BYU secures first-time victory at Santa Clara

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – No. 16 BYU women’s soccer was victorious for the first time in team history at Santa Clara, defeating the Broncos 2-1 Wednesday night and handing the No. 9 Broncos their first loss of the season.

Cameron Tucker scored the game-winning goal in the 57th minute to give BYU the win.

“We’ve put ourselves out there and chose to go out on the road and challenge ourselves,” said BYU head coach Jen Rockwood. “This is where we feel like that experience has paid off, to come in on the road and play a top-10 team and get the result we got. We’ve found our confidence and our rhythm.”

The matchup between the Cougars and the Broncos was a non-conference game. It was the second game of the season between the Cougars and Broncos, after Santa Clara scored a game-winner in the 87th minute at South Field on March 13.

Santa Clara came out strong early in Wednesday’s game, striking first in the fifth minute, with a goal by Izzy D'aquila.

The Cougars quickly warmed up and got back into their attack. Mikayla Colohan answered back with a goal in the 11th minute. The All-American has scored in nine consecutive games, tying the BYU record with Shauna Rohbock in 1996-97 for the most consecutive games with a score. Colohan now has 11 goals in the season.

The remainder of the half was quiet for both teams. Not only were the Cougars and Broncos tied at 1-1 at the half, but both teams had five shots a piece in the first 45 minutes of play.

In the 57th minute, Brecken Mozingo sprung Tucker between two defenders with a quick one-touch pass. The goalkeeper came out to challenge, and Tucker snuck the ball under the outstretched arms of the keeper and into the back of the net. The senior now has six goals on the season and has played a significant role in the last three games, scoring in each of the last three and adding three assists.

BYU had a few opportunities for a third goal to pull away, including a drive from Rachel McCarthy that ultimately came up short, and a shot from Mozingo that went directly into Santa Clara’s keeper. Kendell Peterson shot off the crossbar in the 79th minute to almost give BYU a two-goal cushion.

The Broncos continued to apply pressure on the Cougars, but BYU was strong on both sides of the field, ultimately outshooting the Broncos 12-7, with five shots on goal to Santa Clara’s two.

“It was a very physical game and quite a battle on both teams,” Rockwood said. “They gave everything they’ve got and you could tell players were spent. Santa Clara has such a great attacking play and are especially dangerous by not backing down. It was just a great soccer match tonight.”

BYU will remain in California to take on Saint Mary’s on Saturday, April 3rd at 1 p.m. PT at Saint Mary’s Stadium. Radio coverage will be on the BYU Cougars App, with video streaming on the WCC Network.