Sweet 16 Bound: BYU women’s soccer earns 1-0 NCAA Tournament win against USC
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- BYU’s Bella Folino (22) celebrates with teammate Allie Fryer after scoring a goal in an NCAA second round tournament match against USC at South Field on Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023.
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- The BYU women’s soccer team celebrates a goal scored by Bella Folino in the second half of an NCAA second round tournament match against USC at South Field on Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023.
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- BYU goalkeeper Lynette Hernaez gathers in a shot in a women’s college soccer second NCAA match against USC at South Field on Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023.
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- BYU’s Olivia Smith-Griffitts handles a throw in during a women’s college soccer NCAA second round match against USC at South Field on Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023.
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- BYU goalkeeper Lynette Hernaez grabs a USC shot during a women’s college soccer NCAA second round tournament match at South Field on Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023.
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- BYU’s Ellie Boren passes the ball during a second round NCAA Tournament match against USC at South Field on Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023.
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- The BYU student section reacts during an NCAA women’s soccer second round tournament match against USC at South Field on Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023.
The NCAA women’s soccer committee must really hate BYU.
The Cougars earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, yes, but the matchups were definitely eye-brow raising and probably the toughest first two rounds in the field. BYU was forced to face the only team to beat them during the regular season in the first round (Utah State) and earned a 2-0 victory. For their second round opponent, the Cougars got No. 8 seed USC, which was ranked No. 22 in the last United Coaches poll.
Fair or unfair, it’s all in an effort to produce regional matchups in the early rounds to save on travel costs and maximize the gate. And it turned out to be a terrific match.
After a scoreless first half on Thursday against the Trojans, the Cougars got a sweet connection between Kendell Petersen, Brecken Mozingo and Bella Folino for a goal in the 58th minute and held on for a 1-0 victory in front of a sellout crowd of 4,176 at South Field.
“We tend to get tough draws it seems every year,” BYU coach Jennifer Rockwood said. “Even though the competition was extremely tough, you’re in the NCAA and all the team are good. It was a tough first two rounds for us but it’s making us better and strong. I think it builds our confidence as we move forward.”
The goal came when Mozingo gathered in a long cross from Petersen on the right side of the box, then fired a a centering pass to Folino directly in front of the goal. Folino was unmarked for a split second and blasted the shot into the back of the net for what would prove to be the winning goal.
“I just got to the right place at the right time,” Folino said. “Petey (Petersen) had the ball and I know she likes to cross it to Brecken. I found myself open in the middle of the box, taking a touch and I hit it as hard as I could. Brecken knows how to pass the ball and find open spaces so I knew it was coming.”
USC put on a pretty good offensive push through the final 30 minutes of the match and had some strong possessions in BYU’s defensive half. The Cougars had to survive a final shot from Aaliyah Farmer by the Trojans with 15 seconds left that just skipped over the crossbar.
“It was super chaotic,” BYU sophomore defender Izzie Stratton said. “It felt like the intensity was just super high. We were all just locked in. My heart definitely dropped a little watching the ball go over (the crossbar) and it was a good feeling for sure.”
USC ended up outshooting BYU 16-15, with goalkeepers Lynette Hernaez (BYU) and Hannah Dickinson (USC) finishing with six saves each.
Both teams spent most of the first 45 minutes building carefully from the back and not producing a lot of scoring chances, neither defense getting overextended. There were only seven shots between the two teams in the first 20 minutes and nothing particularly dangerous.
At the 20-minute mark, a cross from BYU’s Ellie Walbruch just missed Allie Fryer in front of the USC goal and at near the 30-minute mark, Jamie Shepherd ripped a shot from 30 yards that caused Dickinson to make a diving stop.
On the other side, USC took some hard shots from distance but Hernaez was up to the task, making a nice save on blast from Maribel Flores near the 35-minute mark.
“This just shows how much grit we have,” senior defender Laveni Vaka said. “Tonight was definitely such a team win.”
USC finishes the season at 11-5-3. BYU (18-2-3) advances to the Sweet 16 on Saturday to play No. 5 seed Michigan State. The match is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. MT and will be streamed on ESPN+.
This is the third year in a row the Cougars have advanced to the quarterfinals.
No. 5 Michigan State 1, No. 4 Harvard 0
Earlier in the day in Provo, the Spartans were outshot 21-11 but took advantage of a penalty kick by Justin Gaynor in the 50th minutes to slip past the Crimson and advance to Saturday’s third round.
