WACO, Texas — The BYU women’s soccer team became the first No. 8 seed to win the Big 12 Soccer Tournament Championship with its 1-0 victory over Kansas at Betty Lou Mays Soccer Field Saturday night.
Following the victory, Ellie Walbruch won the 2025 Big 12 Soccer Tournament Offensive Most Outstanding Offensive Player and goalkeeper Chelsea Peterson earned the 2025 Big 12 Soccer Tournament Most Outstanding Defensive Player.
Walbruch scored BYU’s lone goal in the match, becoming the first player to score five goals in the Big 12 Tournament since 1997. She scored in every single match of the Big 12 tournament. With her goal tonight, Walbruch moves to 16 total goals on the year.
Mia Goettsche recorded her second-straight game with an assist, with five total on the season. Lucy Kesler added her third assist of the year in the match as well.
In her first three starts at keeper for BYU this week, Peterson tallied 18 saves and only allowed two goals in three matches. She played every minute of every game throughout the tournament.
Peterson tallied a new season-high in saves with eight to secure her second shutout of the week and the victory for her team.
Coming into the match, the Cougars had an RPI of 26, while Kansas sat at No. 5.
BYU now awaits its NCAA seeding which will be announced during the selection show on Monday, Nov. 10 at 2 p.m. MT. with live-streaming on NCAA.com.
First Half
The Cougars earned back-to-back corner kicks in the seventh minute, both cleared out. BYU put the pressure on early with three shots in the first 10 minutes on the pitch, blocked by the outstretched feet of Kansas defenders.
In the 15th minute, Kansas drove the ball down the left side of the pitch and sent a cross on the ground into the box, but BYU goalkeeper Peterson came off her line for a diving grab.
Kesler collected a ball on the right side of the pitch, sending it up to Goettsche with a one-touch pass. She connected with Walbruch at center field, who launched a shot from 30 yards out that struck the crossbar and bounced down into the net, giving BYU a 1-0 lead in the 21st minute.
Just two minutes later, BYU had another chance on goal as Walbruch sent a ball up to Goettsche in the box, but the Kansas keeper came off her line to grab it first.
A cross by Afton Perry into the box found the foot of Halle Dixon, missing a one-touch shot just left of the post in the 31st minute.
The Cougars maintained possession for the remainder of the first half, going into the locker room with a 1-0 lead. BYU outshot Kansas 7-4 in the first half, with both teams posting three shots on goal.
Second Half
In the 47th minute, Mackenzee Vance drove the ball up the spine of the field and fed it through to Walbruch, who beat her defender for a one-on-one with the keeper, missing just wide left.
The Jayhawks responded with a run down the field and a shot from outside the 18-yard box, blocked by BYU defenders.
Kansas earned back-to-back corner kicks in the 49th minute, both punched over the crossbar by Peterson.
The Jayhawks had another chance on goal in the 52nd minute with a header in the box, missing wide left.
The next 10 minutes saw back-and-forth on the pitch as both teams tried to regain possession and take chances on goal.
The Cougar defense stepped up to make several crucial stops over the next 15 minutes as the Jayhawks put the pressure on, outshooting BYU as they tried to earn the equalizer.
With just over 10 minutes to go in the match, Jayhawks forward Lexi Watts fired off a shot, ricocheted off BYU defender Emma Neff. Kansas had another shot in the box, punched out by the outstretched hand of Peterson.
As BYU struggled to hold onto the ball, Kansas continued to press hard on offense, testing BYU’s backline and Peterson with three corner kicks in the final 10 minutes of the match.
The Cougars held strong as Peterson punched away Kansas’ final ditch effort on goal, taking home the title of 2025 Big 12 Soccer Champions.