First half goals lift No. 4 BYU to 3-0 win over Gonzaga

SPOKANE, Wash.  ­­– An offensive surge in the first half gave the No. 4 BYU women’s soccer team a 3-0 win over Gonzaga on Wednesday at Luger Field.

BYU vs. Gonzaga Box Score

"This has always been a tough place to play and Gonzaga has had a great season," BYU head coach Jennifer Rockwood said. "I thought the girls came out and we had some great looks. I am really proud of how the girls played on the road on senior night because that is tough to do, but we continue to break teams down and find a way to get some good looks."

The Cougars (17-0-1, 7-0-1 WCC) took a 1-0 advantage when Jamie Shepherd scored her first career goal in the 25th minute as Elise Flake took the ball to the byline and crossed it back to Shepherd who ran onto the ball and one-touched it into the back of the net.

After collecting a pass from Mikayla Colohan and dribbling into the 18-yard box, Flake blasted a shot to the far post and into the side netting in the 36th minute to extend the BYU lead to 2-0.

With the ball bouncing in the box, Colohan was able to connect with the back of the net to extend the Cougars’ lead to 3-0 with nearly five minutes to play in the first half as Flake and Ashton Brockbank tallied an assist on the goal.

With the 3-0 lead at halftime, the Cougars had outshot the Zags (11-6-1, 4-3-1 WCC) nine to six.

The most dangerous opportunity in the second half came from Cameron Tucker as she sent a shot that ricocheted off the left post and out of bounds in the 64th minute.

The Bulldogs put continuous pressure on the BYU defense in the second half, forcing goalkeepers Sabrina Davis and Cassidy Smith to combine for six saves to secure the team’s 12th shutout.

On the game, the Cougars recorded 17 shots and six corner kicks while Gonzaga tallied 14 and four, respectively.

BYU returns to South Field for senior night as they host Loyola Marymount on Saturday, Nov. 9, at 8 p.m. MST. The game will be streamed on the WCC Network and audio broadcasts can be heard on ESPN 960 AM/ESPN 960 App and 107.9 FM.

GAME NOTES

• Elise Flake continues to lead the offense as she now has 17 goals and five assists this season. She is tied for fifth in the BYU record book for career goals with 37.
• Mikayla Colohan’s goal brings her season tally to 12 and career to 20 as she is tied for 17th in the program records.
• Ashton Brockbank recorded her first assist of the season and Jamie Shepherd tabbed her first career goal.
• In conference play, the Cougars have outscored their opponents 31-5.
• Since 2016, BYU has scored a total of 18 goals in four games against Gonzaga.