PROVO, Utah – A strong second half lifted No. 17 BYU women’s soccer on senior night over San Francisco 3-0 Saturday at South Field. Ashley Hatch, Elena Medeiros and Michele Murphy each scored in the half.

“This was a big win,” BYU head coach Jennifer Rockwood said. “Every win is a big win right now. We knew San Francisco was a good team but the girls stayed with it and came out in the second half on fire.”

The first half was a defensivebattle as both teams failed to find the back of the net. The Cougars (12-3-2, 6-0-0) totaled eight shots, two of which were on goal. BYU spread the ball well with six players attempting a shot in the half. The Dons (6-9-2, 2-4-0) managed only two shots on the Cougar defense but none of them were on frame.

Medeiros got the scoring started in the 61st minute when she took a pass from Murphy well outside the box and fired a shot into the upper right corner just beyond the reach of the San Francisco keeper. The goal was Medeiros’ fifth of the season.

After scoring twice in Thursday’s victory over Santa Clara, Murphy added her sixth goal of the season in the 71st minute when senior Niki Fernandes found her for the shot. The Cougars’ final goal came two minutes later when Murphy played the ball back to Hatch who rifled it past the keeper. Hatch, who leads the West Coast Conference in total goals, now has 15 on the season.

Senior defender Annie Amos, who has started every game for the past two seasons, anchored another successful effort from the BYU back four allowing only seven total shots and only one shot on goal. Senior forward Jaiden Thornock also got the start and contributed a shot on goal.

“Our seniors have been an  amazing part of this program during their time here,” Rockwood said. “We really want to bring them home a conference championship, get to the tournament and maybe have another chance to play here on South Field.”

Senior keeper Katherine Snyder celebrated senior night with her fourth conference shutout, good enough for first in the conference. Late in the game San Francisco was awarded a penalty kick after a BYU handball in the box but Snyder made a diving save to maintain the clean sheet.

“Kat (Snyder) read it well and I am so proud of her and what she’s done for our team this year,” Rockwood said. “Having a penalty kick save on senior night is pretty special.”

The Cougars will travel to play at Saint Mary’s next Thursday, Oct. 30 at 3 p.m. PDT. The game can be heard through the Cougar IMG Sports Network. 

PROVO, Utah —Riding a nine-game winning streak the No. 17 BYU women's soccer team (10-3-2, 4-0-0) is the only undefeated team in West Coast Conference action. The Cougars play their final two home league games this week hosting Santa Clara on Thursday, Oct. 23 and San Francisco on Saturday, Oct. 25.

BYU has won 11 straight conference games dating back to last season.

Both games start at 7 p.m. MDT and will be carried live on BYUtv and simulcast on BYU Radio on Sirius XM channel 143.  The Cougar IMG Sports Network will broadcast the game on BYUCougars.com and the BYU Cougars app.

Last week, the Cougar women had one game on the schedule, traveling to Los Angeles to battle WCC foe LMU. In that game, three players (Elisabeth Phillips, Niki Fernandes and Ashley Hatch) scored a goal each to down the Lions 3-0.

Hatch leads BYU’s scoring threat with 29 points off of 12 goals and five assists. Fernandes follows with 13 points, including four goals and five assists. Elena Medeiros rounds out the top three scorers on the team with 12 points from four goals and four assists. With the shutout over LMU, Katherine Snyder recorded her sixth shutout of the season.

Santa Clara comes to Provo with a (10-3-2, 3-1-0) record and is tied with Gonzaga for third place in the latest WCC standings. They are on a three-game winning streak in league action recording wins over LMU, San Francisco and Pacific. Their one loss in WCC play was at No. 11 Pepperdine where they fell to the Waves 2-1.

Sofia Huerta leads the Broncos in scoring with 10 goals and two assists. The Broncos hold a 0-6-2 record over the Cougars in the series. In Provo, Santa Clara has recorded a 2-1 overtime victory  in 2000 when both teams were in the NCAA tournament and in 2013 as WCC foes. Last year the game finished in a 0-0 double overtime tie.

San Francisco has compiled a (6-7-2, 2-2-0) record to date. They’ve recorded WCC wins over LMU and Saint Mary’s and are tied in fourth place with San Diego entering this week’s league action. Jessica Nakae has scored three goals and one assist leading the way in scoring for the Dons. Mackenzie Krieser is next with three goals. San Francisco has never won in Provo. The Cougars hold a 4-0 advantage in the series.  In the game against the Dons, the four seniors on the BYU team (Annie Amos, Niki Fernandes, Katherine Snyder and Jaiden Thornock) will be recognized.

After the two home league games, BYU will play its final three conference games on the road at Saint Mary’s on Oct. 30, at Pacific on Nov. 1 and at Pepperdine on Nov. 8.

VIDEO: BYU head coach Jennifer Rockwood discussed the upcoming games on BYU Sports Nation during Thursday's show.