EVANSTON -- In a close match with tough defense and offense from the Cougars, freshman Carlee Payne gave BYU its 2-1 victory over Northwestern when she scored both goals in the contest, Thursday.

“We were pleased with our efforts tonight," said head coach Jennifer Rockwood. "It is always a challenge to play a tough opponent on the road. I thought we did a great job of putting pressure on them early in the game."

A goal at minute 35 put the Cougars up 1-0 in the first half. Payne, the Offensive MWC Player-of-the-week, found the back of the net after taking the ball down the field and taking a shot from the 15-yard line. Payne has now scored in six of BYU’s eight games and has a total of seven goals this season.

BYU went into the half with five shots and two corner kick. Northwestern ended the first 45 minutes with four shots and two corner kicks.

One minute into the second half, Payne again found the back of the net. A cornerkick from Hermann Trophy Candidate Andrea Willis put the ball directly in front of the net where Payne was able to get it past the goalie and score.

"We continue to build on previous game experiences and did well to hold on to our lead after Carlee got us on the scoreboard," Rockwood said.

The Wildcats out-shot BYU 7-4 in the second half but could only find one goal.

After 84 minutes of play, the Cougars thought they’d have another shutout for the year. A goal from Wildcat forward Alicia Herczeg would be just enough to keep the Cougars from their shutout but not enough to give Northwestern the win.

Northwestern ended the game with 11 shots and seven cornerkicks.

The Cougars are now 5-2-1 this season, on a 2-0 winning streak and have a 5-0 overall record against Northwestern since their first contest in 1999.

Up next for the Cougars is a trip down to Tucson to play the University of Arizona at 7 p.m.

To receive up-to-the-minute updates about each game, follow the BYU soccer team on twitter at www.twitter.com/byusoccer.

Join the official BYU Women’s Soccer Texting group by texting “wsoc” to 83043. Members of the group receive game times and promotions, such as 2-for-1 discounts to EVERY game!

For ticket information, visit www.byutickets.com or call 422.BYU1

BYU COUGAR SOCCER
         Brigham Young vs Northwestern (Sep 17, 2009 at Evanston, Ill.)
Brigham Young (5-2-1) vs.                                Goals by period       1  2  Tot
Northwestern (3-4-1)                                    -------------------------------
Date: Sep 17, 2009  Attendance: 259                      Brigham Young.......  1  1 -  2
Weather: 62 degrees and sunny                            Northwestern........  0  1 -  1
Brigham Young                                           Northwestern
Pos ## Player                Sh SOG  G  A               Pos ## Player             Sh SOG  G  A
GK  32 OLSON, McKinzie.....   -   -  -  -            GK  00 EDWARDS, Carolyn....   -   -  -  -
    3  ANDERSON, Lauren....   1   -  -  -                1  HERCZEG, Alicia.....   2   1  1  -
    7  PAYNE, Carlee.......   2   2  2  -                3  PARISH, Catherine...   2   -  -  -
    8  KONING, Mercede.....   -   -  -  -                7  BAUMANN, Jennifer...   1   1  -  -
    11 Willis, Andrea......   2   -  -  1                11 RUBNITZ, Ali........   -   -  -  -
    13 BARTHOLOMEW, Stacy..   -   -  -  -                16 DUNN, Jill..........   -   -  -  -
    15 KAKADELAS, Kelsea...   -   -  -  -                18 LANGSTON, Emily.....   -   -  -  -
    18 LISONBEE, Lindsi....   -   -  -  -                21 DULLER, Nicole......   -   -  -  -
    21 SHUMWAY-C, Kassidy..   -   -  -  -                23 THORESON, Kendall...   2   -  -  -
    22 RINGWOOD, Jessica...   -   -  -  -                26 WESTLUND, Briana....   -   -  -  -
    23 VANDER VEUR, Alyssa.   3   1  -  -                29 GREENE, Sam.........   1   1  -  -
     ---------- Substitutes ----------                     ---------- Substitutes ----------
    9  MARSHALL, Jennie....   -   -  -  -                5  NESMITH, Sarah......   1   1  -  -
    12 BAZZARONE, Ashley...   -   -  -  -                8  DAGLEY, Caroline....   2   -  -  -
    14 JAMESON, Ashleigh...   -   -  -  -                17 PALO, Jessica.......   -   -  -  -
    16 JANIS, Auna.........   -   -  -  -                20 SAMPSON, Kay........   -   -  -  -
    19 ERNST, Nicole.......   -   -  -  -                22 JAKES, Leigh........   -   -  -  -
    20 DOW-JACKSON, Kristi.   -   -  -  -                      Totals..............  11   4  1  0
    25 URRY-Gilliam, Nicole   1   -  -  -
       Totals..............   9   3  2  1
Brigham Young                                           Northwestern
## Player                 MIN  GA Saves                 ## Player                 MIN  GA Saves
---------------------------------------                 ---------------------------------------
32 OLSON, McKinzie.....  90:00  1     3                 00 EDWARDS, Carolyn....  90:00  2     1
Shots by period       1  2  Tot                         Saves by period       1  2  Tot
-------------------------------                         -------------------------------
Brigham Young.......  5  4 -  9                         Brigham Young.......  2  1 -  3
Northwestern........  4  7 - 11                         Northwestern........  1  0 -  1
Corner kicks          1  2  Tot                         Fouls                 1  2  Tot
-------------------------------                         -------------------------------
Brigham Young.......  2  7 -  9                         Brigham Young.......  3 10 - 13
Northwestern........  2  5 -  7                         Northwestern........  6  2 -  8
SCORING SUMMARY:
GOAL   Time Team     Goal Scorer         Assists            Description
-----------------------------------------------------------------
 1.   35:10 BY    PAYNE, Carlee (6)    (unassisted)     bender from 15 yards out to lower right
 2.   46:18 BY    PAYNE, Carlee (7)    Willis, Andrea   scramble in front of net off a corner
 3.   85:15 NU    HERCZEG, Alicia (3)  (unassisted)     deflected by keeper
CAUTIONS AND EJECTIONS:
YC-BY #11 (84:27)
Officials: Referee: Khalaf Allatayfeh; Asst. Referee: Nikola Aleksic; Mark Mavrothalasitis;
Alt. Official: Ethan Bontly; Scorer: R. Coons;
Offsides: Brigham Young 2, Northwestern 1.

PROVO -- The No. 18 BYU women’s soccer team, again, hit the road as they take on Northwestern in Illinois on Thursday and the University of Arizona in Tucson on Saturday.

The Cougars are traveling with a 4-2-1 record this season and a 122-25-9 overall away game record.

Freshman Carlee Payne leads the team with five goals and 20 shots this year. Teammate Jennie Marshall has also record two goals of her own. Four Cougars have taken more than ten shots this season.

Payne was recently awarded Mountain West Conference Offensive Player-of-the-Week for the week of Sept. 14. The freshman has started every game this year for the Cougars and scored a goal in five out of the seven. TopDrawerSoccer.com also added Payne to their National Team of the Week after her performance against No. 20 Oklahoma State, Washington State and Montana.

Sophomore McKinzie Olson has played in every game for the Cougars and has recorded 17 saves and three shutouts this year.

Northwestern University currently holds a 3-3-1 record after finishing fifth in their conference last year. The Wildcats are on a three-game winning streak but hold a 0-4 all-time record against the Cougars. Kay Sampson leads the team with two goals and 14 shots.

The University of Arizona currently has a 1-3-1 record after getting their first home win, 2-1, against Brown in an overtime game. BYU holds a 6-3 all-time record against Arizona. Renae Cuellar leads the Wildcats with three goals and 12 shots this season.

Thursday’s game against Northwestern will be played at 6 p.m., CT, and Saturday’s game against Arizona will be played at 7 p.m. Live stats for both games can be found through the Women's Soccer Schedule Page.

To receive up-to-the-minute updates about each game, follow the BYU soccer team on twitter at www.twitter.com/byusoccer.

Join the official BYU Women’s Soccer Texting group by texting “wsoc” to 83043. Members of the group receive game times and promotions, such as 2-for-1 discounts to EVERY game!

For ticket information, visit www.byutickets.com or call 422.BYU1