PK KO: Cougars earn second straight shootout win at Big 12 Tournament
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- BYU goalkeeper Chelsea Peterson (right) does an interview after the Cougars’ shootout semifinal victory against Colorado at the Big 12 Women’s Soccer Tournament in Mansfield, Texas, on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026.
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- BYU’s Emma Neff (9) kicks the ball against Colorado at the Big 12 Women’s Soccer Tournament in Mansfield, Texas, on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026.
Courtesy BYU Athletics
BYU goalkeeper Chelsea Peterson (right) does an interview after the Cougars' shootout semifinal victory against Colorado at the Big 12 Women's Soccer Tournament in Mansfield, Texas, on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026.
MANSFIELD, Texas — After falling behind 1-0 early, BYU women’s soccer (12-3-5, 8-1-2 Big 12) battled back to earn a 1-1 draw with Colorado before winning 4-2 in a penalty shootout Wednesday night to advance to the Big 12 Soccer Tournament championship.
Senior goalkeeper Chelsea Peterson played the full 110 minutes and made one save during the PK shootout. She also had a season-high seven saves to keep BYU’s championship run alive. Peterson remains perfect in penalty shootouts during her two seasons at BYU, with a perfect 5-for-5 record.
“Pens (penalty kicks) are just honestly a mind game,” Peterson told ESPN after the match. “On the run of play, I have a lot of emotions, but my team was gassed. We went to overtime and pens on Monday, they’re so tired. So I had to get them going as much as I could and just rely on emotion. It’s just how it goes. My team is ice at the dot. They’re too good at what they do. I get to clean up the easy stuff, (they) make me look good.”
How does Peterson plan to prepare for Saturday’s final?
“Sleep, eat, watch a lot of film, have a lot of fun with my best friends,” she said.
Courtesy BYU Athletics
BYU's Emma Neff (9) kicks the ball against Colorado at the Big 12 Women's Soccer Tournament in Mansfield, Texas, on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026.
Both teams converted on their first shots in the shootout, with Woods scoring for the Cougars. Krommenhoek scored BYU’s second, while Colorado’s shot missed wide left, giving BYU a 2-1 advantage. BYU and Colorado both made their third shots, with Summers-Oviatt scoring for BYU. Perry’s shot was blocked, then Peterson made the save on CU’s fourth shot.
Emma Neff took BYU’s final shot and buried it into the left corner, sending BYU through to the Big 12 Soccer Tournament Championship for the second year in a row.
Mia Goettsche scored her sixth goal of the year in the match, now leading BYU in goals on the year. Emma Neff and Sophie Sivulich earned assists on the goal.
Mika Krommenhoek led the Cougars with a career-high eight shots. Four BYU players logged all 110 minutes: Lucy Kesler, Krommenhoek, Avery Frischknecht and Bella Woods.
The Cougars outshot the Buffs 26-15 with four shots on frame and nine corner kicks.
BYU will make its second consecutive appearance in the Big 12 Tournament championship game, becoming the first team to reach the final in back-to-back seasons since TCU in 2021 and 2022.
Colorado’s Hope Leyba connected on a near-post volley, finding the back of the net to give the Buffaloes an early 1-0 lead.
The Cougars outshot the Buffaloes 7-1 in the second half, finishing regulation with 20 total shots. BYU also recorded seven corner kicks through the end of regulation but the score remained tied at 1-1.
With neither team finding the back of the net through two overtime periods, the match was decided by penalty kicks.
The Cougars will face the winner of the game between No. 3 seed Baylor and No. 2 seed Texas Tech in Saturday’s Big 12 Tournament championship at 6 p.m. MT. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.
