SANTA CLARA, Calif. ­­– Despite giving up a pair of goals in the first half, the No. 4 BYU women’s soccer team earned a 2-2 draw with Santa Clara in the West Coast Conference opener on Saturday.

“The girls battled extremely hard and I thought we played very well,” BYU head coach Jennifer Rockwood said. “We were a bit unfortunate with a couple of defensive mistakes that led to their goals, but for the most part defensively we were very solid. I am just proud of the way we fought through.”

The Broncos (6-5-1, 0-0-1 WCC) got on the board in the sixth minute as Santa Clara was awarded a free kick just outside the 18-yard box. Kelcie Hedge blasted a shot to the left of a diving Sabrina Davis to take the 1-0 lead.

In the 34th minute, the Broncos extended their lead to 2-0 after taking on the Cougar (10-0-1, 0-0-1 WCC) defense and sneaking the ball into the back of the net.

Sophomore Ashton Brockbank managed to score in the 42nd minute off an Ellie Maughan corner kick as Santa Clara was unable to clear the ball and she tucked it into the back of the net, bringing BYU within one, 2-1.

After 45 minutes of play, the Cougars outshot the Broncos 7-4 with five on frame.

BYU continued to put pressure on the Santa Clara defense in the second half and in the 68th minute senior Elise Flake brought the ball down the field and passed it to an open junior Cameron Tucker who blasted a shot into the back of the net, evening the score at 2-all.

Neither team was able to put together a dangerous attack through the remaining minutes of regular play as both defenses held strong, sending the game into overtime.

The Cougars controlled the first overtime period, but the most dangerous opportunities were called offsides as SaraJayne Affleck and Flake attempted to take on the goalkeeper one-on-one.

BYU continued to put pressure on the Broncos’ defense but was unable to score as the teams closed the match with a tie.

On the game, the Cougars recorded 13 shots and five corner kicks while Santa Clara tallied seven and five. Davis recorded a pair of saves in goal.

The Cougars return to South Field as they host Pepperdine on Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 7 p.m. MDT. The game will be streamed on the BYUtv App and audio broadcasts can be heard on BYU Sports Network/BYU Cougars App, 107.9 FM and ESPN 960 AM/ESPN 960 App.

GAME NOTES

• This was the first game the Cougars trailed at halftime.
• Ashton Brockbank tallied her third goal of the season and fourth in her career.
• Cameron Tucker has found the back of the net for the fifth time this season as Elise Flake recorded her second assist on the year.

PROVO, Utah – The No. 4 BYU women's soccer team opens West Coast Conference action at Santa Clara on Saturday, Oct. 5, at 1 p.m. PDT.

BYU vs. Santa Clara Game Notes

No. 4 BYU (10-0-0, 0-0-0 WCC) @ Santa Clara (6-5-0, 0-0-0 WCC)

• Saturday, Oct. 5, at 1 p.m. PDT, at Stevens Stadium
• Video: WCC Network
• Radio: BYU Sports Network/BYU Cougars App/107.9 FM and ESPN 960 AM/ESPN 960 AM App
• Radio Talent: Greg Wrubell (play-by-play) and Avery Walker (analyst)

IN THE RANKINGS. As the only remaining undefeated team in NCAA Division I women's soccer, the Cougars continue to climb in the United Soccer Coaches Poll after claiming the No. 4 spot this week as well as the No. 5 spot in Top Drawer Soccer's poll. BYU also tallied two first place votes for the second week. In the NCAA RPI rankings, the Cougars are No. 8.

LAST TIME ON THE FIELD. After being stunned in the second minute of play as UC Irvine scored, BYU fought from behind to take a 4-2 victory over the Anteaters. Junior Mikayla Colohan scored a pair of goals while Elise Flake and Rachel McCarthy also found the back of the net in the win.

IN THE RECORDS. Senior Elise Flake is climbing her way up in the BYU women's soccer record book as she passed BYU great Aleisha Rose and now sits in the No. 11 spot with 29 career goals scored. Colohan has also made it into the top 25 with 14 goals in her career.

OFFENSE VS. DEFENSE.  The Cougar offense has scored an impressive 29 goals while the defense has only allowed three in 10 matches. BYU is fifth in the nation for scoring and defensively, the Cougars are first in shutout percentage and third for goals-against average. MAC Hermann Trophy candidates Flake and Colohan lead the way with nine and six goals, respectively. Goalkeeper Sabrina Davis has a .864 save percentage and a .39 goals-against average.

THE BRONCOS. Santa Clara is coming off a two-win week after beating UC Santa Barbara and UC Riverside on their home field. The Broncos most significant win of the season came as they upset No. 2 UCLA 2-0. It is the second year in a row Santa Clara has knocked off the second-ranked team. Freshman Izzy D'Aquila leads the Broncos and the WCC with 10 goals, including three game-winners. Junior Kelsey Turnbow has found the back of the net seven times and tallied eight assists.

THE COUGARS VS. BRONCOS. Santa Clara controls the series record 7-2-4 and has not lost on its home turf, but BYU most recently earned a 2-0 win at South Field in 2018 to claim the WCC Championship. The only other win for the Cougars came in 2014 as they took a dominant 5-2 victory.