Five girls score five goals in home victory

PROVO, Utah —Five different players scored as the No. 17/8 BYU women's soccer team defeated Cal Poly 5-1 on Thursday in front of a crowd of 4,103 at South Field.

 “I think we’re playing great soccer and we are able to maintain our momentum,” head coach Jennifer Rockwood said. “Cal Poly is a very good team, they move the ball well and were able to get an early goal on us. We bounced back, got the tying goal, kept our composure and finished very strong in the second half.”

Forward Jaiden Thornock led all players with seven shots, one of them resulting in a goal with 15:25 remaining in the first half. Thornock, a sophomore, received a pass from senior Carlee Payne Holmoe then dribbled around the goalie to score her fourth goal of the season.

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Along with one assist and three shots, Holmoe also scored a goal in the first half off a penalty kick after a hand ball was called against Cal Poly.

“I’m very pleased with how Carlee is playing," Rockwood said. "She’s playing the best soccer of her career, has had great passes and created a lot of opportunities for us.”

Cal Poly went on the board first as senior Cici Kobinski scored in the fifth minute of the game. BYU answered mid way through the half when junior Rachel Manning notched an assist as she passed to freshman Michele Murphy, who then found the back of the net to tie the game, 1-1.

The Cougars dominated on both sides of the ball, especially the defense, anchored by goalie Erica Owens and defender Lindsi Lisonbee Cutshall, who is currently on the Hermann Trophy Watch List, as they held the Mustangs to just one corner kick all game.

Offensively, BYU took advantage of a 30-10 shot differential, scoring three goals in the first half and two more in the second. The contest marked the seventh-straight game of double-digit shots by the Cougars.

Late in the second half, Murphy lobbed a pass from the Cougars’ sixth corner kick of the game to teammate Cutshall, who quickly scored off a header for the fourth goal of the game.

Redshirt freshman Marissa Nimmer, the fifth Cougar to add to the scoreboard, notched her first career goal with just over five minutes left in the game. Dana Oldroyd Cusick was credited with the assist. 

With the victory, the Cougars advance to 6-1 on the season. They face No. 23 Washington on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. MST in Provo.

The Smith Fieldhouse ticket booth will be open again before Saturday's matchup.