Cougars remain perfect on Italian tour with 6-0 win

In a match played through a steady downpour in Naples on Monday night, the BYU women’s soccer team improved to 3-0 on its tour of Italy, defeating A.S.D. Napoli by a score of 6-0.

The Cougars wasted no time in putting the hosts on the defensive; the game was not yet a minute old when Bizzy Phillips buried a deflected right-flank cross from Madie Lyons.

“The defender tapped it a little bit,” said Phillips of the crossing pass, “it dropped right to me, and I just placed it, bottom left corner--tried to keep it on the ground…and it happened to go in.”

“I really liked how we got started,” head coach Jennifer Rockwood said after the match. “It was a great day, spending some time in Capri and Sorrento, but when game time came, the girls focused, they were ready to go and scored a nice early goal.”

“I was just really proud of the way we played. I thought we played really smart today. I thought we got better, and scored some nice goals. I thought it was a great night for us.”

After the Phillips opener, BYU kept relentless pressure on the Italian defense, but wasn’t rewarded until the 24^th minute, when a Steph Ringwood left-wing run ended with a cross to the head of Elena Medeiros, who nodded down to Michele Vasconcelos; the senior captain finished cleanly for a 2-0 lead.

Two scores in rapid succession sealed the outcome in BYU’s favor, as in the 30^th minute, a penalty area give-and-go between Ashley Hatch and Phillips ended with a Hatch marker in front of goal; less than a minute later, defender Paige Hunt authored a blast from outside the 18-yard box that clipped a defender before skipping past the keeper.

BYU’s 4-0 lead lasted until the 44^th minute, when Sarah Gardner coolly slotted home off a left-side cross from Carla Swensen-Haslam, who preceded her assist with a fine run to the by-line. BYU’s 5-0 halftime lead was its second in as many games.

“Probably the biggest takeaway from this game is that we came focused,” Rockwood said, “and when the whistle blew, we were ready to go.”

“We came out with a lot of energy,” added Phillips. “We were all trying to keep warm, from the rain, and we were really excited today. We went out there and brought the energy. Passes were to feet, and we connected well.”

A progressively soggy second half resulted in a single goal, off the boot of Hatch, who fired past the keeper from 25 yards out in the 61^st minute. It was Hatch’s second consecutive brace, giving her the outright team goal-scoring lead in Italy, with four.

Despite the cold and soaking conditions, BYU played a tactically crisp game, keeping Rachel Boaz relatively unworried in net. Forays into the Cougars’ defensive third were rare for the home team.

“It was challenging, it was wet, and it’s a short turf,” said Rockwood. “I thought it was great for us to work on our soft touch, especially in the first half. We were able to move the ball from side to side—we switched the point, which is something we’ve been focusing on in the spring season.”

“All of the girls played really well.”

Earlier in the day, the team and travel party embarked on a visit to Capri, located in the Tyrrhenian Sea,   just a few miles off Sorrento coastline. After a 20-minute morning boat ride, the Cougars enjoyed roughly four hours on the island, exploring the streets, paths and alleyways that all seem to lead to something worthwhile—whether a shop, restaurant, garden or dramatic viewpoint. The morning vistas either up toward or down from the Capri cliffs were equally impressive.

Upon the return trip to Sorrento, the BYU group had free time to sightsee and prepare for the late-afternoon bus ride to Naples for night-time match. Following the Cougars’ victory, the team departed for the Naples’ harbor and a late-night team dinner.

Tuesday’s itinerary calls for a noon-hour journey from Sorrento to Pompeii; after visiting the site and its ruins, the Cougars will continue on to Rome and prepare for the tour-concluding match, against RES Roma. The BYU group is scheduled to arrive back in Utah on Wednesday night.

“The end has some fast,” Rockwood said of the tour. “We have been busy from seven in the morning until 11 at night. It has been an amazing trip for sure, to see some beautiful sights…and we’re really played some great soccer.”

“It’s been such an amazing trip,” said Phillips outside the BYU locker room. “I can’t believe it’s almost over--I don’t want it to be. I’m excited to end it in Rome and hopefully with a win.”

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PLAYERS’ PERSPECTIVE—

Senior midfielder Brittain Dearden:

Today was Day 9 of our adventures in Italy! After waking up this morning and eating breakfast at the hotel, we headed off to explore the beautiful island of Capri!

In order to get to Capri we had to take a 20-minute boat ride; once we were there, some of us took another boat ride along the coastline. The water was clear and blue, and the caves and greenery we saw was like out of the movies! Along the rocks were bright orange coral rocks that were like nothing I have ever seen before! It definitely made for some great pictures :)

After the boat ride we continued to explore the island. There was great shopping, incredible views, and of course amazing food and gelato!

We returned back to the hotel after lunch and then left for our game. When we showed up to the field it was pouring rain and smelled like sulfur! The field was near a volcano so the smell was very strong. We were all super excited to play though and playing in the rain is always a lot of fun! The game started and we scored in the first two minutes! The goals continued to come and we won 6-0. We played really well as a team and we can't wait to play again tomorrow!

The days have been going by so fast and I can't believe our trip is almost over. I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to explore this beautiful country and to play soccer in Italy!

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Redshirt freshman midfielder Brianna Hatch:

To start off Day 9 we took a boat over to the gorgeous island of Capri! Once we arrived at Capri we took a tram up to a higher part of the island to spend time shopping and eating amazing Italian food. The view from the higher part of the island was breathtaking! We were able to see a little piece of heaven at the island of Capri!

Once we got back to Sorrento we had some free time before we had to get ready for the game. We drove over to the game at 8:00 against A.S.D. Napoli. Our team were not big fans of the sulfur smell! We were able to take it to Napoli even in the pouring rain. The score ended up being 6-0! Cougs are now 8-1 on the spring season! Keep it up Cougs!!

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Stay up-to-date on the Cougars’ tour of Italy at BYUCougars.com and via the team’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.