PROVO, Utah – Scoring five goals in the second half, No. 14 BYU women's soccer, picked up its third straight win of the season, defeating Southern Utah 7-0 in the team's home opener, Friday.
“Our goal was to come out strong and make a statement,” BYU head coach Jennifer Rockwood said. “We are coming off a really good weekend and worked a lot on our attack, and got some really good results.”
In the 19th minute, Josie Guinn put BYU (3-0) on the board with a shot into the left side of the net, grabbing her first goal of the season and giving the Cougars a 1-0 lead.
As the first half drew to a close, a corner kick from Ella Ballstaedt set up Ashton Brockbank for a goal in the 44th minute, sending BYU into the locker room with a 2-0 lead.
The Cougars headed into the second half with 13 shots on goal and five corner kicks, while holding the Thunderbirds (0-2) to zero shots in the first 45 minutes of action.
Back-to-back goals by Hermann Trophy nominee Elise Flake within 10 minutes of each other gave the Cougars a comfortable 4-0 lead.
The momentum continued in BYU's favor in the 66th minute when Lizzy Braby crossed a shot into the left of the net and brought the score to 5-0. SUU had recorded its first corner kick of the game in the 75th minute, but was unable to convert.
In the final 10 minutes of the game, Ballstaedt found the back of the net in the 84th minute. Four minutes later Brockbank scored her second goal of the night, finishing the game with a convincing 7-0 win over the Thunderbirds.
The Cougars return to South Field on Friday, Sept. 6, at 7 p.m. MDT to play in-state rival Utah in the Deseret First Duel. Audio broadcasts will be available on BYU Radio (Sirius XM 143) and ESPN 960 AM. The game will also be carried live on BYUtv and online on BYUtv.org.
GAME NOTES
- In the first half, BYU maintained 68 percent of the ball possession
- SUU did not record a shot or corner kick in the first half
- BYU recorded 28 shots and seven corner kicks for the game
- Five of BYU’s seven goals were scored in the second half
- Four players got their first goals of the season: Ashton Brockbank, Josie Guinn, Ella Ballstaedt and Lizzy Braby