SALT LAKE -- Thursday's first-round NCAA matchup showcased two of the nations most talented teams, as No. 5 Portland (15-3-3) defeated No. 14 BYU (13-3-4) 2-1 in a hard-fought battle.
"I'm so proud of the way we played tonight," said head coach Jennifer Rockwood. "We played against a first-class team, and we played well against them. Our girls never game up, so I'm just very proud."
Portland got on the board in the 29th minute when Stephanie Lopez flicked a pass to Kendra Chandhoke, who kicked the ball backwards into the right side of the net.
The Cougars opened up the second half of play with a lot of momentum as Katie Larkin evened the score 34 seconds into the second half. Katie Smurthwaite passed the ball forward to Larkin, who spun around, split two defenders and netted the goal.
BYU barely missed taking the lead in the 63rd minute when Larkin gathered the ball on the left side of the field. She blew by the last defender and tried to take it at Pilot keeper Cori Alexander, but Alexander read the shot correctly and made the save.
Two minutes later, Portland did take the lead. Chandhoke crossed the ball to Rachael Rapinoe, who scored from eight yards out.
Although the Cougars did not score again, they had several opportunities. Their best look came with just under five minutes left in the game. Right near the goal line both teams swarmed the ball. BYU took several shots at the goal, but the ball was eventually kicked out of bounds.
"Those are tough situations," Larkin said. "You have to put those shots in, but they're the toughest ones to put in. It's obviously disappointing."
Portland outshot BYU 16-12, including and 8-5 advantage in shots on goal.
The unsung hero for BYU was junior goalkeeper Erika Woodbury, who came up with huge save after huge save all night long.
"Erika played a great game tonight," Rockwood said. "She made some big-time saves. She showed us just how good she really is."
Although Rockwood was disappointed with the loss, she said the season has been a great steppingstone for next year.
"There's no question we have a lot to look forward to," she said. "At this point all we can do is look at the success we had this season. Now we must turn the page and move forward."
Soccer Box Score (Final)
The Automated ScoreBook For Soccer
Brigham Young Univ. vs #7 Portland (Nov 09, 2006 at Salt Lake City, UT)
Brigham Young Univ. (13-3-4, 4-1-2) vs.
Portland (15-3-3, 4-1-2)
Date: Nov 09, 2006 Attendance: 941
Weather: 38 degrees mostly clear
Goals by period 1 2 Total
Brigham Young Univ. 0 1 1
Portland 1 1 2
Brigham Young Univ.
Pos ## Player Sh SOG G A
GK 28 WOODBURY, Erika 0 0 0 0
D 3 CUTHBERT, Haylee 0 0 0 0
D 4 COOK, Karen 0 0 0 0
F 7 SWENSON, Carolyn 2 1 0 0
D 10 HARMON, Jessica 0 0 0 0
D 11 WILLIS, Andrea 0 0 0 0
M 12 NATE, Natalie 1 0 0 0
F 16 AQUINO, Jessica 0 0 0 0
F 18 LARKIN, Katie 7 3 1 0
D 21 PHILLIPS, Jenavieve 0 0 0 0
F 22 FELLOWS, Katie 2 1 0 0
--- Substitutes ---
2 ANDERSON, Amberlea 0 0 0 0
13 DEARBORN, Heidi 0 0 0 0
15 BOWMAN, Brooke 0 0 0 0
19 KAKADELAS, Kelsea 0 0 0 0
20 TILLOTSON, Bobbi 0 0 0 0
23 VANDER VEUR, Alyssa 0 0 0 0
25 THOMAS, Claire 0 0 0 0
26 SMURTHWAITE, Katie 0 0 0 0
Totals......... 12 5 1 0
## Goalie Minutes GA Saves
28 WOODBURY, Erika 90:00 2 6
Portland
Pos ## Player Sh SOG G A
GK 00 ALEXANDER, Cori 0 0 0 0
M 2 SARI, Lisa 0 0 0 0
D 4 EVANS, Kari 0 0 0 0
M 6 WOZNUK, Angie 1 0 0 0
D 9 LOPEZ, Stephanie 2 2 0 1
F 10 RAPINOE, Rachael 6 2 1 0
F 12 ENYEART, Michelle 1 0 0 0
F 15 BUDGE, Natalie 2 1 0 0
F 17 CHANDHOKE, Kendra 4 3 1 1
M 20 SWEENEY, Megan 0 0 0 0
D 21 MICHAELSON, Emily 0 0 0 0
--- Substitutes ---
8 BROWN, Katie 0 0 0 0
11 HUME, Elsa 0 0 0 0
14 CRONKRITE, Kelli 0 0 0 0
18 SCIFO, Michele 0 0 0 0
Totals......... 16 8 2 2
## Goalie Minutes GA Saves
00 ALEXANDER, Cori 90:00 1 4
Shots by period 1 2 Total
Brigham Young Univ. 4 8 12
Portland 9 7 16
Corner kicks 1 2 Total
Brigham Young Univ. 1 1 2
Portland 4 0 4
Saves by period 1 2 Total
Brigham Young Univ. 2 4 6
Portland 1 3 4
Fouls 1 2 Total
Brigham Young Univ. 3 6 9
Portland 5 6 11
SCORING SUMMARY
Goal Time Team Goal Scorer Assists
Description
1. 29:10 POR CHANDHOKE, Kendra (10) LOPEZ, Stephanie
pass by lopez kicked packwards into righ
2. 45:34 BY LARKIN, Katie (7)
(unassisted)
3. 64:48 POR RAPINOE, Rachael (5) CHANDHOKE, Kendra
cross to rapinoe shot from center 8yds out