BYU women’s soccer ranked No. 1 for first time
Courtesy BYU Photo
The BYU women's soccer team celebrates a 3-1 upset of top-ranked UCLA in a women's college soccer match at South Field on Thursday, August 31, 2023.For the first time in program history, the BYU women’s soccer team has been ranked No. 1 in the United Soccer Coaches poll.
The Cougars received all eight first-place votes for a total of 200 points after adding two more wins to their undefeated 6-0 record. Previously, the highest BYU ranking was No. 2 following the 2021 NCAA College Cup Championship match.
The Cougars are ranked No. 3 in the nation by Top Drawer Soccer behind Florida State and Stanford, while they are No. 2 (behind Stanford) in Maria Howell’s Power Rankings on NCAA.com.
BYU hosted former-No. 1 UCLA on Thursday, Aug. 31 in front of 5,209 fans, besting the Bruins 3-1 courtesy of goals by Ellie Walbruch, Rachel McCarthy and Erin Bailey. The Cougars also took down cross-town rival Utah Valley 6-1 on Saturday, Sept. 2. BYU netted a season-high six goals against the Wolverines, with forward Bailey notching her first-career brace.
The Cougars will travel north to the University of Utah on Saturday, Sept. 9 at 7 p.m. MDT for their final non-conference game before beginning Big 12 competition on Sept. 14, hosting TCU.
