CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — With a decisive stop by freshman goalkeeper Taygan Sill and a winning strike by midfielder Ellie Maughan in penalty kicks, the BYU women’s soccer team has advanced to the Sweet Sixteen with a thrilling win over the Stanford Cardinal on Friday.

It was a 1-1 score through regulation and two overtimes, with the Cougars winning 5-4 in penalty kicks. 

“What a beautiful place to play and what a fantastic game,” said Jennifer Rockwood, BYU head coach. “It was a bit of a nail-biter as both teams saw several opportunities to get ahead in the game, and we did what we needed to do to hold on. Super proud of the girls going out big in PKs, because that is a lot of pressure. Glad they stepped out there and got the job done today.”

As two of the top-10 scoring offenses in the nation, Stanford and BYU came to the field ready for battle. Both offenses played aggressive, with 22 shots by the Cougars and 33 shots from the Cardinal. BYU led in shots on frame with 12 to Stanford’s 10. Both team's goalkeepers posted important saves, with Savanna Mason making six and Ryan Campbell tallying 10.  

First Half

The Cougars saw the first dangerous attack in the fourth minute on the pitch, with a shot by Olivia Wade from the top of the penalty arc that deflected off the post and found the back of the net for a 1-0 lead on BYU's first shot of the game. The goal was just the second conceded by the Cardinal since they played Washington State back on Oct. 9, seven games ago.

After the early BYU goal, Stanford gained control of the ball in its offensive third, firing off 11 shots in the following minutes, one finding the back of the net in the 22nd minute. Freshman forward Jasmine Aikey got the equalizer for Stanford, notching her fifth goal in the last two games. Aikey scored four goals in the NCAA opening round against San Jose State.

BYU found an attack in the 29th minute as Wade received a pass in the middle of the field and sent a through-ball to Rachel McCarthy, who took a right-footed shot punched out by Campbell.

With 10 minutes remaining in the first half, a shot by goal-scorer Ayeki was punched out by Mason for Stanford’s fourth corner kick of the match. After being cleared out, the Cougars regained possession on the pitch and began a late attack.

In the 39th minute, McCarthy took a shot from inside the penalty box, forcing a diving save by the Stanford keeper. Just five minutes later, Bella Folino raced down the spine of the field and fired off a shot that sailed just over the crossbar. 

Through the first 45 minutes, Stanford led in shots 16-7 and corner kicks 4-1. Despite the disparity, the Cougars and Cardinal went into the locker room with a 1-1 draw.

Second Half

BYU started the second half much like the first, with high-pressure and consistent connection. The Cougars found three shots in the first five minutes of the second half, keeping possession in the center of the field.

In the 59th minute, McCarthy beat Stanford defenders for a breakaway against the Cardinal keeper, shooting the ball just wide of the goal.

Stanford started pressuring BYU’s defense in the 73rd minute, tallying five shots in a one-minute span, as the Cougars struggled to clear the ball out of their penalty box. Mason finally snatched the ball out of the air to regain BYU possession on the pitch.

In the 79th minute, a miss-hit by Mason to Zoe Jacobs resulted in a dangerous Stanford shot from the top of the 18, missing just over the crossbar. 

A shot by Jacobs off a BYU corner kick in the 84th minute was tipped out by the Stanford goalkeeper as the Cougars continued to attack as the clock ran down.

On a final attempt to take the second-round win, Stanford earned back-to-back corner kicks, with shots by Sierra Enge and Avani Brandt, with saves by Mason. As regulation ended in a 1-1 draw, BYU and Stanford prepared for two 10-minute overtime periods.

First Overtime Period

In the 93rd minute, Stanford caught BYU’s backline flat-footed and got a breakaway down the spine of the field, forcing Mason to come to the top of her box for a sliding save.

With 20 seconds remaining in the first overtime period, Jamie Shepherd collected the ball at half-field and fired off a shot that missed wide right, taking the teams into the second overtime period still tied 1-1.

Second Overtime Period

With the ball bouncing back-and-forth between the two teams, BYU saw the first shot on target in the second overtime period. In the 105th minute, Wade blasted a shot from the penalty arc that was punched over by Stanford’s goalkeeper. 

In the 108th, Stanford had a corner kick that bounced around on the goal-line, but was cleared out by BYU’s defense. Despite a few good looks by BYU, the second overtime period ended in a 1-1 draw, sending the teams into penalty kicks.

Penalty Kicks

Both teams converted their first four attempts, but a save by BYU freshman goalkeeper Sill, who had come into the game for the sole purpose of facing the penalty kicks, and a final goal by Maughan gave BYU the win 5-4, with the team storming the field in celebration. 

The Cougars now advance to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen to be played on Saturday, Nov. 19 at 11:30 a.m. EST on Dorrance Field against the winner of tonight's matchup, Georgia and North Carolina. The game will be streamed on BYURadio, the BYURadio App and ESPN+.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — No. 6 seed BYU women's soccer will travel to North Carolina for the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament against the Stanford Cardinal on Thursday afternoon.

GAME NOTES

Thursday’s matchup has been scheduled for 3 p.m. EST. The game will be carried live on BYURadio.org, the BYU Radio app and BYU Radio 107.9 FM. The game will also be streamed on ESPN+. 

TOURNAMENT HISTORY. Under the direction of head coach Jennifer Rockwood, BYU has previously made 22 NCAA tournament appearances, including five Sweet Sixteens, two Elite Eights and a College Cup finals appearance last season. BYU was the No. 12 seed last year and finished as the NCAA College Cup National Runner-Up, falling in penalty kicks in the championship game. 

LAST TIME ON THE PITCH. BYU last competed against Utah Valley on Friday, Nov. 11 in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament at South Field. The Cougars won 3-0 to knock off the Wolverines, with goals by freshman Allie Fryer, sophomore Tara Warner and junior Rachel McCarthy. Warner’s goal marks her first-career collegiate goal. Fryer’s goal is her eighth on the season, while McCarthy notched her second.

CONFERENCE RECOGNITION. The WCC awards were released on Wednesday, Nov. 9, and the Cougars took home seven honors. Jamie Shepherd was recognized as WCC Midfielder of the Year, while Laveni Vaka was honored as WCC Defender of the Year. Shepherd and Vaka were two of three Cougars named to the All-WCC First Team, joining standout forward Brecken Mozingo. Juniors Olivia Smith and Olivia Wade received All-WCC Second Team honors. Freshmen Allie Fryer and Izzi Stratton were both named to the WCC All-Freshman Team.

BYU NOTES (11-2-6, 6-0-3)

• BYU was ranked No. 14 nationally in the latest Top Drawer Soccer College National Rankings
• Mozingo leads the Cougars in goals (12), assists (10) and points (34)
• As a true freshman, Fryer has the second-most goals on the season (8)
• Mozingo finds herself in the BYU record book with 10 assists in a single season, which is tied for fourth-highest in BYU history. She is now ranked No. 4 in most shots in a season, with 104, right behind former Cougar Sara Reading's 107. With three multi-goal games this season, Mozingo is also tied for fourth-most multi-goal games amongst Cougars
• Fryer also finds herself in the record book with eight goals in a single season as a true freshman, which is tied for sixth-highest in BYU history
• BYU’s last game against Stanford was in the NCAA Quarterfinals in 2019 where the Cardinal beat the Cougars 5-1

Head Coach - Jennifer Rockwood

• Record at BYU: 435-125-53
• 28th season as head coach of BYU
• Seventh in NCAA Division I active career winning percentage (.754)  

STANFORD NOTES. (17-2-2, 9-1-1)

• Stanford finished its regular season No. 1 in the Pac-12 and No. 7 nationally
• The Cardinal last played San Jose State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, winning 6-0
• Lumi Kostmayer leads her team in goals (10), points (23) and shots (62)
• Freshman Jasmine Aikey scored four goals, including three in the span of three minutes, to secure the 6-0 victory over San Jose State

Head Coach - Paul Ratcliffe

• Record as head coach at Stanford: 356-66-34
• 20th season as head coach at Stanford University
• Ratcliffe has collected more victories than any other coach in Stanford men’s or women’s soccer history
• Under the direction of Ratcliffe, the Stanford women have won three national championships, reached five NCAA Finals, won nine Pac-12 titles, played in nine College Cups and reached the NCAA Sweet 16 in 13 of the past 16 seasons
• The Cardinal has advanced to the College Cup nine of the last 14 seasons

COUGARS VS. THE CARDINAL. The Cougars and the Cardinal have played eight times previously, with Stanford leading the series 5-3. The last time the two teams met was in the NCAA Elite Eight on Nov. 9, 2019 when the Cardinal beat the Cougars 5-1 on Maloney Field at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium. The only BYU goal of the match came from a Stanford own-goal in the 54th minute. 

BROADCAST INFORMATION

• Thursday, November 17, at 3 p.m. EST on Dorrance Field
• Radio: BYURadio.org/BYU Radio App/BYU Radio 107.9 FM
• Radio play-by-play: Greg Wrubell
• TV Stream: ESPN+