PROVO, Utah – Two goals from Mikayla Colohan helped No. 5 BYU women’s soccer win its 10th consecutive match and beat UC Irvine 4-2 at South Field on Saturday.
"UC Irvine has always been a great team, so there was no question that we were going to get a very tough game tonight,” BYU head coach Jennifer Rockwood said. “No matter what their record is, they’re always good. They did a great job trying to shut down what we do and it made us uncomfortable for a while. The girls were able to solve it, settle down and take control."
BYU’s (10-0-0) seven-game shutout streak ended in the second minute of the match when Kyndal McKinney headed the ball past keeper Sabrina Davis on a corner kick to give UC Irvine (1-9-0) the early 1-0 lead.
The Cougars evened the score at 1-all in the 37th minute with Colohan finding the back of the net. Jamie Shepherd knocked down a cross from Rachel Bingham Lyman in the center of the box to assist Colohan’s score.
In the closing minutes of the half, Elise Flake stepped in the lane of a sloppy pass going toward the goalkeeper and drilled a shot off the crossbar. BYU went into halftime outshooting UC Irvine 6-3 with both teams only recording one shot on frame.
Colohan opened the second half with a one-touch shot that went over the crossbar. The All-American sent another one over the crossbar after taking a free kick at the top of the box in the 62nd minute.
The Cougars were awarded a penalty kick in the 68th minute after an Anteater handball inside the penalty area. Flake capitalized on the penalty, shooting the ball left as the keeper dove right, to give BYU the 2-1 advantage.
In the 75th minute, Alyssa Jefferson sent a ball into the box and found an unmarked Colohan who headed the ball in for her second score of the night while extending the Cougars’ lead to 3-1.
UC Irvine closed the gap in the 81st minute with Jessica Miclat sending a shot across the goal and past Davis into the back corner of the net.
BYU only took two minutes to answer as Rachel McCarthy powered a left-footed shot from the edge of the penalty area into the corner of the goal in the 82nd minute to re-extend the Cougars’ lead 4-2.
The Anteaters had the opportunity to cut into the two-goal deficit after BYU committed a foul resulting in a penalty kick in the 83rd minute. However, the shot from Miclat ricocheted off of the post and the Cougars fended off final attacks in the closing minutes to claim the 4-2 victory.
BYU will travel to open up West Coast Conference play against Santa Clara on Saturday, Oct. 5, at Stevens Stadium. The match will begin at 1 p.m. PDT and audio broadcasts will be available on BYU Sports Network and ESPN 960 AM.
GAME NOTES
- Rachel McCarthy recorded her first collegiate goal
- Elise Flake scored her ninth goal of the season
- Mikayla Colohan's two goals mark her fifth and sixth scores of the season
- Alyssa Jefferson recorded her first assist of the season