PROVO, Utah – Led by Mikayla Colohan, the No. 2 seed BYU women’s soccer team defeated Louisville 4-0 to advance to the Sweet 16, Thursday night at South Field.
"That was a great game tonight," BYU head coach Jennifer Rockwood said. "Louisville has had a fantastic season and they came out really strong and put us under a lot of pressure. We weren't able to get our attack going, but we withstood the pressure. I knew when we got to the second half that we would be able to turn things on. I reminded the girls at halftime that we're a goal-scoring team, we like to go forward and get touches in the box, we needed crosses, to drive the ball and have confidence in what we've been doing all season long."
In the first half, the Cougars (20-0-1) controlled the ball and created dangerous opportunities but were unable to connect with the back of the net as the Cardinal (13-5-2) defense came up with big saves. BYU tallied seven shots compared to Louisville’s four.
The Cougars came out in the second half with explosive shots on goal. In the 62nd minute, Elise Flake dribbled through the defense and drilled a shot on goal to put BYU up 1-0. A minute later, Flake once again took on the Cardinals before connecting with Mikayla Colohan in front of the net, extending the Cougars' lead to 2-0.
In the 68th minute, Alyssa Jefferson connected with Rachel Bingham Lyman running down the sideline, who then crossed the ball in front of the net, finding an open Cameron Tucker to increase the BYU lead to 3-0.
With eight minutes remaining in the game, Colohan stepped up to take a penalty kick off a Louisville handball. She sent the ball to the bottom right corner of the net, scoring the fourth and final goal of the night.
On the night, the Cougars outshot the Cardinals 19 to nine while Sabrina Davis tallied a pair of saves in goal.
BYU remains at home to face North Carolina State in the third round on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 6 p.m. MST. The game will be televised on BYUtv while audio broadcasts can be heard on BYU Radio 107.9 FM, BYU Cougars App and BYU Sports Network.
Game Notes
- Elise Flake scored her 20th goal of the season, making her the second player in program history to score 20 or more goals in a single season.
- Mikayla Colohan’s pair of goals brought her to 16 this season and 24 in her career.
- Cameron Tucker scored her 10th goal of the season.
- Colohan and Flake led the team in shots with seven apiece, both of which had three on goal.
- The last time the Cougars made a Sweet 16 appearance was in 2016.
Postgame Quotes
Forward Elise Flake
On the offensive performance in the second half
"We definitely found the space a lot better in the second half than we did in the first. We attacked a lot more, we looked to go forward and get touches in the box. Once we got that first goal it just kept going."
Midfielder Mikayla Colohan
On her counterattack skills
"The higher I’m able to stay, the more dangerous it is for all of us. That was my main priority, to stay high and find it in those pockets."