BYU advances to NCAA Quarterfinals after 3-0 victory over North Carolina State

PROVO, Utah – Solid defense led to a 3-0 shutout for the No. 2 seed BYU women’s soccer team over North Carolina State, securing their place in the NCAA quarterfinals for the third time in program history.

"It was a fantastic night for us," BYU head coach Jennifer Rockwood said. "I'm really proud of these girls and how hard they've worked to get to this point. It was a phenomenal performance tonight against a very talented and organized NC State team. We came out confident and composed in the first half to have a lot of good success early on."

The Cougars (21-0-1) started the game by putting a lot of pressure on the Wolfpack (12-7-4) defense. In the 12-minute, Mikayla Colohan headed the ball to an open Cameron Tucker snuck the ball past the goalkeeper and into the back of the net to give BYU an early 1-0 lead.

After running up the field and cutting around the defender, Josie Guinn ripped a shot to the far post to give the Cougars their second goal of the night in the 34th minute.

BYU dominated the first half on offense and defense as the Cougars held NC State (12-7-4) to one shot while taking seven of their own.

In the second half with an explosive offense, Tucker scored her second goal of the game after winning the ball from the Wolfpack defense to extend BYU's lead to 3-0 in the 49th minute.

In goal, senior Sabrina Davis grabbed an impressive seven saves on the night, all in the second half, that secured the team's 14th shutout of the season. The Cougars tallied a total of 15 shots compared to NC State's nine.

In the quarterfinals, BYU will take on the winner of the No. 1 seed Stanford, No. 4 seed Penn State matchup next weekend. 

Game Notes

• This is the Cougars' first time in the quarterfinals since 2012, tallying the third time in total.
• Of the 14 shutouts this season, seven have been at South Field.
• Junior defender Josie Guinn scored her second goal of the season.
• Cameron Tucker scored her 11th and 12th goals of the season, bringing her to 19 in her career at BYU.
• Sabrina Davis matched her season-high of seven saves in a game.

Postgame Quotes

BYU forward Cameron Tucker

On her first goal

"I remember seeing Kayla coming up with the ball and I tried to get open just in case she would pass it to me, so I was anticipating it. From there she headed the ball and because I was anticipating it, I took a touch and slotted it in."

On opening the game with a lot of shots from the forwards

"We were really excited to get going. Every time we score early in the game, we’re doing something right and it makes the rest of the game a lot easier. We were anticipating it and wanting to go to goal right from the beginning."

BYU defender Josie Guinn

On her goal

"I have been wanting to score for a while so I was always trying to get up. The most fun time to play soccer is when you don’t have to defend a bunch, so if I make the forward defend me, that’s the best situation. Making that run up the side, Ashton found me through the seam, so I got into the box, cut it back, saw the opening in the goal and went for it."

BYU defender Alyssa Jefferson

On the defense and Sabrina

"I hate whenever Sabrina has to make a save because I know it’s my fault, but I can always count on her. I might be biased, but she always plays great. She’s always ready and guiding us and she really sets the tone for us. When we fall into a lull, she tells us to focus and be cleaner and more disciplined. She’s always on fire. Defense always starts the attack while the forwards start the defense. That’s just a testament to how hard everyone has been working and how committed everyone is, that they’re willing to commit to put in the extra work on defense, even though it’s not their main role. That helps us win the ball higher up the field and counter quickly."