PROVO, Utah — After surviving an 11-round penalty kick shootout against Utah State, BYU heads to Palo Alto, Calif. to face UCLA in the second round of the NCAA Tournament Friday night.
BYU vs. UCLA
- Friday, November 21 at 5 p.m. MT at Maloney Field at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium
- ESPN+
- Live Stats
- Tickets
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY. Under the direction of head coach Jennifer Rockwood, BYU has now earned a spot in the NCAA tournament 26 times in 31 years. The Cougars have been to nine Sweet Sixteens, five Elite Eights, one College Cup semifinal (2023) and one College Cup final (2021). The Cougars have played in a second-round match 16 times in program history.
THE COUGARS. No. 5 seed BYU (11-6-5, 4-5-2 Big 12) faced in-state foe Utah State in the first round of the tournament, hosted at South Field. After going up 1-0 courtesy of a Mia Goettsche goal, the Aggies rallied to put one in the net in the second half, tying the game up at 1-1. After two overtime periods, the game ended in a 1-1 draw, and the teams lined up for a penalty kick shootout. Going 11 rounds, the Cougars advanced after edging out the Aggies 7-6 during the shootout. Goalkeeper Chelsea Peterson tallied five saves during regulation and three stops during PK’s. Center back Izzi Stratton made both of her penalty kicks, the second of which solidified the victory for her team. This would be BYU’s second successful PK shootout in the last two weeks, the first of which was against TCU in the first round of the Big 12 tournament. The Cougars have now gone to a penalty kick shootout nine times during the NCAA Tournament, advancing on four of them.
THE BRUINS. No. 4 seed UCLA (12-5-3, 6-2-3 Big Ten) faced Pepperdine in the first round of the tournament, beating the Waves 3-1 at a rain-soaked Wallis Annenberg Stadium on Saturday night. UCLA scored two first half goals and a third in the final 49 seconds to secure the victory. The Bruins scored their first goal just two minutes into the match, and outshot Pepperdine 11-8.
COUGARS VS. BRUINS. BYU and UCLA faced off in non-conference play earlier this season when the Cougars defeated then-No. 4 UCLA 1-0 on South Field. BYU’s leading scorer Ellie Walbruch scored in the matchup, her second year in a row scoring against her former team. Walbruch and Mackenzee Vance both transferred from UCLA, Walbruch in 2023 and Vance in 2024. Despite the win, UCLA outshot BYU 19-12. The Cougars and Bruins have played nine times in program history, and the series is now tied 4-4-1. BYU and UCLA have faced off twice in the NCAA Tournament. In 1998, the two teams played in the second round and the Cougars won 2-0. In 2010, the Cougars and Bruins played to a 0-0 draw, and UCLA advanced on penalty kicks.