PROVO, Utah – No. 12 BYU Women’s Soccer (5-1-1, 0-0 Big 12) shut out Utah Valley, 2-0 Friday night in front of 4,165 fans at South Field.
Prior to tonight’s match, BYU released the following statement concerning the tragedy that took place on Utah Valley's campus this week:
Tonight's match featured several connections between the two programs, with five former BYU players now on UVU’s roster—four of whom were in the starting lineup.
Notably, BYU’s Ella Rustand and her younger sister, Quinn Rustand, now at UVU, were both on the field at the same time tonight.
True freshman Mia Goettsche made her first collegiate start for BYU and Abbi Sine saw her first minutes of the season after returning from injury.
"It's always a battle when we play UVU," said head coach Jennifer Rockwood. "The girls all know each other, and obviously there’s a lot of familiarity with some former players, so emotions run high. With everything that happened this week, it was a tough game, and I was really proud of the way the girls came out and battled. We got the first goal — you know, that's always huge for us — and Ellie came through. She hadn’t scored in a few games, so I think that was big for her to put a ball in the back of the net."
The Cougars are now 9-1 all time against Utah Valley.
BYU outshot the Wolverines 15-10, with nine shots on target compared to UVU's four. Walbruch led the Cougars with four shots on frame and one goal. Camryn Jorgensen and Halle Dixon each tallied assists in tonight's match.
First Half
BYU came out aggressive, with Walbruch firing an early shot on goal in the second minute, followed by a header from Mia Goettsche in the four—both saved by UVU’s keeper.
The match grew more physical after a yellow card was issued to BYU in the 11th minute.
BYU continued to apply pressure, with Izzi Stratton forcing another save in the 14th minute. Walbruch and Mia Lopez each had shots on frame in the 19th minute, but both were denied.
The breakthrough came in the 39th minute when Ella Rustand delivered a long ball into the box. Walbruch met it with a header, cleaned up the rebound, and buried it in the back of the net to give BYU the lead.
UVU nearly equalized in the final minute of the half, earning a corner that forced BYU keeper Paiton Collins to tip the ball out and preserve the 1–0 advantage.
BYU ended the half with nine shots, seven on frame and the 1-0 lead.
Second Half
BYU came out strong after the break, with back-to-back shots from Lopez and Perry in the 46th minute, both denied by the UVU defense. The pressure continued as Lucy Kesler fired consecutive shots off corner kicks in the 53rd and 54th minutes, but both were blocked.
UVU responded with a shot on goal in the 59th minute, but BYU quickly answered.
Just one minute later, Dixon connected with Jorgensen just inside the 18-yard box. Jorgensen slipped a through ball to Afton Perry, who put it in the net for her first collegiate goal, giving BYU a 2–0 lead.
UVU threatened again in the 84th minute with a free kick from near midfield. The shot was on frame, forcing Collins to tip it into the crossbar. The rebound landed at the feet of a UVU attacker, but the follow-up sailed just over the goal.
BYU closed out the match with its second 2-0 shutout in a row to close out non-conference play.
Up Next
BYU begins Big 12 play on the road against Arizona State in Tempe, Arizona Thursday, September 18 at 8:00p.m. MT with streaming on ESPN+