PROVO, Utah - An 83rd minute goal by Niki Fernandes won the game for the No. 25 BYU women’s soccer team against Pepperdine Thursday night at South Field.

This is BYU’s (8-4-1, 2-1-0) second conference win and shutout in the past week.

“I just think we played a really complete game tonight, which is something we have been really working towards" BYU head coach Jennifer Rockwood said. "Defensively, I thought we were really solid against a dangerous counter-attacking team. We only gave up one shot in the second half. I thought tonight we were finally able to possess the ball.”

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In the second half, the Cougars only allowed Pepperdine to take one shot, and didn’t allow any corner kicks throughout the entire game. BYU won 10 corners, with five in each half, and 22 shots on goal.

The Cougars dominated the field offensively throughout the second half, with most of their possession in the attacking third. Pepperdine rarely pressured the Cougar defense. Keeper Erica Owens only needed to save three attempts on goal for her fifth shutout this season. 

“The girls kept battling,” Rockwood said. “They kept trying to combine. I thought they played real smart, and kept their composure pretty well, and (the goal) finally came.”

Cloee Colohan, Colette Jepson Smith, Niki Fernandes, Ashley Hatch, and Kyleigh Royall each took more than three shots during the game, with Hatch attempting the most with five shots.

The Cougars play Loyola Marymount in their Pink Game for breast cancer awareness on Saturday, Oct. 19, at 7 p.m. MDT at South Field.

The No. 25 BYU women's soccer team returns home for its conference home opener and the only two home games in the month of October. 

The Cougars (7-4-1, 1-1-0) host Pepperdine (6-4-2, 1-1-0) on Thursday night and Loyola Marymount (3-10-0, 0-2-0) on Saturday. Both games kick off at 7 p.m. MDT and will be televised live on BYUtv.

Last week, BYU opened West Coast Conference play with a 2-0 win over San Francisco and a 2-1 loss to No. 18 Santa Clara. Niki Fernandes, Colette Jepson Smith and Cloee Colohan each scored over the weekend.

Pepperdine split its first two conference games, beating Gonzaga 1-0 and falling to Portland at home 3-1. Waves forward Lynn Williams leads the conference in shots, goals, points and points per game. She has scored 10 goals and assisted on three more. 

Loyola Marymount hosted the same two teams as Pepperdine, losing 2-0 to Portland and 3-1 to Gonzaga over the weekend. The Lions enter this week on a nine-game losing streak.

Game Promotions

Thursday's game against Pepperdine is Sweaty Thursday. Wear sweats and there will be a Zumba instructor at halftime. Free polaroid shots will be available for fans throughout the game.

Saturday's game against Loyola Marymount is the Pink Game for Breast Cancer Awareness. Wear pink and receive a $2 general admission ticket. The first 2,500 fans receive a pink bandana.

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