No. 1 BYU shuts out Utah State 2-0, moving on to the second round of the NCAA tournament

The No. 1 seeded BYU women’s soccer team shut out the reigning Mountain West Champions of Utah State 2-0 on Friday evening in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament in front of another sold-out crowd at South Field.

Author Lauren Thomas Bosco
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PROVO, Utah — The No. 1 seeded BYU women’s soccer team shut out the reigning Mountain West Champions of Utah State 2-0 on Friday evening in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament in front of another sold-out crowd at South Field.

 

"You know this was a tough one. We felt it was a tough draw to play a team like Utah State. They are a fantastic team and gave us a good run at it. But proud of these girls, proud of our seniors and proud of this team to come out the way they did."

Jennifer RockwoodHead Coach

The Cougars were led by seniors Kendell Petersen and Olivia Wade-Katoa, each scoring a goal tonight. Wade-Katoa is now tied with Brecken Mozingo and leads BYU in goals with 11 apiece this season.

BYU's offense recorded 27 shots, holding Utah State to a season-low of just seven.

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First Half

It would be Petersen from the backline to score first and score early for the Cougars, with a deep shot from the far-left corner of the box at the 10 minute mark. Assisted by Jamie Shepherd and Olivia Smith-Griffiths, Petersen’s fourth career goal helped the Cougars gain a 1-0 lead.

Utah State saw its first action of the night at the 16 minute mark, with a shot from a Bizzy Arevalo to the bottom-right of the net while BYU’s goalkeeper Lynette Hernaez blocked it, earning her first save of the night. Hernaez would go on to have two saves in the first half.

BYU headed into halftime with the lone goal of the first 45 minutes, still leading 1-0. The Cougars outshot the Aggies 12 to three, with Mozingo leading BYU with three. BYU also had six corner kicks, holding Utah State to zero.

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Second Half

The first ten minutes of the second half went back-and-forth, with both offenses firing off multiple shots. Two minutes in, Utah State sent back-to-back shots, forcing Hernaez to outstretch her hands and jump high off her feet to earn a crucial save for BYU’s defense.

Mozingo also caught a glimpse of a goal five minutes into the second half, with Utah State’s goalkeeper Diera Walton gaining her sixth save of the night.

With fifteen minutes left in the match, Utah State still hadn’t found a way to score an equalizer. BYU’s offense kept applying pressure, and Ellie Boren sent a ball to Wade-Katoa who then ripped a shot from the middle of the field off her right foot, finding the back of the net after deflecting off the crossbar.

BYU’s second goal at the 73 minute mark would secure the victory, winning the game 2-0.

Up next, the Cougars will host No. 8 seeded USC in the second round of the NCAA tournament on Thursday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. MST on South Field. The Trojans defeated Grand Canyon University 1-0 in the first round to move on.