MADISON, Wis. – No. 9 BYU women’s soccer (1-1, 0-0 Big 12) falls 1-0 on the road to Wisconsin Wednesday night.
Wisconsin was awarded a penalty kick in the 80th minute. Although initially saved by BYU goalkeeper Chelsea Peterson, the Badgers crashed the box and found the back of the net to take the late 1-0 lead.
Despite outshooting the Badgers 12-8, BYU could not overcome Wisconsin’s late penalty-kick goal.
Freshman Brynnli Tolbert led BYU with three shots, while Ellie Walbruch and Bella Woods added two each.
First Half
The Cougars controlled most of the possession through the first six minutes before the Badgers broke through the BYU backline for a chance on goal, but the Cougar defense halted the attack and cleared the ball.
BYU’s first shot of the match came in the 14th minute with a rocket from outside the 18-yard box by Lucy Kesler, fired high over the crossbar.
Wisconsin quickly countered with a corner kick that was initially cleared, but a second-chance ball was sent into the box and found the head of a Wisconsin player. The header bounced off the crossbar and was pushed into the net. After a quick review by the referee, the goal was ruled offside, and the score remained 0-0.
The Cougars earned their first corner kicks of the game in the 32nd and 34th minutes, with both cleared by the Wisconsin backline.
In the final three minutes of the first half, Tolbert drove the ball down the right side twice, getting off a cross and a shot, both of which were blocked by Wisconsin defenders.
After a scoreless first half, the Cougars entered the locker room with a 7-3 advantage in shots and a 2-1 advantage in shots on goal.
Second Half
BYU had the first shot of the second half in the 50th minute when Walbruch turned with the ball at the top of the box and fired a shot that was scooped up by the Wisconsin goalkeeper. A minute later, Walbruch got her head on a ball in the box, but the header went straight into the goalkeeper’s hands.
After clearing the ball from their defensive third, the Cougars found Walbruch running up the middle of the field in the 53rd minute for a chance on goal, but a Wisconsin defender thwarted the attack just outside the box. BYU forward Sophie Sivulich had a shot three minutes later that narrowly missed the frame.
The Badgers countered immediately, beating the BYU defense for a shot from in front of the net that sailed high over the crossbar.
Both teams battled back and forth for the next 20 minutes, with neither able to maintain possession.
In the 80th minute, Peterson collided with a Wisconsin forward, resulting in a penalty kick for the Badgers. Peterson saved the initial shot, but Wisconsin followed up on the rebound and found the back of the net to take a 1-0 lead with just under 10 minutes remaining.
Unable to break through the Wisconsin defense, BYU could not find an equalizer before the final whistle, falling to the Badgers 1-0 for the first time in program history.
Up Next
The Cougars return to Provo for their home opener against USC at 7 p.m. MT Saturday, Aug. 22. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.