Second half goals give No. 5 BYU 2-0 win over UNLV

BYU vs. UNLV Box Score

PROVO, Utah – Two second half goals led to another 2-0 victory for No. 5 BYU women’s soccer over UNLV.

The Cougars (6-1-0) won their 11th straight game at South Field dating back to last year. It is the second straight loss for the Rebels (3-4-0).

Less than 30 seconds into the second half, Ashley Hatch’s cross was redirected by Nadia Gomes to Michele Murphy Vasconcelos. Vasconcelos pushed the ball to the far post around the goalkeeper for a 1-0 lead.

In the 81st minute, Taylor Campbell Isom headed Madie Lyons’ corner kick into the net for the 2-0 advantage. It is the first career goal for the central defender who has played every minute this season. She had played 2,394 minutes before tallying her first goal.

“We had three games this week and that’s a lot to ask our players to play at the level we’re playing at,” BYU head coach Jennifer Rockwood said. “I’m really proud of how we have gutted it out. To be able to run hard and play composed again tonight, I’m really proud of them.”

The 2-0 victory was the third game since Monday, including an away game at Stanford and a game against Utah State that was in the balance until the final three minutes of the game.

BYU’s 39 shots eclipsed the 34 the Cougars attempted against the Aggies. It is tied for the sixth most shots in a game in program history. The shot tally only served as a reminder of not scoring in the first half, but that changed at halftime.

“We just said that we have to be more anxious to score,” Rockwood said. “It really comes down to getting results. We’ve got to be dangerous, we’ve got to go forward and we’ve got to score goals.”

Vasconcelos’ goal coming out of the half changed the tone of the game. Vasconcelos finished with six shots, four on goal. Hatch led the team with 10 shots, putting four on goal. Gomes attempted five shots and Bizzy Phillips had four, as well.

In the first half, Gomes missed just over the crossbar in the 11th minute and the keeper beat another Gomes shot to the post in the 16th minute.

In the second half, just before the second goal, Hatch skimmed a shot just over the crossbar from the top of the box.

Rachel Boaz and Hannah Clark combined on the shutout, which is the sixth of the season for the Cougar defense.

BYU will host its final nonconference game at home on Thursday, Sept. 17, at 7 p.m. MDT against Pac-12 foe Oregon State. The game will be broadcast on BYUtv as well as the Cougar IMG Sports Network and ESPN 960 AM.