PROVO, Utah – Emma Hamberlin recorded a brace, scoring her first two collegiate goals to lift No. 9 BYU over USC Saturday night at South Field.
“We really felt that we played well in the first half,” head coach Jennifer Rockwood said. “So we just wanted to do the same things in the second. Obviously, Emma Hamberlin going in up top sparked the goals.”
Hamberlin, a junior from Vienna, Virginia scored twice in the second half with the second coming off an assist from Afton Perry.
Paiton Collins saw her first minutes in goal since tearing her ACL last season. Kyleigh Hastings saw her first official collegiate minutes in tonight's match as well.
The Cougars outshot USC 12-11 and earned seven corner kicks with the Trojans kicking just four.
First Half
After fending off early pressure from the Trojans, the Cougars saw their first shot attempt with Mattyn Summers-Oviatt having her shot saved in the fourth minute.
USC fought back with two shots on goal in the 16th and 17th minutes, both blocked by BYU defenders.
The Trojans and Cougars traded shot attempts in the 29th and 30th minutes with Avery Frischknecht missing just wide.
Hamberlin threatened to score in the 37th minute earning a one-on-one opportunity but it was saved by the USC goalkeeper.
BYU retained possession for more than 60% of the first half, recording five shots and four corner kicks.
Second Half
The Cougars kept the pressure on USC to open the second half with Mika Krommenhoek recording a shot in the box that was blocked by a defender in the 50th minute.
In the 53rd minute Perry saw an opportunity to score but launched it wide before the Trojans got a look on goal, saved by Peterson.
The Cougars blocked two straight shot attempts by USC in the 56th minute.
After a BYU foul inches outside its own box in the 68th minute, the Cougars blocked a Trojan shot attempt.
The Cougars then took advantage of the rapid change of possession, taking the ball down to the other side of the field where a crossing pass from Emma Neff deflected off of a USC defender before landing in the possession of Hamberlin who tapped it into the left corner of the net for her first collegiate goal.
After a chaotic sequence that included an unsportsmanlike yellow card assessed to the USC bench, Perry weaved the ball through the defense in the 84th minute before passing it to Hamberlin who ricocheted the ball off the right post and in for her second goal of the game.
Moments later in the 85th minute a USC player was assessed a red card for impeding a goal scoring opportunity for the Cougars, forcing the Trojans to play down a player for the final minutes of the game.
Up Next
The Cougars face Minnesota at South Field on Thursday, August 27 at 7:00 p.m. MDT. with streaming available on ESPN+.