Fernandes' goal beats Pepperdine

PROVO, Utah - An 83rd minute goal by Niki Fernandes won the game for the No. 25 BYU women’s soccer team against Pepperdine Thursday night at South Field.

This is BYU’s (8-4-1, 2-1-0) second conference win and shutout in the past week.

“I just think we played a really complete game tonight, which is something we have been really working towards" BYU head coach Jennifer Rockwood said. "Defensively, I thought we were really solid against a dangerous counter-attacking team. We only gave up one shot in the second half. I thought tonight we were finally able to possess the ball.”

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In the second half, the Cougars only allowed Pepperdine to take one shot, and didn’t allow any corner kicks throughout the entire game. BYU won 10 corners, with five in each half, and 22 shots on goal.

The Cougars dominated the field offensively throughout the second half, with most of their possession in the attacking third. Pepperdine rarely pressured the Cougar defense. Keeper Erica Owens only needed to save three attempts on goal for her fifth shutout this season. 

“The girls kept battling,” Rockwood said. “They kept trying to combine. I thought they played real smart, and kept their composure pretty well, and (the goal) finally came.”

Cloee Colohan, Colette Jepson Smith, Niki Fernandes, Ashley Hatch, and Kyleigh Royall each took more than three shots during the game, with Hatch attempting the most with five shots.

The Cougars play Loyola Marymount in their Pink Game for breast cancer awareness on Saturday, Oct. 19, at 7 p.m. MDT at South Field.