TUCSON, Ariz. – No. 23 BYU women’s soccer (4-2-2, 0-0-1 Big 12) tied Arizona 1-1 at Murphey Field at Mulcahy Stadium Friday night.
Sophomore forward Mia Goettsche scored her first goal of the season, sixth of her career in tonight’s match. Mika Krommenhoek and Camryn Jorgensen each tallied assists on the night.
The Cougars outshot the Wildcats 18-6, holding Arizona to just three shots in the second half. BYU had three corner kicks while Arizona had two.
First Half
In the sixth minute, Krommenhoek fired a shot from outside the 18 for the first shot of the match. The attempt was blocked, earning the Cougars an early corner kick that was collected by Arizona’s goalkeeper.
The Cougars continued their high press, resulting in two more BYU shots in the 12th and 14th minutes. Emma Hamberlin’s attempt from outside the box missed wide right, while Lucy Kesler’s shot was blocked by a Wildcat defender.
In the 25th minute, Chelsea Peterson came off her line to challenge for a ball in the air, but Arizona won possession and forced the BYU backline to collapse on the Wildcat forwards as Peterson recovered.
Just a minute later, Arizona broke through the BYU backline again, creating a one-on-one opportunity with Peterson. The BYU goalkeeper stepped up to make back-to-back saves on Wildcat shot attempts.
In the 29th minute, Bella Woods took a free kick from the top of the 18, striking the right post before the ball went out of play.
For the remainder of the half, the Cougars and Wildcats battled back and forth with neither team able to find the back of the net, sending the teams to the locker room locked in a scoreless draw.
Despite being held off the scoreboard, the Cougars outshot Arizona 9-3 in the first half, including three shots on frame.
Second Half
The Cougars came out of the locker room firing, with Krommenhoek sending a ball across the face of the goal in the 48th minute that skimmed off the crossbar.
In the 51st minute, Krommenhoek received a pass from Jorgensen near midfield and sent a through ball over the Arizona backline for Goettsche to run onto. She chipped the ball over the Wildcat goalkeeper and into the back of the net to give BYU the first goal of the match and a 1-0 lead.
The Cougars continued to apply offensive pressure, sending several balls into the box and creating dangerous opportunities across the face of goal as they kept Arizona’s backline under pressure.
In the 82nd minute, Arizona recorded its first shot attempt of the half from the top of the box, forcing a diving save attempt from Peterson, but the shot sailed wide right. Just two minutes later, the Cougars cleared an Arizona shot attempt off a corner kick.
With just five minutes remaining, Arizona took a shot from outside the box that deflected off a BYU defender and found the back of the net, leveling the match at 1-1.
BYU battled through the final minutes, looking for another opportunity to regain the lead, but time expired with the teams deadlocked at 1-1 as the Cougars opened conference play with a draw.
Up Next:
The Cougars return to Provo next week to take on UCF at South Field on Thursday, Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. MT. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.