SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - The BYU women's soccer team dominated on the offensive end, taking 20 shots to Utah's five, but lost on the road after an early goal, Saturday.

BYU's Jaiden Thornock, Jessica Ringwood and Colette Jepson led the team in shots with four, three and three, respectively. Utah had five total shots, each coming from a different player. 

"You really have to give Utah credit, they played a great game and made their opportunities count," said BYU head coach Jennifer Rockwood. "We battled hard the entire game but it just didn't go our way. I thought we really played well and gave it all we had. I know the girls will bounce back and work harder."

The game against the Utes was BYU's third-straight on the road. 

Jill Robison gave Utah its 1-0 victory with her first goal of the season in the 30th minute of the game. BYU's defenders gave up an unfortunate turnover in the back end that resulted in Robison being able to take a shot over diving BYU goalkeeper Erica Owens, who finished the game with four saves. 

With just seven minutes until halftime, the Cougars got a look on goal after senior Colette Jepson took a shot that Utah goalkeeper bumped away and then jumped on again before a running Marissa Nimmer could grab the rebound. BYU (2-1) finished the half with eight total shots while Utah had two. 

In the second half, the Cougars continued their offensive onslaught by taking 12 shots compared to Utah's three. BYU's defense stopped several balls from crossing the back line, anchored by senior Hermann Trophy Candidate Lindsi Lisonbee Cutshall.

The last time Utah beat the Cougars was in 2007. 

BYU returns home for its 2012 home opener on Thursday, Aug. 30, against Long Beach State at 6 p.m. MT.

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PROVO, Utah - The BYU women's soccer team will play a pair of Pac-12 road games this week beginning on Thursday, Aug. 23, at Arizona at 7 p.m. PT and ending on Saturday, Aug. 25, at in-state rival Utah at 1 p.m. MT.

BYU returns seven starters in 2011 All-American and Hermann Trophy Candidate Lindsi Lisonbee Cutshall, Scholar All-American Carlee Payne Holmoe, seniors Jessica Ringwood, Ashley Bazzarone and Dana Oldroyd Cusick, and juniors Rachel Manning and Niki Fernandes.

The Cougars are coming off a 3-2 overtime victory at UC Irvine last Friday with goals from Fernandes, freshman Michelle Murphy and sophomore Jaiden Thornock.

Arizona is coming off a 2-1 season-opening loss to then-No. 18 Long Beach State, a team BYU will play on Aug. 30 at home. The Cougars and Wildcats have met 11 times before with BYU leading the series 9-1-1.

The Wildcats were picked to finish in last place in the 2012 Pac-12 Preseason Poll after tough 2010 and 2011 seasons. They return all seven goal scorers in juniors Jazmin Ponce, Ana-Maria Montoya, Susana Melendez and Jessica Culver, sophomores LeeAndra Smith and Brie DeFelice, and senior Alex Smith. Montoya recently returned from playing for team Colombia in the Olympics.

Fans can follow Thursday's game against Arizona through a live stats link available on the Wildcats' schedule page. 

The Utah Utes dropped their season opener to Utah State in a 1-0 decision and will play one more game, against Southern Utah, before meeting BYU on Saturday. The Cougars and Utes have a long tradition of soccer between them. BYU leads the overall series 18-5-1.

In 2010 the Utes finished 10-10-2 but were able to turn things around just a bit in 2011. After a tough start, the team went 6-5-0 in league play and finished in fifth place. This season, they’ve been chosen to finish eighth in the 2012 Preseason Poll with top returning scorers McKel Wall and Harley Spier leading the attack.

Saturday's game against Utah can be followed online through Gametracker and is being shown live on Pac-12 Television. Live radio is also available through BYU Radio. 

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