PROVO, Utah – The BYU women’s soccer team has been named the 2024 State of Sport Team of the Year, as selected by a nominating committee made up of Utah's sports professionals and media.
In 2012, the Utah Sports Commission in conjunction with the Governor created the State of Sport Awards to celebrate Utah’s sports industry and honor excellence on a high school, collegiate, professional, Olympic and Paralympic level.
BYU women’s soccer finished its first year in the Big 12 with an overall record of 20-3-3, going undefeated in conference play and at home on South Field. The Cougars advanced to the NCAA College Cup for the second time in the last three years.
BYU opened its season by beating then-No. 1 UCLA in week three and being named the No. 1 team nationally for the first time in program history. The Cougars’ offense continued to bring power to women’s soccer, reaching the No. 1 spot in both shots per game, with 20.96, and total goals on the year, with 79. The backline and goalkeepers racked up nine shutouts and a .761 save percentage.
The road to the College Cup was propelled by a historic 4-3 victory in the Elite Eight over the No. 3 North Carolina Tar Heels. In this match, the Cougars scored four unanswered second-half goals to earn the largest comeback victory in NCAA Championships since 2003.
BYU had five seniors drafted in the 2024 NWSL Draft: Brecken Mozingo (4th overall pick), Olivia Smith-Griffitts (20th), Olivia Wade-Katoa (23rd), Jamie Shepherd (30th) and Laveni Vaka (55th). The returning Utah Royals drafted Mozingo and Smith-Griffitts, along with three other BYU soccer alum for their 2024 roster (Mikayla Cluff, Cameron Tucker and Michele Vasconcelos).