BYU women's soccer falls to Utah State 2-1 in overtime

PROVO, Utah — No. 18 BYU women’s soccer moved to 5-3-1 on the season after a 2-1 loss to Utah State in extra time at South Field on Saturday night.

“We created a lot of opportunities to score,” said Jen Rockwood, BYU head coach. “They came out, they had a couple opportunities and made the most of them. We had the ball most of the game and couldn’t find ways to score.”

BYU put pressure on the Aggies early, with Mikayla Colohan and Cameron Tucker taking shots in the fifth minute. Both shots were saved by USU goalie Diera Walton, but the Cougars continued to push forward, taking three more shots in the first 10 minutes. Utah State’s defense was able to keep the ball out of the net, however, and the Cougars were unable to capitalize on their early offensive plays.

Still scoreless in the 22nd minute, Colohan attempted a shot that ricocheted off the right goal post. The Aggies recovered the ball and sprinted across the field, allowing senior midfielder Ashley Cardozo to score the first point of the match in the 24th minute.

The Cougars attempted five more shots in the first half, but never found the back of the net.

Despite BYU’s 11 shots on Utah State’s three, the score at halftime remained 1-0 with the Aggies at an advantage, marking the first time BYU has trailed at South Field this season.

The Cougars continued to play an aggressive second half, pushing past USU’s defense.

BYU’s Laveni Vaka and Utah State’s Sammie Murdock received yellow cards in the 48th minute after getting tangled up. Colohan and Kendell Petersen both took shots immediately following the foul, but both missed the net. The Cougars continued taking shots to put pressure on the Aggies, but failed to put the ball past the keeper.

With an assist by Tucker, a carefully placed shot from Colohan found the back of the net in the 57th minute, bringing the score to 1-1. BYU kept the ball in their possession and continued to take shots while Walton continued to deflect every shot on goal.

The score remained at 1-1 through the end of regulated time, bringing the battle into overtime. The Cougars fought through the oncoming rain, with Brecken Mozingo taking a shot just a few minutes into overtime. Tucker and Colohan also took shots, but failed to execute any goals.

In the 99th minute, Utah State’s Tenzi Knowles blasted a shot into the back of the net, bringing the score to 2-1 and securing an Aggie win. The game-winning goal was the first of Tenzi Knowles’ Aggie career.

The Cougars took 30 shots in the game, compared with Utah State’s six. Mikayla Colohan led with 12 shots, with five on target. Cameron Tucker followed with five shots.

BYU will head into a bye-week, so its next game won’t be until October 2 as the Cougars face Gonzaga on the road at Luger Field. The game will take place at 7 p.m. PDT and will be available on the BYU Sports Network — BYU Radio 107.9 FM/BYU Cougars App.