Mozingo's brace powers BYU past Michigan State 3-1, onto the Elite Eight

PROVO, Utah — No. 1 seed BYU women’s soccer defeated No. 5 Michigan State 3-1 Saturday night at South Field led by Brecken Mozingo's five points, moving the Cougars onto the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.

BYU's victory extended the Cougars' unbeaten streak to 19 games and sent the team to the Elite Eight for the second time in three seasons and fifth time in program history. 

"The girls have fought and have earned the right to play at home in the Elite Eight game, which not many people can say," said Jennifer Rockwood, BYU head coach. "We're really excited and really looking forward to our next match.”

Mozingo's big night ended with five points from the senior, including two goals and an assist. The Sandy, Utah native leads the team in goals and assists and powered BYU to the third-round victory.

The matchup between the Cougars and Michigan State was very physical, resulting in 28 called fouls on the pitch, 15 being charged to BYU and 13 to the Spartans. 

The Cougars outshot the Spartans 21-3, and BYU's eight corner kicks to Michigan State's two helped spark the Cougar offense.

BYU’s next matchup will be against the winner of the North Carolina vs. Texas Tech matchup, which will be held on Sunday.

The Cougars came from behind for the victory after allowing the first goal of the contest. It was only the fifth time this season that BYU allowed the first goal of the game. It was the second time this season BYU was able to register a comeback victory after allowing the first goal.

“It was a fantastic game tonight,” Rockwood said. “I am proud of the way we battled, as it wasn't an easy game for us. We were out of our comfort zone a little bit because of Michigan State's pressure and their ability to move the ball, but the girls stuck with it."

(Full recap below.)

First Half

The first half saw a back-and-forth battle, as both teams were knotted in possession at 50/50 and went to the locker room tied 0-0.

BYU's first corner kick of the match resulted in an Izzi Stratton header in the fifth minute that ended up being blocked but was the first real scoring chance by each team on the evening.

In the 19th minute, a shot from Allie Fryer to the bottom right of the net nearly put the Cougars up 1-0 but ended up being saved by Spartan goalkeeper Kaitlyn Parks.

The pitch began to be tilted in favor of BYU leading up to the 26th minute, as multiple scoring chances by the Cougars gave them the advantage in shots over Michigan State 7-4. A couple of rips from Ellie Boren once again nearly gave BYU the early lead.

A stolen ball by Rachel McCarthy led to an open lane down the pitch and as she neared the goal, the senior ripped a shot that sailed over the net in the 37th minute.

The Spartans countered with a scoring chance in the 39th minute that ended up being blocked by BYU bringing the ROC and the rest of South Field to applause.

A physical half from both sides resulted in eight first half fouls on the Cougars and four fouls charged to Michigan State. BYU led in shots 10-7 at the conclusion of the half.

Second Half

A free kick by Boren in the opening moments of the second half led to two scoring chances for Fryer in the box that ended up being denied by the Spartans.

Michigan State broke through and opened the scoring in the 52nd minute via a goal from Gabby Mueller, giving the Spartans the 1-0 lead. The deficit for the Cougars was their first time trailing all tournament.

A foul by Michigan State in the box led to a successful penalty kick from Mozingo in the 55th minute as BYU quickly evened the match at 1-1. The strike from Mozingo scorched the ball to the bottom right of the night, bringing South Field to a frenzy. 

"I think everyone believed that the goal would come, even when Michigan State scored on us," Rockwood said. "Everyone still believed that we would find a way to score. We've been scoring all year long, and we found lots of different ways to score, and certainly, when Brecken is on the field, there's always a good chance that you're going to score a goal." 

In the 60th minute, Mozingo stole the ball from a Spartan defender in the offensive third and some miticulous ball handling led to a rip that found the back of the net, giving BYU a 2-1 lead.

Michigan State began to apply pressure in the 68th minute with multiple scoring opportunities, but the Cougars were able to hold the Spartans from finding the equalizing goal.

As time began to dwindle away, BYU scored its third goal of the match via a corner kick that connected with Ellie Walbruch, who headed the ball for the goal between the goalkeeper and defender. The goal was assisted by Mozingo who placed the ball in the center of the box, just over a leaping defender, giving Walbruch the golden scoring chance. The Cougars extended their lead over the Spartans 3-1 in the 80th minute.

The Spartans had a few scoring chances in the frenetic closing minutes, but were unable to get on the baord, as BYU held on.

The Cougars' next matchup on Friday will be at 6 p.m. on South Field and can be viewed on ESPN+. Tickets remain available to purchase at byutickets.com.