Cougars with shutout win on senior night

PROVO, Utah – A strong second half lifted No. 17 BYU women’s soccer on senior night over San Francisco 3-0 Saturday at South Field. Ashley Hatch, Elena Medeiros and Michele Murphy each scored in the half.

“This was a big win,” BYU head coach Jennifer Rockwood said. “Every win is a big win right now. We knew San Francisco was a good team but the girls stayed with it and came out in the second half on fire.”

The first half was a defensivebattle as both teams failed to find the back of the net. The Cougars (12-3-2, 6-0-0) totaled eight shots, two of which were on goal. BYU spread the ball well with six players attempting a shot in the half. The Dons (6-9-2, 2-4-0) managed only two shots on the Cougar defense but none of them were on frame.

Medeiros got the scoring started in the 61st minute when she took a pass from Murphy well outside the box and fired a shot into the upper right corner just beyond the reach of the San Francisco keeper. The goal was Medeiros’ fifth of the season.

After scoring twice in Thursday’s victory over Santa Clara, Murphy added her sixth goal of the season in the 71st minute when senior Niki Fernandes found her for the shot. The Cougars’ final goal came two minutes later when Murphy played the ball back to Hatch who rifled it past the keeper. Hatch, who leads the West Coast Conference in total goals, now has 15 on the season.

Senior defender Annie Amos, who has started every game for the past two seasons, anchored another successful effort from the BYU back four allowing only seven total shots and only one shot on goal. Senior forward Jaiden Thornock also got the start and contributed a shot on goal.

“Our seniors have been an  amazing part of this program during their time here,” Rockwood said. “We really want to bring them home a conference championship, get to the tournament and maybe have another chance to play here on South Field.”

Senior keeper Katherine Snyder celebrated senior night with her fourth conference shutout, good enough for first in the conference. Late in the game San Francisco was awarded a penalty kick after a BYU handball in the box but Snyder made a diving save to maintain the clean sheet.

“Kat (Snyder) read it well and I am so proud of her and what she’s done for our team this year,” Rockwood said. “Having a penalty kick save on senior night is pretty special.”

The Cougars will travel to play at Saint Mary’s next Thursday, Oct. 30 at 3 p.m. PDT. The game can be heard through the Cougar IMG Sports Network.