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BYU soccer players celebrate after winning the College Cup semifinal match against Santa Clara at Stevens Stadium in Santa Clara, Cali., on Friday, Dec. 3, 2021.(Courtesy BYU Photos)

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BYU senior keeper Cassidy Smith stops a penalty kick in the shootout during the College Cup semifinal match against Santa Clara at Stevens Stadium in Santa Clara, Cali., on Friday, Dec. 3, 2021.(Courtesy BYU Photos)

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BYU soccer players celebrate after winning the College Cup semifinal match against Santa Clara at Stevens Stadium in Santa Clara, Cali., on Friday, Dec. 3, 2021.(Courtesy BYU Photos)

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BYU sophomore midfielder Bella Folino kicks a penalty kick in the shootout during the College Cup semifinal match against Santa Clara at Stevens Stadium in Santa Clara, Cali., on Friday, Dec. 3, 2021.(Courtesy BYU Photos)

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BYU midfielder Mikayla Colohan attacks during the College Cup semifinal match against Santa Clara at Stevens Stadium in Santa Clara, Cali., on Friday, Dec. 3, 2021.(Courtesy BYU Photos)

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BYU midfielder Jenna Shepherd dribbles the ball up the field during the College Cup semifinal match against Santa Clara at Stevens Stadium in Santa Clara, Cali., on Friday, Dec. 3, 2021.(Courtesy BYU Photos)

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BYU fans cheer on their team during the College Cup semifinal match against Santa Clara at Stevens Stadium in Santa Clara, Cali., on Friday, Dec. 3, 2021.(Courtesy BYU Photos)

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BYU and Santa Clara players battle for the ball during the College Cup semifinal match at Stevens Stadium in Santa Clara, Cali., on Friday, Dec. 3, 2021.(Courtesy BYU Photos)

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BYU women's soccer players prepare to take the field before the College Cup semifinal match against Santa Clara at Stevens Stadium in Santa Clara, Cali., on Friday, Dec. 3, 2021.(Courtesy BYU Photos)

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In 90 minutes of action on Oct. 30 at Stevens Stadium in Santa Clara, the powerful offense of the BYU women’s soccer team hit the woodwork multiple times but couldn’t notch a goal against the Broncos, falling 1-0.

In 110 minutes of action — a full regulation game and two sudden-victory overtime periods — at the same stadium against the same opponent on Friday night in the College Cup national semifinals, the Cougars again had shots hit the crossbar and the post (26 total shots, eight on goal) but once again didn’t score.

Since Santa Clara wasn’t able to put a goal in this time, the contest went to penalties — and BYU promptly had its first two shots from the spot ricochet out off the crossbar and get saved.

At some point, the Cougars — who average nearly four goals per game — could’ve understandably wondered if they were somehow jinxed.

But after all those misses, all those failures, when it mattered most BYU made its shots count.

The Cougars nailed their final three penalty kicks, getting goals from sophomore midfielders Brecken Mozingo, Bella Folino and Olivia Wade.

They also got a key save from senior keeper Cassidy Smith as well as a couple of Bronco misses, which gave BYU the stunning shootout rally to get the 0-0 (3-2) win and send the Cougars to the College Cup finals.

“What a game,” BYU head coach Jennifer Rockwood told the BYU Sports Network after the game. “I’m just really proud of the girls and everybody involved in the team. We had a great game and it was fun/ I thought we played really well. I thought we were going to get one but it went to PKs and the girls did their jobs.”

Smith’s voice was gone after two hours of yelling instructions but she said in the postgame press conference that she was so locked in on her job between the pipes that she didn’t even realize the game was over when the final Bronco penalty kick bounced off the post and out. She hesitated, starting to prepare for the next set of shooters.

The BYU bench, however, was already sprinting down the field to start the wild celebration.

“Oh my gosh, it was so fun,” Cougar senior defender Grace Johnson told the BYU Sports Network. “I don’t think I’ve ever ran faster in my whole life. Just doing that together and especially doing that with Cass (Smith) and Kayla (Colohan) and so many people who have just really put however many years they’ve been here, put their blood sweat and tears into BYU soccer. It just means so much to really do that together. Our theme this year is hold the rope and it’s just basically like holding each other up, holding each other accountable, doing it for each other. I think that just kind of shows in moments like that. That’s when it pays off.”

Rockwood said she wasn’t one of the first people on the field because she was too busy savoring the moment. After more than 25 years in her current position, she finally had a team that was going to get a shot at a national title.

“We’ve made it a reality to get to the national championship game and we’ll certainly have our hands full,” Rockwood told the BYU Sports Network. “But all you can ask for is an opportunity to play against the very best on the biggest stage in college soccer, so we’ll be ready for it.”

It took an intense effort at both ends of the field for the Cougars to earn that opportunity.

“It was a tough, tough game for sure, back and forth,” Rockwood told the BYU Sport Network. “We did a really good job in the second half of keeping the ball a little bit and were a little bit more dangerous. But Santa Clara defensively really took away a lot of things that we like to do, so we didn’t really ever get any good, clean looks at the goal.”

BYU had the best scoring opportunity of the game in the early going.

Cougar senior forward Makaylie Moore got free inside the Bronco penalty box and headed a cross past Santa Clara sophomore goalkeeper Kylie Foutch, but it ricocheted off the edge of the post and bounced out.

The other top BYU opportunity came when sophomore midfielder Rachel McCarthy drove hard at an angle and got a look, but her shot was saved with a lightning-quick push by Foutch to send it high in the air and off frame.

But while the Cougars had a couple of chances, so did the Broncos.

Santa Clara junior forward Izzy D’Aquila had a couple of great opportunities in the first half, while the Broncos also had a long shot after the break that BYU keeper Cassidy Smith had to be careful with to keep from carrying it into the goal.

BYU had plenty of possession and it felt like the Cougars forced Santa Clara to defend for much of the game, but in the extra periods both teams had chances to score the golden goal.

In the first overtime, BYU sophomore defender Kendell Petersen came forward into the attack and blasted a shot from 25 yards out that looked to be just about perfect.

Foutch, however, got just the tips of her fingers on it and pushed it up and off the crossbar to preserve the shutout.

The Cougars needed a similarly dramatic play in the second OT as Santa Clara got a gorgeous cross that was headed perfectly toward the far post.

It would’ve been a really tough save for Smith if she even could’ve gotten there — but she didn’t have to since sophomore defender Laveni Vaka had dropped back and headed the ball away from the goal line.

In the end, neither team was able to break through, setting up the drama of the shootout.

Since BYU won, the NCAA announced the championship would be moved from Sunday to Monday, Dec. 6. It would take place at Stevens Stadium in Santa Clara. The Cougars will face No. 1-seed Florida State, who defeated Rutgers, 1-0, in the other semifinal.

“Florida State is the No. 1 team in the country,” Rockwood said. “They’re phenomenal. They like to keep the ball and they move the ball really well.”

Kickoff is scheduled to take place at 6 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPNU.

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