COLLEGE STATION -- A confident BYU women's soccer team, filled with great potential and promise, proved it can play with the best in the nation by defeating the U 20 Women's National Team, 2-1, Saturday in Texas.
"This was a great team effort all the way around," head coach Jennifer Rockwood said. "We played so well together and executed our game plan. We wanted to pressure them from the very beginning and that's exactly what we did."
The Cougars almost scored just 30 seconds into the game when Bobbi Tillotson fired a shot at the net, which hit the goalpost and bounced out.
BYU's first score came minutes later when Tillotson again sent the ball flying towards the goal. After several deflections, Annie Zwahlen gathered the ball at her feet and tapped it in past the National Team's keeper.
Andrea Willis, who did not play last fall due to a knee injury, guided BYU to its second goal of the game. She sent a free ball up field to Katie Larkin, who headed the ball to Brooke Bowman. After collecting the ball, Bowman found the back of the net.
The Cougars kept the National Team scoreless until nine minutes left in the game when a U 20 player found an opening and slid the ball past BYU keeper Erika Woodbury.
The National Team had an opportunity to even the score with three minutes left in the game after being awarded a free kick. Woodbury stretched out and made an awesome save to give BYU the victory.
BYU's defense showed great promise as three Cougars, Whitney Feller, Karen Cook and Willis, saw significant time at the defensive position for the first time.
"I was so proud of our defensive line," Rockwood said. "The stepped in and played well, showing a lot of maturity and composure."
The defensive position has shrunk this spring season for BYU as Stephanie Staples, Jenavieve Phillips, Katie Smurthwaite and Heidi Dearborn each suffered injuries over the past few weeks. Each is expected to return for BYU's next game.
The U 20 Women's National Team is comprised of 23 players, including 13 who play collegiate soccer for teams that finished the 2005 season ranked in the Top 10.
"They are an excellent team," Rockwood said. "Obviously they are some of the best players in the nation. It's not very often that you get this kind of opportunity, let alone win."
BYU will take this weekend off before returning to Las Vegas on March 25 to face Southern Utah and UNLV.