PROVO -- On a night when the No. 15 Cougars (9-0-0) broke their attendance record for the second time this year, including the second straight home game, Natalie Nate gave BYU fans reason to cheer as she netted the lone goal off a penalty kick against No. 9 California (6-2-1).
"Cal is a tremendous team," head coach Jennifer Rockwood said. "There is an ebb and flow in every soccer game, but our goal was to come out in the second half and put more pressure on them than any team has ever seen on this field. And they came out flying. I'm so proud."
In California's first trip away from the Bay Area, BYU proved why South Stadium is such a formidable place for opponents to play.
Entering the 2005 season, the attendance record was 2,758 fans, set in 2003. On Sept. 12, the Cougars broke that record with 3,322. After adding more bleachers to accommodate the fans, BYU blasted that number with an overwhelming 3,810 Friday.
"Right from the start I knew it was going to be a special game," said Rockwood. "We have a lot of appreciation for our tremendous fans. They provide so much electricity that the girls feed off."
The first half of action was a war with both teams proving exactly why they are two of the top ranked teams in the country. Demonstrating finesse, aggressiveness and technical skill, both teams battled to a scoreless first half. In the last ten minutes of the first half, the Golden Bears took control of the game, out shooting the Cougars 4-3, including a 2-0 advantage in shots on goal.
BYU came out with something to prove in the second half with their aggressive play earning several solid looks at the net. With 17 minutes remaining in the game, Jessica Aquino received a pass on a breakaway toward the goal. Aquino was tripped during her drive, awarding BYU a penalty kick.
After a deafening moment of cheers, the crowd went deadly silent as sophomore Natalie Nate took her turn on center stage.
Nate stood with just the ball between her and the goalie and plotted her shot. After what seemed like an eternity, Nate grounded the ball into the left hand corner of the net. The goal marked Nate's second of the season.
"I got up there and was really confident," said Nate. "I knew I could beat the keeper on either side. I'll be honest, I don't even know where the goalie went, but I was just confident and got the job done."
BYU out shot the Golden Bears 6-3 in the second half, including a 2-0 advantage in shots on goal.
Last week, the Cougars beat No. 22 Texas and No. 14 Wisconsin, breaking into the polls this week at No. 15. It is the first time BYU has been ranked since 2003 and the first time BYU beat three ranked opponents in such a short stretch.
Coming into the game, BYU is ranked in four national categories. They are first in the nation for won-lost-tied percentage (1.0), second in goals-against average (0.237) and third in shutout percentage (.75). Sophomore goalkeeper Erika Woodbury also is second in the nation for goals-against average (0.132). California trails the Cougars, placing 15th in goals-against average (0.457) and shutout percentage (0.63).
Rockwood said that although the wins are great and a tremendous confidence-booster, the team is preparing for conference, a title the Cougars have not won for the past two years.
"I had an idea from the beginning of pre-season that this team was going to be different," said Rockwood. We knew we had an opportunity to be a good team, but we have to prove it in conference."
BYU plays Eastern Washington tomorrow at 7 p.m., at South Stadium. Live stats are available through the BYU schedule page at www.byucougars.com.
Soccer Box Score (Final)
The Automated ScoreBook For Soccer
California at Berkle vs Brigham Young Univ. (Sep 23, 2005 at Provo, Utah) California at Berkle (6-2-1) vs.
Brigham Young Univ. (9-0-0) -------------------------------
Date: Sep 23, 2005 Attendance: 3810 California at Berkle 0 0 - 0
Weather: Brigham Young Univ.. 0 1 - 1
California at Berkle Brigham Young Univ.
Pos ## Player Sh SOG G A Min Pos ## Player Sh SOG G A Min
--------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------
GK 0 Sulprizio, Ashley... - - - - 90 GK 28 WOODBURY, Erika..... - - - - 90
M 3 Igwe, Chioma........ - - - - 24 D 3 CUTHBERT, Haylee.... 1 - - - 90
M 6 Schlesinger, Sierra. 2 1 - - 78 F 7 SWENSON, Carolyn.... 1 - - - 53
F 8 Cabello, Dania...... 1 - - - 31 M 9 HARMON, Jessica..... - - - - 90
D 10 Hamm, Tracy......... - - - - 90 M 11 BECK, Jaime......... - - - - 87
D 12 Hooker, Courtney.... - - - - 90 M 12 NATE, Natalie....... 4 1 1 - 90
D 14 Relja, Kristine..... 1 - - - 76 M 13 THULIN, Brooke...... - - - - 90
D 18 Al-Lami, Nadia...... - - - - 32 M 16 LUI, Charlene....... - - - - 77
F 19 Eisenberg, Liz...... - - - - 25 F 18 LARKIN, Katie....... 1 1 - - 76
D 24 Mazura, Alivia...... - - - - 90 M 19 ANDERSON, Nicole.... - - - - 90
F 29 Schnugg, Julia...... 1 1 - - 35 F 20 Tillotson, Bobbi.... 1 - - - 65
---------- Substitutes ---------- ---------- Substitutes ----------
5 Hannegan, Caitlin... - - - - 6 4 AQUINO, Jessica..... - - - - 29
7 Ratican, Katie...... 2 - - - 61 5 FELLER, Whitney..... - - - - 33
16 Clute, Lindsay...... - - - - 66 6 ZWAHLEN, Annie...... - - - - 17
17 Lea, Caroline....... - - - - 66 15 BOWMAN, Brooke...... 1 - - - 14
22 Wieger, Stephanie... - - - - 36
23 Gartrell, Laurie.... - - - - 59 Totals.............. 9 2 1 0
30 Wiles, Bri.......... - - - - 54
Totals.............. 7 2 0 0
California at Berkle Brigham Young Univ.
## Player MIN GA Saves ## Player MIN GA Saves
--------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------
0 Sulprizio, Ashley... 90:00 1 1 28 WOODBURY, Erika..... 90:00 0 2
Shots by period 1 2 Tot Saves by period 1 2 Tot
------------------------------- -------------------------------
California at Berkle 4 3 - 7 California at Berkle 0 1 - 1
Brigham Young Univ.. 3 6 - 9 Brigham Young Univ.. 2 0 - 2
Corner kicks 1 2 Tot Fouls 1 2 Tot
------------------------------- -------------------------------
California at Berkle 0 4 - 4 California at Berkle 4 4 - 8
Brigham Young Univ.. 5 3 - 8 Brigham Young Univ.. 5 3 - 8
SCORING SUMMARY:
GOAL Time Team ## Goal Scorer Assists
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. 77:56 BY 12 NATE, Natalie (2) Unassisted
CAUTIONS AND EJECTIONS:
Officials:
Offsides: California at Berkle 2, Brigham Young Univ. 0.