nine saves over those two conference tilts and posts a 1.07 goals-against-average.
Kelly Wilson leads the team in scoring with 27 points (9 goals and 9 assists). With a three-point effort at Nebraska on Oct. 8, Wilson has now tallied at least two points in seven of UT's last 13 matches. Complimenting Wilson is Kelly McDonald, who has now recorded points in each of the last three matches and stands second on the team in conference scoring with six points.
Kelsey Carpenter and Caitlin Kennedy continue to rank second and third respectively, on the squad in scoring (14 points for Carpenter and 12 points for Kennedy).
HISTORY AGAINST TEXAS: BYU will face Texas for the first time in the history of the program.
SCOUTING THE AIR FORCE FALCONS:
Air Force women's soccer (3-9-1, 0-2-0 MWC) looks to get some wins in their final two home matches of the season, playing pivotal Mountain West Conference matches against Utah and BYU.
The Falcons started the conference season with losses to Wyoming and New Miexico last weekend. After seven consecutive matches away from Cadet Soccer Stadium, The top goal-scorer for the Falcons is junior midfielder Meredith Benson, who leads the team with three goals. Sophomore forward Brittney Perkowski leads the team with three assists and seven points and is tied for second on the team with two goals. Freshman Jennifer Drew has started all 13 matches in goal for the Falcons and has a 1.52 goals against average in 1,181 minutes. Her two shutouts is a Falcon freshman record.
HISTORY AGAINST AIR FORCE: BYU is undefeated in seven games against Air Force, plaing each of the last seven years and the Cougars have won the last three games by a combined score of 11-1. Of the seven victories, three have been at home.
BYU'S YOUNG GUNS
A number of freshman, one transfer and one walk-on have played big minutes for the Cougars, stepping in their first season and contributing to a team that lost seven starters. Freshmen Carolyn Swenson has scored two goals and Natalie Nate has scored once. Junior Nicole Anderson transferred from Dixie and has played key minutes on defense. Junior defender Lindsy Humphrey starts on defense for BYU after walking onto the team this fall. At the anchor of the defense is freshman Erick Woodbury, who posts an 1.12 goals-against average and three shutouts. BYU added 10 freshman to this year's team.
Cougars to host Mwc championships
BYU will play host to the 2004 Mountain West Conference Championships Wednesday Nov. 3- 6 at South Stadium in Provo. The following is a breakdown of the three-day tournament. The winner of the Championship receives an automatic bid into the 2004 NCAA Women's College Cup Championships which begin Thursday Nov. 11.
Opening round: Wednesday, Nov. 3
Semifinals: Thursday, Nov. 4
Finals: Saturday, Nov. 6
Times for these games will be provided at a later date.
Reinbold, Woodbury-mwc players of the week
Senior forward Krissa Reinbold and freshman goalkeeper Erika Woodbury of BYU have been named Mountain West Conference Players of the Week for women's soccer. Reinbold, who earned offensive player recognition, received her first career award, while Woodbury and San Diego State's goalkeeper Sophia Perez share defensive player honors. It is Woodbury's second weekly award this season.
Reinbold, from Folsom, Calif., posted the game-winning goal during Senior Night in Provo, Oct. 9, in BYU's 1-0 victory over UNLV. Reinbold scored the game's only goal late in the second half to help the Cougars defeat a UNLV team currently ranked No. 10 in the West Region.
Woodbury has posted three consecutive shutouts, including two last week to open conference play. The freshman from Murrieta, Calif., helped the Cougars earn a 0-0 tie against San Diego State, Oct. 7, and the aforementioned 1-0 victory against UNLV, Oct. 9. She now has six shutouts on the season and a 0.95 goals-against-average. Woodbury made seven saves in the two contests combined.
Bobbi's world
Sophomore Bobbi Tillotson is leading the team in assists with four and is third on the team in total points with six. Tillotsons' most impressive outing was in BYU's overtime win against Northwestern when she had a hand in all three goals scored. Tillotson scored the first goal of the game and assisted on two other goals to Jaime Rendich an Annie Zwahlen.
Cougar Awards in 2003
National
HERMAN TROPHY NOMINEE: Aleisha Rose
NSCAA ALL-AMERCAN: Aleisha Rose, 3rd Team
NSCAA SCHOLAR ALL-AMERICAN: Aleisha Rose, 1st Team
NSCAA ALL-REGION: Aleisha Rose, 1st Team; Nicole Jensen, 3rd Team; Krissa Campbell, 3rd Team
SOCCER BUZZ PLAYER OF THE YEAR FINALIST: Aleisha Rose
SOCCER BUZZ ALL-AMERICAN: Aleisha Rose, 2nd Team; Nicole Jensen, Freshman 3rd Team
SOCCER BUZZ ALL-REGION: Aleisha Rose, 1st Team; Nicole Jensen, 3rd Team
SOCCER POST ALL-AMERICAN: Aleisha Rose, 1st Team
SOCCER AMERICA MVP: Aleisha Rose
Conference
MWC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Aleisha Rose
MWC FIRST TEAM: Aleisha Rose, Jennifer Fielding, Krissa Campbell
MWC SECOND TEAM: Terra Bigelow, Claire Thomas, Nicole Jensen
MWC TOURNAMENT TEAM: Aleisha Rose, Lydia Ojuka and Krissa Campbell
MWC ACADEMIC ALL-CONFERENCE: Aleisha Rose, Britney Holman, Terra Bigelow, Jennifer Fielding, Ashley Smith, Natalie Evans, Katie Gabbart, Claire Thomas, Charlene Lui
MWC ACADEMIC ALL-CONFERENCE: Brooke Bowman, Aleisha Cramer-Rose, Jennifer Fielding-Henry, Katherine Gabbart, Britney Holman, Charlene Lui, Terra Smith-Bigelow, Jeni Viernes
Last season: 2003 NCAA elite eight
The BYU women's soccer team's NCAA tournament run came to an end at the paws of the No. 18 Connecticut Huskies who defeated the Cougars 3-1 in the Elite Eight.
"We came together and made a good run in the tournament," said Rockwood, "The team played hard today and I am very proud of them."
The Cougars ended the 2003 season with a 16-7-3 mark and earned the program's seventh-consecutive NCAA tournament appearance, the school's best showing in the NCAA tournament as one of the team's in the Elite Eight and the Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year in senior All-American Aleisha Rose.
The game was played in 40-degree weather with winds around 40 mph, on a field that was soggy and muddy from rainstorms the day before.
In the first period the Huskies jumped out to a 3-0 lead, the Cougars ended the UConn bid for a shutout in the second period but it wasn't enough as the Huskies held on to win 3-1.
Coming out of half time the Cougars battle to get back into the game and in the 63rd minute they got on the scoreboard as Rose's free kick from 20 yards out connected with the head of sophomore Jaime Rendich to bring the Cougars within two at 3-1.
For BYU, the 2003 season will go down as one of the most successful in the program's short nine-year history as the Cougars finish the as one of the top eight teams in the country.
"We had a tremendous season," said BYU head coach Jennifer Rockwood. "These girls have represented themselves and the school very well."
south stadium
South Stadium is the place the Cougars love to call home, and a home all opponents hate to visit.
For the past nine years, South Stadium Field (formerly South Field), has been the battlefield for the Cougars as the team has taken on, and defeated, the top teams in their conference and in the NCAA.
The Cougars have amassed an 86-18-4 record at home, a record that is among the best in the nation over the same time period. Of those 84 home-game wins, an outstanding 46 have ended in a shutout.
BYU consistently manages to hold its opponents scoreless when playing at South Stadium with 53.65 percent of all the Cougars' wins ending in shutout victories, while BYU has been shutout only five times in the stadium's history.
Located just south of the Smith Fieldhouse, South Stadium boasts one of the best maintained grass playing surfaces in the NCAA. The Wasatch Mountains serve as a scenic backdrop for the capacity crowd of 3,000 fans. South Stadium is also equipped with state-of-the-art field lights, making night games a favorite among fans.
Consistently among the top 15 in the NCAA, South Stadium packs in some of the largest crowds in the country. With an average attendance of 1,595 fans during the 2003 campaign, the Cougars had the third largest attendance average in the country and the number one average in the west. BYU also packed in a total of 20,737 fans over 13 games, recording the third highest mark in the country and making South Stadium one of the toughest places for opponents to play in women's college soccer today.
the rockwood file
After completing her ninth season, 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.
As of the beginning of 2004, Rockwood ranks eighth in winning percentage among active NCAA coaches with an impressive 158-46-6 overall record for her career. Over the last eight seasons, Rockwood has averaged 17.88 wins per year.
Over the past nine years, Rockwood has guided the Cougars to five conference championships. On the national scene, her teams have made seven consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament, and reached the "Sweet Sixteen" in 1998, 2000 and 2003. The Cougars have maintained a consistent top-25 ranking over the past eight consecutive years. During Rockwood's tenure, the team has had three top-10 finishes including a recent run in the 2003 NCAA College Cup. The tournament ended with BYU finishing No. 5 in the country after making their first "Elite Eight" appearance in the program's ten year history.
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, Michelle Jensen. Among the players who have been coached by Rockwood are four additional All-American 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 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 four-sport athlete in high school playing soccer, softball, basketball and track. After one year at Rick's 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 and graduated in finance, business management. 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
200316 732nd
2004(5)(7)(3)-------
Total158466(.767)
BYU club team under Rockwood:
128-25-9 (.790), six years (1989-1994)
ROCKWOOD AMONG COACHING ELITE
As of the beginning of 2004, Rockwood ranks seventh in winning percentage among active NCAA Division I coaches with an impressive 158-46-6 (.767) overall record for her career. Anson Dorrance, John Walker, Chris Petrucelli, Becky Burleigh, Jerry Smith and Len Tsantiris are the only coaches ahead of her. Over the last eight seasons, Rockwood has averaged 18.35 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 expect to make strong contributions to the team, with eight of the eleven recruits hailing from Utah.
Many of the young and talented players have an opportunity to play quality minutes in hopes of making an immediate impact on the team. Midfielder Natalie Nate and Goalkeeper Erika Woodbury, along with the other newcomers look to prove their worth and compete for playing time.
Nate was a first-team 2002 All-State selection out of Salt Lake City, and Woodbury was a first-team All-CIF and All-Valley Player of the Year out of Murrieta, CA.
Among the Utah athletes headed to BYU is the 2003 NCSAA and Adidas National Junior College Player of the Year Nicole Anderson.
"We have a great recruiting class coming in as freshman. We think that some of these confidant and capable freshman can step up for us and play some valuable minutes. As soon as some of our young players get some quality game experience against some very tough opponents in September, it will really help prepare us for the conference season."
Home sweet home
With seven NCAA Tournament participants and four top-25 teams, this year's schedule promises to be one of the most competitive seasons for the Cougar team that finished No. 14 in the NSCAA final rankings last year.
The Cougar women play a total of 20 games, 10 at home and 10 on the road.
The team featured home games against two NCAA tournament participants. BYU opened the season against Kansas and later against Arizona State. Average attendance for last season was third highest in the nation with nearly 1,600 people cheering on the team.
This year's MWC Championships will be played at South Stadium in Provo Nov. 3-6. BYU looks to regain the MWC Championship that they have won four of
In the past home field advantage has paid great dividends for the Cougars as the team has amassed an impressive 86-18-4 record at home. In the those games BYU has managed to shut out its opponent 46 times, while being shutout themselves in only four games.
Cougars Picked Second in mwc preseason
The Mountain West Conference coaches selected BYU to finish second behind Utah for the second year in a row in the preseason polls.
Three vote separated the Cougars and the Utes in the voting, with BYU totaling 32 points and two first place votes, while Utah grabbed 35 points with five first place votes.
The Cougars return 16 letterwinners (four starters) from the team that advanced all the way to the Elite Eight for the first time in school history. BYU, (16-7-3 overall, 4-2-0 in MWC play) finished the year with a No. 14 ranking and a fifth-place finish in the NCAA tournament.
Team (1st place votes)Points
1. Utah (5)35
2. BYU (2) 32
3. San Diego State 25
4. UNLV 21
5. Wyoming 14
6. New Mexico11
7. Air Force 9
Cougars find success/enjoyment in visit to italy
The BYU women's soccer team traveled to Italy this spring for games against four of the top teams in that country.
Stops were made in Lugano, Switzerland as well as the Italian cities of Lake Como, Milan, Venice, Tuscany, Florence, Pisa and Rome.
BYU kicked off the tour with a game against the U-21 Italian National Champions in Milan on Wednesday, April 27, then against AC Milan on Saturday, May 1. Then the Cougars head to Florence on Tuesday, May 4, to face the U-19 Italian National Team and finished up in Rome on Wednesday, May 5, against Lazio in Rome.
The team enjoyed fantastic food during the trip and took guided tours and cruise rides including one to the Bellagio. The trip highlights included visits to the tower of Pisa, Vatican City, the Coluseum, and numerous museums and cathedrals, giving the girls an opportunity to experience the rich culture in Italy.
Game 1: BYU vs. Riozzese U-21
It ended in a tie game 1-1
Game 2: BYU vs. ACF Milan
BYU was victorious 4-3
Game 3: BYU vs. Italian National Team U-19
BYU was victorious 2-0
Game 4: BYU vs. AC Decimum Lazio Femminile
BYU was victorious 3-2
Travel itinerary
Wed, Oct 13
3:15 pm Depart: Salt LakeDelta Flight 476
8:40 pm Arrive: Austin
Hotel:
Summerfield Suites (Oct 13-14)
7685 Northcross Dr
Austin, TX 78757
Phone: 512-452-9391 Fax: 512-452-7495
Thurs, Oct 147:00 pm Game: @ Texas
Fri, Oct 15
1:35 pm Depart: Austin Delta Flight 46834:57 pm Arrive: Denver
Hotel: Wyndham (Oct 15-16)
5580 Tech Center Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80919
719-260-1800, Fax: 719-260-1492
Sat, Oct 167:00 pm Game @ Air Force
Sun, Oct 17
12:30 pm Depart Denver1:51 pm Arrive Salt Lake
PRACTICE AND INTERVIEWS
Practice is held weekdays from 1-3 p.m., on Haws Field. Interviews with Coach Rockwood and/or members of the Cougar soccer team are scheduled through the BYU Athletic Communications office. To schedule and interview, please contact Bryce Porter at (801) 422-8999 or by email at soccer_sid@byu.edu.