PROVO, Utah - After a late equalizer by the Pacific Tigers, BYU’s Saturday matchup ended in a 1-1 draw.
“It is a pretty disappointing outcome,” said head coach Jennifer Rockwood. “There’s not much more to say because we had every opportunity we could have wanted, plenty of corner kicks, and the ball just wouldn’t fall for us. We need to do something different, so it might be back to the drawing board for us.”
A late goal by the Pacific Tigers tied the game 1-1 after BYU’s Olivia Wade scored her fifth goal of the season in the 14th minute of the game. BYU earned its season-high shot-count with 38, Bella Folino leading the pack with nine.
BYU’s offense came out strong against the Pacific Tigers with two shots on frame in the first three minutes of the game. The Tigers sought to answer back with a run down the middle stripe that led to a dangerous shot off a corner kick, cleared out by the Cougar defense.
In the 11th minute, BYU worked the ball from its defensive line up the field to Folino who drove the ball inside the 18 for her first shot of the night, missing just wide left. Three minutes later, the Cougars capitalized off a Tigers turnover and Wade found the back of the net with a left-footed shot giving BYU the 1-0 lead.
In the 22nd minute, Brecken Mozingo sent a through-ball to Folino inside the box for a one-on-one with a Pacific defender, which deflected out for BYU’s third corner kick of the match. BYU was unable to get a head on the ball off the kick, but regained possession at half field.
As the Cougars continued to attack the box, freshmen Allie Fryer and Sierra Pennock had shots on frame, forcing Pacific goalkeeper Brenna Crump to make back-to-back saves. With BYU’s high offensive press and strong defensive line, the Tigers were only allowed five shots through the first 45 minutes of the match compared to BYU’s 21 shots and six corners.
The Cougars had some early opportunities in the second half including a free kick right outside the 18 by Mozingo that found the head of Folino and hit off the top crossbar. Another free kick in the 62nd minute was awarded to BYU placed just outside of the penalty arc and was sent a few yards over the post by Mozingo.
In the 75th minute, the Tigers found the equalizer with a shot by Haley Johnson 28-yards out as the game came to 1-1. The Cougars wasted no time on the pitch and earned back-to-back-to-back corner kicks as another draw was close near. Unable to capitalize on their corner kicks, the Cougars fought to regain possession on the pitch in the final 10 minutes.
With two minutes left on the clock, the Cougars moved the ball up the middle of the pitch and Jamie Shepherd found Mozingo open on the left-side of the 18. Mozingo curved a shot with her right foot, but it hit off the post and was cleared out.
Despite outshooting the Tigers 38-10, the Cougars earned their fifth draw on the season and moved to 5-2-5 in the WCC. BYU’s high-pressure offense forced Pacific’s Crump to earn her season-high of 14 saves in the 90 minutes of play.
The Cougars next take the field Saturday, Oct. 15 as they host WCC foe Portland on South Field at 7 p.m. MDT. The game will be carried live on the BYU Sports Network — BYURadio.org/BYU Radio app/BYU Radio 107.9 FM. The game will also be streamed on BYUtv and the BYUtv App.