SALT LAKE -- No. 17 BYU soccer suffered one of its most disheartening losses in history during the first round of the NCAA tournament to Weber State. The game required two overtimes and a shootout before the Wildcats came out with a 4-3 shootout victory.

"Obviously we're devastated," head coach Jennifer Rockwood said. "In our sport more than any other you can dominate a game, but the ball may not bounce your way. I don't say this very often, but we must be one of the unluckiest teams. We're extremely discouraged to end on a note like this."

It took Weber State only 13 minutes to get on the board when Rochelle Hoover sent a pass toward the middle of the goal box. A BYU defender slipped, leaving Sarah Cortez with a wide open shot that she buried into the back of the net. The goal marked her first of the season.

BYU came out smooth and connected in the opening minutes, but the goal deflated the Cougars who struggled to regain composure and momentum.

BYU showed heart and determination in the second half, earning several early looks.

In what has become a Cougar trademark, Bobbi Tillotson sent a perfectly high-arching ball to the far-side of the net to Jaime Rendich Beck, heading in the tying goal in the 64th minute. Rendich Beck netted 11 goals during her senior season.

From that moment on it was all BYU, though the rest of regulation went scoreless. The Cougars earned an astounding 13-0 advantage in corner kicks, but couldn't find a way to capitalize.

"We had plenty of scoring opportunities," Rockwood said. "Sometimes the ball scores, sometimes it doesn't. I believe we did everything in our power to prepare for this game, and the ball just didn't bounce our way."

After two 10-minute overtimes, the game was forced to end in one of soccer's most unkind fashions: a shootout.

Sophomore Natalie Nate was the first kicker for the Cougars, having already proven her mental toughness by netting a penalty kick late in the game to defeat No. 9 California earlier this season. Nate buried the ball in the bottom left corner.

Weber State's Erin Smith got the call to be the Wildcats' first kicker. Her shot soared into the top right corner of the net.

Rendich Beck then stepped up to take her shot, choosing to kick a knee-high shot to the left side. Keeeper Kandice Golar read it and made the save. Wildcat Shaylee Stegen then took her turn to face BYU keeper Erika Woodbury, also kicking it to the left side. Woodbury read it, reached for it, but the ball grazed off her fingers into the net.

Freshman Jessica Aquino was the Cougars' third kicker, grounding the ball to the bottom left corner just under the keeper's hand. Hayley McCoy of Weber State then faced her opportunity, shooting a mirror image of Stegen's shot, only to the right side. Woodbury again got her hand on the ball, but was unable to make the save.

The Cougars were now down 3-2 with two shooters left for both teams.

Annie Zwahlen got the call, but miss kicked, sending her ball slightly off-centered to the right. Golar was there for the save. Woodbury then faced Lisa Crump and a shot she had to save. Crump shot the ball to the bottom left corner, but Woodbury anticipated correctly and made the save.

With two final kickers, BYU was still down 3-2.

BYU's Brooke Thulin accepted the pressure, shooting right as the goalie dove left. That same misfortune befell the Cougars as Hoover shot left, while Woodbury dove right.

The loss was difficult for Rockwood, as one of the best teams in BYU history, fell short of expectations.

"We firmly believed we would score that second goal [in regulation]. We all did. I feel sorry for all the girls who worked so hard and played so well this season. They deserved to end on a better note."

Soccer Box Score (Final)
                     2005 NCAA WOMEN'S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIPS
      Weber State vs Brigham Young (Nov 10, 2005 at Salt Lake City, Utah)
Weber State (14-4-2) vs.                                    Goals by period       1  2 OT O2 SO  Tot
Brigham Young (15-2-4)                                      ----------------------------------------
Date: Nov 10, 2005  Attendance:                             Weber State.........  1  0  0  0  0 -  1
Weather: 53 Degrees, Mostly Cloudy                          Brigham Young.......  0  1  0  0  0 -  1
Weber State                                             Brigham Young
Pos ## Player                Sh SOG  G  A               Pos ## Player                Sh SOG  G  A
------------------------------------------              ------------------------------------------
GK  1  Kandice Golar.......   -   -  -  -               GK  28 WOODBURY, Erika.....   -   -  -  -
D   2  Ashley Wood.........   -   -  -  -               D   3  CUTHBERT, Haylee....   2   -  -  -
MF  3  Rochelle Hoover.....   3   1  -  1               MF  4  AQUINO, Jessica.....   -   -  -  -
D   5  Sarah Espinoza......   -   -  -  -               D   9  HARMON, Jessica.....   -   -  -  -
D   6  Erin Smith..........   1   -  -  -               MF  11 BECK, Jaime.........   7   4  1  -
F   8  Linsey McFarland....   1   -  -  -               MF  12 NATE, Natalie.......   2   -  -  -
F   10 Sarah Cortez........   2   2  1  -               D   13 THULIN, Brooke......   1   1  -  -
MF  11 Hayley McCoy........   3   1  -  -               MF  16 LUI, Charlene.......   3   3  -  -
F   16 Cassidy Williams....   -   -  -  -               F   18 LARKIN, Katie.......   5   4  -  -
MF  28 Shelli Gough........   -   -  -  -               D   19 ANDERSON, Nicole....   -   -  -  -
D   31 Ashtyn Webster......   -   -  -  -               F   20 TILLOTSON, Bobbi....   1   -  -  1
     ---------- Substitutes ----------                       ---------- Substitutes ----------
    13 Lisa Crump..........   -   -  -  -                   2  ANDERSON, Amberlea..   -   -  -  -
    23 Natalie Ellis.......   3   1  -  -                   5  FELLER, Whitney.....   -   -  -  -
    25 Shannon Murri.......   -   -  -  -                   6  ZWAHLEN, Annie......   1   -  -  -
       Totals..............  13   5  1  1                   7  SWENSON, Carolyn....   -   -  -  -
                                                            15 BOWMAN, Brooke......   -   -  -  -
                                                               Totals..............  22  12  1  1
Weber State                                             Brigham Young
## Player                 MIN  GA Saves                 ## Player                 MIN  GA Saves
---------------------------------------                 ---------------------------------------
1  Kandice Golar....... 110:00  1    11                 28 WOODBURY, Erika..... 110:00  1     4
Shots by period       1  2 OT O2 SO  Tot                Saves by period       1  2 OT O2 SO  Tot
----------------------------------------                ----------------------------------------
Weber State.........  6  4  1  2  0 - 13                Weber State.........  2  4  4  1  0 - 11
Brigham Young.......  7 10  4  1  0 - 22                Brigham Young.......  1  2  0  1  0 -  4
Corner kicks          1  2 OT O2 SO  Tot                Fouls                 1  2 OT O2 SO  Tot
----------------------------------------                ----------------------------------------
Weber State.........  0  0  0  0  0 -  0                Weber State.........  5 12  0  3  0 - 20
Brigham Young.......  6  5  1  1  0 - 13                Brigham Young.......  8  2  2  0  0 - 12
SCORING SUMMARY:
GOAL   Time Team     Goal Scorer              Assists                                  Description
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 1.   12:47 WSU      Sarah Cortez (1)         Rochelle Hoover                          
8 yards, right side of box, lower left c
 2.   63:45 BY       BECK, Jaime (11)         TILLOTSON, Bobbi                         
Header from 5 yards, bottom right.
CAUTIONS AND EJECTIONS:
YC-WSU #13 (35:56); YC-WSU #2 (55:19); YC-BY #16 (108:43)
Officials: Referee: Jeff Young; Asst. Referee: Jason Walker; Schnyler Pack;
Alt. Official: Lyf Gyldersleve; Timekeeper: Greg Madsen; Scorer: Josh Fisher;
Offsides: Weber State 1, Brigham Young 1.
ID-409548
WEBER STATE WINS IN PENALTY KICKS (4-3)

PROVO, Utah (Nov. 7)--The BYU women's soccer team was all smiles as the Cougars earned a No. 4 seed in the 2005 NCAA tournament, ESPNEWS announced Monday afternoon. BYU will play Weber State in Salt Lake City on Thursday, followed by a Utah-Arizona matchup.

"We're really excited," head coach Jennifer Rockwood said. "We've worked very hard throughout the course of the season. The fact that the NCAA selection committee seeded us shows the respect we've earned."

The NCAA tournament is comprised of 64 teams, with 30 teams earning automatic bids after winning their conference tournaments and 34 team receiving at-large invitations. The games this weekend will be played at 16 different sites across the nation.

The Top 16 teams in the nation are seeded, consisting of four sets of teams ranked one through four. BYU (15-2-3) received the ranked position in its division of the bracket. The Cougars draw Weber State (15-2-3) on Thursday at 4:30 p.m., on Ute Field. In the second game Utah (14-6-1) hosts Arizona (9-7-3). The winners of both games will play Saturday.

Live stats will be available for all games. The web links can be found at Go Cougars!.

The Cougars welcome a couple of firsts for this tournament. It marks the first time BYU has received a seed in the NCAA tournament and the first time three teams from the Mountain West Conference are going to the tournament. UNLV received an automatic bid after winning the MWC tournament.

Having already played seven of the teams making NCAA appearances, including the three other teams in the bracket, BYU feels prepared for this weekend. The Cougars beat Weber State and Arizona, while tying archrival Utah. BYU has also defeated UNLV, Texas, California and Wisconsin.

"I think our draw is great," forward Natalie Nate said. "There are a lot of great teams in our bracket and we definitely can't overlook Weber State. But our team is ready and focused for this weekend."

BYU players are excited to travel to Salt Lake City, as the Cougars have never lost on Ute Field. BYU's run to the Elite Eight in 2003 also began in Salt Lake City. The Cougars return two starters, Jaime Rendich Beck and Charlene Lui, from the 2003 team.

BYU's offensive attack is overwhelming for opponents, as ten Cougars have earned five or more points. Jaime Rendich Beck is a force to be reckoned with, netting ten goals and accumulating seven assists on the season. Rendich Beck's sidekick is Bobbi Tillotson, who has scored six goals and posted seven assists of her own. Following close behind is Katie Larkin and Jessica Aquino, recording 13 points and 12 points, respectively. Annie Zwahlen has earned nine points on three goals and three assists. Natalie Nate and Carolyn Swenson have each amassed seven points, while Brooke Thulin has earned six points. Goalkeeper Erika Woodbury protects the net, saving the ball 47 times in over 1,600 minutes of action.

After a tremendous preseason, the Cougars struggled slightly during conference play, learning valuable lessons in conference--a fact Rockwood thinks will serve her team well.

"Hopefully it's prepared us well because it's all down to one game now."

Tickets:

$15 for adults

$5 for children

Children under 2 years will be admitted for free.

Tickets can be purchased at Utahtickets.com