Tatiana Littlefield | Posted: 16 Sep 2019 | Updated: 8 Nov 2020

Defense leads No. 10 BYU to 1-0 win over UVU

OREM, Utah ­­– A second half goal by senior defender Danika Serassio combined with strong defensive play gave the No. 10 BYU women’s soccer team a 1-0 victory over UVU Monday night at Clyde Field.

BYU vs. UVU Box Score

“It’s a huge win for us and these games are always challenging,” BYU head coach Jennifer Rockwood said. “We fought through it. We had to battle and needed someone to step up and Danika did that for us and we put it away.”

A scoreless first half was highlighted by the Cougars’ (6-0) nine shots compared to the Wolverines’ (3-5) two as Sabrina Davis tallied a pair of saves in goal for BYU.

The Cougars came out strong in the second half, putting consistent pressure on the UVU defense but a goal didn’t come until the 64th minute when Serassio scored from distance after receiving the ball from freshman Jamie Shepherd to put BYU on top 1-0.

A red card was given to Shepherd in the 68th minute as the Cougars finished the game down a player.

Despite the push from the Wolverines’ offense in the final minutes of the match, the BYU defense prevailed to tally its fourth-straight shutout and fifth of the season.

Both teams managed to put shots on frame as the goalkeepers ended the game with a total of four saves apiece. The Cougars recorded 16 shots and five corner kicks while UVU tallied six and one, respectively.

The Cougars continue on the road as they travel to Kansas on Thursday, Sept. 19, at 7 p.m. CDT. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ and audio broadcasts can be heard on the BYU Sports Network/BYU Cougars App, BYU Radio 107.9 FM and ESPN 960 AM/ESPN 960 App.

GAME NOTES

  • Senior Danika Serassio netted her first career goal at BYU.
  • Freshman Jamie Shepherd tallied the assist on Serassio’s goal to give her the first of her career in a Cougar jersey.
  • The last time BYU was given a red card was against Utah in 2013.
  • This was the first meeting between the Cougars and Wolverines at Clyde Field as BYU remains undefeated, winning all five matches.
  • It has been 14 years since BYU started the season 6-0.