PROVO, Utah - Continuing its recent streak of offensive productivity, the No. 24 BYU women’s soccer team claimed their third-straight victory with a 5-0 win over Texas on Thursday at home. 

“One of the things we didn’t do last year was score as much,” head coach Jennifer Rockwood said. “We’ve tried to free up our attacking players a little bit more and we’ve seemed to reap the benefits of that so far. In the last two weeks, especially after not scoring against Utah, we’ve been spending every minute of practice in front of the goal.”

Freshman Michele Murphy led all players with two goals, an assist and three shots. Seniors Dana Oldroyd Cusick, Carlee Payne Holmoe and Lindsi Lisonbee Cutshall each also recorded one goal. Jaiden Thornock led all players with a career-high seven shots.

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The Cougars (5-1) began the game with a string of scoring opportunities, taking six shots in the first 10 minutes, including two that ricocheted off the crossbar.

The home team’s defense was tested in the 13th minute when Texas had two consecutive shots on goal. BYU met the challenge both times, denying what turned out to be the Longhorns’ best scoring chances of the night.

At the end of a scoreless first half, the Cougars had registered 15 shots. The visitors, by contrast, had taken six.

Nine minutes after the break, Cusick broke the draw with a 30-yard shot that lofted just over the keepers hands. Rachel Manning was credited with the assist.

In the 65th minute, Murphy scored her second goal of the season with a shot that floated, again, past the reach of Texas’ goalkeeper.

Less than five minutes later, Murphy scored again on a pass from Holmoe. Murphy returned the favor in the 73rd minute by assisting Holmoe on her second goal of the season to bring the score to 4-0 in BYU's favor.

“In the first half we had shot after shot, so we knew we’d get one to go in eventually,” Murphy said. “After Dana (Cusick) hit that perfect shot we all just settled in.”

Cutshall scored BYU’s final goal of the night in the 85th minute. It was the team’s 30th shot of the game, a season high, and their fourth-straight of taking more than 20 shots.

The Longhorns finished the night with eight shots.

The Cougars host No. 6 Penn State on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on BYUtv.

Fans can also follow the action at the BYU women’s soccer Twitter page.

Order your tickets for the game and the rest of the season online now.

Attendance for the game was 2,866.

PROVO, Utah - The No. 24 BYU women's soccer team continues its six-game home swing this week with a game on Thursday, Sept. 6, against Texas at 7 p.m. MDT and on Saturday, Sept. 8, against No. 6 Penn State at 7:30 p.m. MDT.

The Cougars are now 4-1 on the season after nabbing a pair of shutouts last week over No. 11 Long Beach State and Colorado College. BYU has recorded double-digit shots in its last three games. 

Sophomore Jaiden Thornock leads the BYU squad with three goals and 16 shots on the year, and 14 other BYU players have also recorded at least one shot this season. Junior goalkeeper Erica Owens has tallied 413 minutes in front of the net and made 17 saves while allowing just three goals in five games. 

OPPONENTS
Texas comes to Provo on a 2-4 record having lost three of its last four games. Seniors Kristin Cummins and Hannah Higgins were named to the 2012 Preseason All-Big 12 team as the team’s top-two leading scorers returning from last season. Incoming freshman goalkeeper Abby Smith will miss the game on Thursday due to U-20 competition for team USA.

The Longhorns will be under a new head coach this season after Angela Kelly took the wheel in December of 2011. Kelly spent the last 12 years with Tennessee.

Texas leads the overall series against BYU 3-1.

Penn State comes to Provo with a 5-1 season record and their only loss to defending NCAA Tournament champion Stanford. 

Returning from the team’s 2011 squad that made a run to the NCAA tournament’s Sweet 16 are top-three goal scorers Maya Hayes, Taylor Schram and Emily Hurt, who netted 31, 12 and 6 goals, respectively. The team also returns four other goal scorers.

Hayes was a finalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy last season while leading the nation with her 31 goals and 70 points, and also breaking numerous Penn State and Big Ten Records. Hayes is on this season’s Hermann Trophy Watch List. 

Schram earned All-Big Ten Second Team honors in 2011 after tallying career-highs in goals, assists, points and games started. 

Juniors Schram and Hayes will miss the first few weeks of the Nittany Lions’ season (including their game against BYU) due to U20 competition for team USA.

HOW TO FOLLOW
Thursday's game against Texas will be broadcast live on Fox Soccer Channel and live stats will be available through the BYU women's soccer schedule page. 

Saturday's matchup against Penn State will be broadcast live on BYUtv. Fans can watch the game live on TV or online for free at byutvsports.com/gameday. Live stats are also available.

Both games can also be followed on the BYU women's soccer Twitter page.