LONG BEACH, Calif. – BYU women’s soccer (1-0-2) tied Long Beach State 1-1 on Saturday evening.
The Beach outshot the Cougars 14-5 and also had six corner kicks to BYU’s one.
In a physical battle in Long Beach, 18 fouls were called and BYU’s MacKenzee Vance and Lucy Kessler were each awarded yellow cards.
Sophomore Addie Gardner had her third career goal tonight, her first since 2021. Junior Allie Fryer tallied the assist, her first of the 2024 season.
First Half
The Beach came out strong with two shots in the first eight minutes of the match. BYU’s backline stepped up with key defensive stops by center backs Tara Warner and Avery Frischknecht.
LBSU held most of the possession through the first 30 minutes on the pitch, taking four shots to BYU’s one.
BYU’s first shot on goal came in the 34th minute when Sierra Pennock fired into the bottom left side of the goal, forcing the LBSU goalkeeper to make a diving save.
In the 38th minute, Long Beach State’s Kassandra Ceja took a shot from the top of the 18, forcing BYU keeper Lynette Hernaez to make her first save of the game.
While the score remained 0-0 heading into halftime, LBSU had the advantage with nine shots to BYU’s three. Even though The Beach led in shots, both teams had just one shot on goal apiece through the first 45.
Second Half
BYU opened the second half with a corner kick, cleared out by LBSU’s backline. The Beach answered with two corner kicks of their own, cleared after bouncing around in the box.
In the 67th minute, Fryer dribbled up the left side of the pitch and sent a cross into the box, deflected by LBSU’s defense, to the feet of Gardner who passed the ball into the empty net for a 1-0 lead.
The Beach answered with an attempt on goal from inside the six-yard box, saved by Hernaez. Just minutes later, LBSU’s forward Makayla Demelo scored the equalizer with another shot from inside the box.
In the 88th minute, BYU’s Kessler was called for a foul, and Long Beach was given a free kick outside the 18-yard box. The shot off the free kick was fired into the left corner of the net, forcing Hernaez to make another diving save, her second of the night.
Unable to put another ball in the net, the Cougars tied their second consecutive game on Saturday evening in Long Beach.
The Cougars finish their three-game road trip at UCLA on Wednesday, Aug. 28. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. MT at Wallis Annenberg Stadium in Los Angeles, California.