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PROVO, Utah – In the 2011 home opener at South Field, the BYU women’s soccer team (1-0-1) scored four second-half goals to beat in-state rival Utah 4-0 in front of a standing room only crowd of 4,437 fans, Tuesday.
“The rivalry with Utah is definitely still there,” said BYU head coach Jennifer Rockwood. “We let our nerves get the best of us a little bit early on but we have been looking forward to this game for a long time and I was proud of the girls for coming out in the second half and battling as hard as they did.”
Production came from all places for the Cougars, with four different players scoring the four goals. Junior Jessica Ringwood got BYU on the board first in the 57th minute with a free kick from the 18-yard mark. The goal was Ringwood’s first of the 2011 season.
“We just wanted to come out in the second half with more heart and passion,” Ringwood said. “We knew this game was going to be a battle the whole way through and we know this game is as important as any conference game.”
Senior Auna Doria pushed the lead to two with a breakaway goal in the 64th minute from just outside the box. Freshman Jaiden Thornock scored her first collegiate goal seconds after entering the game in the 77th minute to push the lead to 3-0.
The fourth and final BYU goal came in the 82nd minute from sophomore Niki Fernandes, a transfer from San Diego State. Fernandes broke free of the Ute defense and launched the shot into an open goal for her first in a Cougar blue jersey.
The excitement of the second half was matched by the slow start of the first half, as neither team managed a goal for the first 45 minutes of competition. The Cougars controlled the ball for the majority of the half and had six shots on goal to Utah’s two, thanks in part to a tough BYU defense anchored by Hermann Trophy Candidate Lindsi Lisonbee.
Junior Carlee Payne had a good look at the goal in the 29th minute after a perfect cross by Colette Jepson. Payne was unable to connect on the header and sent the ball sailing over the crossbar.
The win marked the fifth straight for the Cougars over Utah (0-1-1). It was also the first non-conference game between the two schools, after both parted ways with the Mountain West Conference following the 2010 season.
BYU will be back in action at South Field on Friday at 8:00 pm MT as they face off against the Miami Hurricanes. The game will be broadcast live on BYUtv and online for free at byutv.org/live.
If you missed tonight's game, watch it again onlinehere.
Postgame Quotes
"I just told the girls we needed more emotion and a little more passion. I think they were a littler nervous for their first game with lots of fans but they came out in the second half nice and strong. Auna did such a good job for us up top. She always provides that spark we need. And when Jess put away that free kick, it really opened the door for us and we turned it on from there."
"Auna has had a great practice and preseason. She’s proven that she needs to be on the field in our offense. I feel like we have a lot of attacking players this year and we’re really deep so you’re going to see a lot of different players up top."
"Since our exhibition game, our defense has really stepped it up. We have some great experience with Lindsi back there and she is so solid for us. Ashley Bazzarone, too, is so great back there and then we have Rachel Manning in the middle, who wins every ball, so we have a really well-rounded team and I’m excited for the rest of our season."
Jessica Ringwood
"On a set piece like that you always want to go for the upper corner but I just try to put it on frame because I know our forwards will follow up and we’ll have a chance for a goal. We just wanted to come out in the second half with a lot of heart and passion because we know this rivalry is always a tough battle but we worked hard and good things happened. We know this game is just as important as any other game."