PROVO, Utah – BYU women’s soccer edged out three top-25 RPI teams to win its first Big 12 Soccer Tournament Championship.
25wSOC Big12 vs Kansas 488
25wSOC Big12 vs Kansas
2025 Big 12 womenâs soccer championship game in Waco, Texas. BYU winâs first ever womenâs soccer Big 12 title.
BYU - 1
Kansas - 0
November 8, 2025
Photo by Abby Shelton/BYU
photo.byu.edu25wSOC Big12 vs Kansas 433
25wSOC Big12 vs Kansas
2025 Big 12 womenâs soccer championship game in Waco, Texas. BYU winâs first ever womenâs soccer Big 12 title.
BYU - 1
Kansas - 0
November 8, 2025
Photo by Abby Shelton/BYU
photo.byu.eduAfter losing to Kansas in their last home game of the season, then falling to UCF on the road, the Cougars sat right in the middle of the conference standings, tied with three other teams for the final spot in the Big 12 Soccer Tournament.
“Our season has been good at times and then we couldn't find ways to get results in some other games," said Jennifer Rockwood, BYU head coach. "We were playing some really good soccer at times, and when we can put together a whole 90 minutes, I think we are capable of beating anybody.”
BYU’s final match of the regular season was against in-state rival Utah at Ute Field. First-half goals by Mackenzee Vance and Mia Lopez sent BYU into halftime with the 2-0 lead. However, in the final minutes of the first half goalkeeper Paiton Collins went down with an injury and was unable to return to the match.
BYU junior Chelsea Peterson, a transfer from the University of Utah, stepped in and closed out the game with a second-half shutout against her former team.
The Cougars awaited the results of three other Big 12 matchups with anticipation, needing a combination of results for BYU to earn the eighth and final conference tournament berth. With everything breaking their way, the Cougars were all of a sudden in the Big 12 Soccer Tournament.
The Cougars' work was just beginning, as BYU had the daunting task of facing No. 1-seeded TCU in the first round, the No. 5 team in the nation. Going into Monday’s matchup, the Cougars had not beaten the Horned Frogs since joining the conference in 2021.
"It’s great to be an underdog. It’s not usually something we are used to. I think we can go out and play with a lot more freedom, and I think the girls are really excited to go out and prove themselves.”
Jennifer RockwoodWomen's Soccer Head CoachThe Cougars did just that as they edged out TCU in a thrilling, penalty kick shootout after double overtime ended in a 2-2 draw.
Ellie Walbruch’s impressive brace, featuring a set-play goal that made ESPN’s Top 10, along with huge defensive stops by defender Emma Neff and goalkeeper Chelsea Peterson kept BYU in the fight.
In her first start for the Cougars, Peterson had seven saves and came up big in the PK shootout. With four Cougars converting their penalty kicks and TCU missing two, BYU advanced to the semifinals of the tournament.
“Chelsea is unreal,” said Walbruch, a team captain. “She’s a character for sure, but she has so much confidence, and she’s very experienced. She started for two years at Utah, so she’s played in big games at big moments, and having her step up the way she has, has been so big and such a confidence booster for this whole team. I’m just super proud of her because she deserves every moment that she gets.”
In the semifinals, the Cougars faced their second top-25 opponent of the week in the No. 23 Baylor Bears. The Bears beat the Cougars earlier this season 4-2 with three second-half goals, and BYU was anxious for the rematch.
Walbruch again took control with her second brace of the tournament against the Bears, the first player to record back-to-back tournament braces since the first year of the Big 12 conference in 1996.
Coming off the bench, Mattyn Summers-Oviatt and Ella Labrum also scored in the matchup with the Bears. Labrum tallied her first goal since suffering a season-ending ACL injury in 2024.
BYU had an impressive six assists on four goals against the Bears, two of which came from Halle Dixon. Her multi-assist match was a new career high for Dixon and a season high for the Cougars.
After a definitive win against the Baylor Bears, the Cougars were set to play seventh-seeded Kansas, the reigning Big 12 Tournament Champions at Betty Lou Mays Soccer Field in Waco, Texas.
“I think I’m just playing free,” Walbruch said. “When I play free, I’m at my best. In these last couple of games I have been in the right spot at the right time. My teammates and my coaches have had so much belief in me, so I think for me peaking at the right time has been huge."
BYU faced off with Kansas Saturday night for the championship.
Prior to the match, team captain Avery Frischknecht shared her favorite scripture with her teammates, Philippians 4:13, reminding them that "We can do all things through Christ, who strengthens us".
After a back-and-forth start on the pitch, Mia Goettsche and Lucy Kesler connected to find Walbruch at center field. She fired off a shot from 30-yards out, hitting the crossbar and landing behind the Kansas goalkeeper, giving BYU a 1-0 lead in the 21st minute on an all-time highlight-reel goal.
With her goal in the championship match, Walbruch led the conference with five goals in the tournament, the first player to accomplish that feat since 1997. The next closest player in goals scored this season in the tournament was Hope Leyba of Colorado with two. Walbruch now has a team-high 16 goals on the season, the most by a BYU player in a single year since 2021.
The Cougars fought hard to hold their lead for the remaining 60 minutes of the match, playing tough defense against the Jayhawks. Peterson put forth a remarkable effort for her team, coming off her line to punch out back-to-back Kansas corner kicks and making several diving saves to keep the Cougars alive and in the lead.
In the final minute of the match, Peterson punched out a Kansas header to secure the shutout and victory for the BYU Cougars.
In Peterson’s first three starts for BYU, she secured a tournament-high two shutouts and 17 saves, averaging 5.67 saves per game. She posted a 0.895 save percentage and a 0.62 goals against average on the week.
During the Big 12 Soccer Tournament Championship trophy presentation, Walbruch was named Most Outstanding Offensive Player of the Week and Peterson earned the title of Most Outstanding Defensive Player of the Week.
25wSOC Big12 vs Kansas 412
25wSOC Big12 vs Kansas
2025 Big 12 womenâs soccer championship game in Waco, Texas. BYU winâs first ever womenâs soccer Big 12 title.
BYU - 1
Kansas - 0
November 8, 2025
Photo by Abby Shelton/BYU
photo.byu.eduBYU’s historic tournament run featured the first No. 8 seed to win a Big 12 Soccer Tournament title. As a team, the Cougars had 40 total shots, averaging 13.33 per game. BYU led the tournament in goals (7), points (22) and assists (8).
The Cougars had four different goal-scorers in the tournament and an impressive six players who tallied assists.
Following the tournament, four Cougars were named to the Big 12 All-Tournament Team. This 11-player roster featured Walbruch, Peterson, Kessler and Izzi Stratton.
BYU earned an automatic bid and a No. 5-seed in the NCAA Tournament, and will host in-state foe Utah State in the first round on Friday, Nov. 14 at 6 p.m. MT on South Field.