KANSAS CITY, Mo. – BYU beat Oklahoma State 5-0 in the quarterfinals of the Sprouts Farmers Market Big 12 Soccer Championship Saturday morning at CPKC Stadium.
The Cougars scored a season-high five goals in the Big 12 matchup, with braces from Mika Krommenhoek and Allie Fryer leading the way.
Krommenhoek tallied her first collegiate brace as the freshman scored two goals in a five-minute span. She also tallied one assist, making today's matchup her first five-point game. Krommenhoek now has three goals on the season.
Fryer scored her 10th and 11th goals of the season, a new career-high goals in a single season. She has now had back-to-back seasons with 10 or more goals.
Junior transfer Mackenzee Vance notched her sixth goal of the season with a goal right at the beginning of the second half.
First Half
BYU took control early on the pitch, with its first shot and first goal in the second minute.
Fryer drove the ball down the right side of the pitch and crossed it into the six-yard box. OSU’s defense tried to clear the ball, but Krommenhoek gained control and scored for the Cougars, giving them an early 1-0 lead.
The Cougars continued to press OSU earning a corner kick in the fifth minute. After ricocheting around in the box, Krommenhoek found the back of the net again, extending the lead to 2-0 in just five minutes of play.
In the 12th minute, Krommenhoek sent a through ball to Presley Freeman up the right-side of the pitch. She crossed the ball into the box and found the feet of Erin Bailey, who shot the ball to the upper right corner of the net, tipped out and over by OSU’s keeper.
The Cougars held most of the possession in their offensive half, finding several more opportunities on goal. Fryer stole the ball from the feet of a Cowgirl defender and took a shot from the left-side of the 18-yard box in the 22nd minute for BYU’s third goal of the morning.
In the 29th minute, Krommenhoek crossed a ball into the box and found Fryer, who slid the ball past the hands of Oklahoma State’s keeper for another Cougar goal, Fryer’s second of the morning.
After Avery Frischknecht dribbled the ball down the spine of the field, Caroline Stringfellow fired off her first shot of the match, being tipped out by the Cowgirls’ keeper.
BYU’s backline held firm through the first 45 minutes on the pitch, allowing just four shots from the Cowgirls, with just one on frame.
Eight of nine shots from the Cougars were on target in the first half, with four finding the back of the net heading into the locker room. BYU also added four corner kicks to OSU’s one.
Second Half
The Cougars started the second half strong, with a quick goal from Vance in the 48th minute. She dribbled the ball into the 18-yard box and beat two defenders to find the back of the net, extending BYU’s lead to 5-0.
In the 58th minute, OSU’s Xcaret Pineda fired a shot from the left-side of the 18, tipped over the crossbar by BYU goalkeeper Lynette Hernaez, her second save of the match.
After a BYU handball in the box in the 60th minute, the Cowgirls were awarded a penalty kick. Hernaez blocked the kick, keeping the clean sheet for the Cougars with 30 minutes left on the clock.
In the 71st minute, OSU had another chance on goal with a shot from the right side of the pitch, right into the arms of Hernaez for her fourth save of the morning.
Despite OSU’s surge of shots in the second half with 13 on the match, the Cougars held the Cowgirls to just four shots on target and earned the 5-0 shutout.
The Cougars had just two shots in the second half, which was converted for a goal. They finished the match with 11 shots, nine on frame, and five corner kicks.
With the shutout victory, the Cougars advanced to the Semifinal match of the Big 12 tournament to be played on Wednesday, Nov. 6 at 3:30 p.m. MT. This match will be streamed on ESPN+.