PORTLAND, Ore. – A goal by Elise Flake gave the BYU women’s soccer team a 1-0 victory over Portland at Merlo Field Saturday night.

"I loved the way we came out," BYU head coach Jennifer Rockwood said. "We had a great first half and were a bit unfortunate, but what a move Elise made to put the ball in the back of the net. They are having fun and working hard and we want to finish the season strong."

The first half was controlled by the Cougars  (7-6-4, 4-2-1 West Coast Conference) despite neither team finding the back of the net. BYU tallied eight shots including four on goal and shots by Danika Bowman and Nadia Gomes that sailed just high of the crossbar. The Pilots (5-12-1, 2-6 WCC) only got two shots off, both of which went wide.

Portland picked up its attack in the second half, forcing BYU goalkeeper Hannah Clark to make two big saves early in the half.

The lone goal of the match occurred in the 68th minute when freshman Mikayla Colohan found Elise Flake in the 18-yard box. Flake placed her shot to the near post and put the Cougars ahead 1-0.

BYU outshot Portland 13-8 in the win, which included shots by five different players. The win was the sixth shutout for the Cougars this season.

WCC action for BYU continues on the road at San Francisco on Thursday, Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. PDT. Live coverage will be available on TheW.tv and can be heard on BYU Radio (Sirius XM 143) and ESPN 960 AM.

PROVO, Utah – The BYU women's soccer team begins its final road trip of the season at Gonzaga on Thursday, Oct. 26, at 9 p.m. MDT and Portland on Saturday, Oct. 28, at 8 p.m. MDT.

BYU Storylines

The Cougars (5-6-4, 2-2-1) are looking to bounce back after a 2-1 loss to No. 12 Pepperdine and a 0-all tie to Loyola Marymount last week. In the loss against the Waves, Madie Lyons Mathews found the back of the net first in the 14th minute to give BYU an early lead. Pepperdine answered with two goals in four minutes to take the lead and ultimately the win. Against LMU, the Cougars recorded 29 shots but were unable to put the ball in the goal.

Mathews leads the offense with six goals and two assists while Nadia Gomes has added four goals and three assists.

Gonzaga Storylines

The Bulldogs (10-5-1, 2-4) are on a three-game losing streak after falling to West Coast Conference opponents Santa Clara, Pepperdine and Portland. Under the direction of former BYU associate head coach Chris Watkins, Gonzaga has made program history this season. Before conference play, the Bulldogs were 8-1-1 and have only lost one game at home.

Gonzaga has recorded 35 goals this season and has allowed 20. The offense is led by India Jencks with nine goals and Sophia Viviano with eight. Utah native Isabel Jones has tallied 51 saves on the season.

Series Information

BYU is undefeated in the series, winning its sixth game 6-0 at South Field in 2016.

Game Information

• Thursday, Oct. 26 at 9 p.m. MDT, at Luger Field
• Video: ESPNU
• Video Talent: Trey Bender (play-by-play) and Lori Lindsey (analyst)
• Radio: BYU Radio (Sirius XM 143) and ESPN 960 AM
• Radio Talent: Greg Wrubell (play-by-play) and Paige Barker (analyst)

Portland Storylines

The Pilots (5-10-1, 2-4) are coming off of two wins against Loyola Marymount and Gonzaga. Portland will host San Diego before taking on the Cougars Saturday.

The offense has only scored 11 goals this season while the defense has given up 21. Two players have scored twice while six more have found the back of the net once.

Series Information

The Cougars lead the series 7-4. In 2016, BYU beat the Pilots 3-0 at South Field.

Game Information

• Saturday, Oct. 28 at 8 p.m. MDT, at Merlo Field
• Video: W.tv
• Radio: BYU Radio (Sirius XM 143) and ESPN 960 AM
• Radio Talent: Jason Shepherd (play-by-play) and Paige Barker (analyst)