Trio of forwards score as No. 6 BYU beats Utah State 3-1

LOGAN, Utah – Ashley Hatch, Michele Vasconcelos and Nadia Gomes each scored as No. 6 BYU beat Utah State 3-1 Saturday afternoon.

"I thought we played very well today and maintained control of the second half," BYU head coach Jennifer Rockwood said. "Our attack continues to improve and I loved the creativity and combination work of our front four players. The distribution from our backs and midfielders also continues to take steps forward."

BYU at Utah State Box Score

The goal by Hatch moved her alone into fourth place in program history with 38 career goals. Vasconcelos jumped up to a tie for 13th all-time with 23 career goals with her first-half strike. Gomes' goal tied her for 20th all-time with 14 career goals.

The Cougars (7-1) lost their three-game shutout streak but increased their win streak to six games. The Aggies (4-4) fell to 0-13 all-time against BYU.

Hatch began the scoring for the Cougars by netting her 10th goal of the year in the ninth minute on an unassisted effort. Utah State responded immediately, posing an attack and finishing with a Jessica Brooksby goal just 13 seconds later to knot the score at 1-1.

The two goals were the second-fastest scored in succession between BYU and an opponent since the program began keeping track of the exact time of goals.

In the 24th minute, Vasconcelos scored on an assist by Madie Lyons to give the Cougars a 2-1 lead. For Vasconcelos, it was her sixth goal of the season, all of which have come in the last five games. Lyons' assist gave her two on the year.

The teams didn't find the net for the remainder of the first half as BYU led 2-1 at the break.

Gomes joined the party in the 52nd minute on a quick turn and shot after receiving a pass from Vasconcelos. The goal was the second on the year for Gomes as Vasconcelos picked up her third assist. BYU preserved its 3-1 lead until the final whistle.

The Cougars return home to play Denver on Thursday at 7 p.m. MDT, the beginning of a four-game homestand. That game will be available via radio broadcast on the Cougar IMG Network, BYU Radio (Sirius XM 143) and ESPN 960 AM. A free video stream can be viewed on TheW.tv.