No. 5 BYU's unbeaten streak snapped by No. 25 Pepperdine, 1-0
MALIBU, California – No. 5 BYU conceded a penalty kick for a goal as the Cougars lost 1-0 against Pepperdine at Tari Frahm Rokus Field on Saturday.
"The result is disappointing," BYU head coach Jennifer Rockwood said. "Pepperdine is a very good team. We knew they were going to be solid, but we didn't perform as well as we could have.”
The loss snapped the Cougars' unbeaten streak of 11 games. It was the first road loss of the season for BYU and the first loss against a ranked opponent.
With the loss, BYU fell to 11-2-1 (2-1-1 West Coast Conference). The Waves improved to 8-3-3 (3-0-1) to take sole possession of first place in the league.
The two teams played to a 0-0 tie in the first half. BYU spent more of the time on its attacking half, but the Waves outshot the Cougars 4-3. BYU struggled to turn attacks into shots on goal, as Ashley Hatch had the only one for the Cougars at the midway point.
Pepperdine's 75th-minute goal came on a penalty kick from Bri Visalli, after a foul in the box on BYU's Brynlee Welch. Visalli buried into the botttom-right of the goal. It was the second penalty kick awarded to a Cougar opponent this season, and the first one to successfully find the net.
Hannah Clark played the whole game in goal for BYU, saved two shots and went unscathed besides the penalty kick.
On the game, the Waves outshot the Cougars 8-7, while both teams placed two shots on goal.
The Cougars return home next Saturday to host Portland at 7 p.m. MDT at South Field. That game will be televised on BYUtv and available via radio broadcast on the Cougar IMG Network, BYU Radio (Sirius XM 143) and ESPN 960 AM.
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