PROVO, Utah — The BYU women’s soccer team finished the 2017 season with an overall record of 7-8-4 and 4-4-1 in West Coast Conference play, tied for fourth place.
Although the season didn’t turn out as successful as the Cougars had hoped, there were several positive things that happened throughout the year. For the third year in a row, BYU claimed the No. 1 spot in the NCAA for average attendance (3,006) and cumulative attendance (33,067). BYU also set a new single-game South Field attendance record as 5,735 fans witnessed the Cougars take on No. 1 UCLA on September 1. It was the first-time BYU hosted the current No. 1 ranked team in the country.
Senior forward Madie Lyons Mathews led the Cougar offense with nine goals and two assists for 20 points. Mathews tied for third place in the WCC for goals scored. In addition, senior Nadia Gomes and sophomore Elise Flake each found the back of the net five times during the 2017 season, while freshman Cameron Tucker added four goals. Despite missing the majority of the preseason, freshman midfielder Mikayla Colohan tallied three goals and led the team with five assists.
The defensive line was led by seniors Taylor Isom and Stephanie Ney. Isom was the seventh Cougar to be named to the prestigious MAC Hermann Trophy watch list and Ney was named CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team in District 8. In goal, senior Hannah Clark posted 69 saves and the defense recorded six shutouts.
Isom and Mathews were named to the All-WCC First Team. Colohan received All-WCC Honorable Mention and was one of 11 student-athletes named to the All-WCC Freshman Team. Gomes was also an honorable mention recipient.
Nine seniors concluded their outstanding careers for the Cougars in 2017, including Bizzy Bowen (midfielder), Hannah Clark (goalkeeper), Nadia Gomes (forward), Kayci Griffin (midfielder), Taylor Isom (defender), Madie Lyons Mathews (forward), Stephanie Ney (defender), Brittain Steiner (midfielder/defender) and Avery Walker (forward).
In addition to the departing seniors, BYU head coach Jennifer Rockwood announced assistant coach Aleisha Rose is also leaving the program after 14 years of coaching.
The most decorated athlete to ever play soccer for BYU, Rose joined the Cougars for the 2000 season after being named the 1999 National High School Player of the Year. She was a four-year All-American midfielder for BYU from 2000-03 and is the all-time career assist leader with 47. She also recorded 28 goals over four seasons. As a freshman, Rose was named the ESPN/Soccer Times Freshman of the Year. Rose also had 16 CAPS on the US Women’s National Team. Rose was inducted into the BYU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2014 and the West Coast Conference Hall of Honor in 2015.
The search for a new women’s soccer assistant coach will begin immediately. Information about the position can be found at https://yjobs.byu.edu.