TEMECULA -- After a weekend in California, the Cougars come back with an 8-1 spring-season record after playing against top-schools USC and Boston College.
BYU began the College Classic Tournament strong against the USC Trojans. The Cougars defeated the Trojans 2-1 with goals coming from Katie Larkin and Jessica Aquino.
BYU came out strong by scoring early in the game as Larkin scored in the ninth minute by intercepting a pass from a USC defender and shooting over the keeper's head into the goal.
In the 30th minute of the game, Aquino went on to score the second goal of the day. After receiving a strong pass from Karen Cook, Aquino placed the ball into the back of the net.
USC's only goal came from the Cougars as BYU's defense deflected a ball that inadvertently went into the goal.
"I was very pleased with our performance against a very talented USC team," said head coach Jennifer Rockwood. "The girls came out with a strong intensity that really set the tone for the entire game. Our midfield played very well and was able to control much of the flow both on offense and defense. Defensively we continue to improve as a team."
Against Boston College, the Cougars got off to a sluggish start but were able to regroup and find some rhythm after the 20-minute mark of the game.
Going into the half, the score was 0-0 due to excellent goaltending from Erica Woodbury.
"Woodbury made a couple of unbelievable saves in the early minutes of the game," said Rockwood. "It was great for her to play so well in front of many family and friends."
During the second half, Boston College scored the only point of the game with a goal made on freshman keeper Aleena Shelton.
BYU was able to create several scoring opportunities to tie the game but was not able to convert.
"The level of competition our program has played against over the past two
weeks has been exceptional," said Rockwood. "It allows us to see what this team is capable of. We have shown that we can compete at the highest level, which should give the team confidence going into next fall."