BYU defeats Missouri 7-4 in an offense-packed matchup

PROVO, Utah — No. 22 BYU defeated Missouri Saturday night 7-4 in a thrilling, goal-packed match, hosting the Tigers at South Field for the first time in program history.

First Half

BYU started the half in control of the ball, keeping it on Mizzou’s half of the field. Sophomore midfielder Brecken Mozingo took the first shot of the game, putting it right on goal and forcing the Tigers' goalkeeper Sophia Worth to make the save. Sophomore midfielder Kendell Petersen quickly followed with a shot that resulted in a corner.

The Cougars continued to maintain control as senior forward Cameron Tucker put the ball in the back of the net off an assist from Petersen for the first goal of the match in the 17th minute. 

The Tigers started to push back, taking the ball into their attacking third, however, BYU put up a strong defensive front with sophomore defender Laveni Vaka making two important tackles to regain control.

BYU added its second goal of the night as freshman midfielder Abbie Kotter found the back of the net with an assist off the foot of sophomore forward Rachel McCarthy in the 27th minute. Petersen soon after tried adding another to the stat line, narrowly missing to the right of the goal.

Sophomore midfielder Ellie Maughan scored the third goal of the night for the Cougars off a rocket assisted by senior All-American midfielder Mikayla Colohan in the 40th minute. The Cougars did not let off the gas as they continued to keep the ball in their attacking third and added two more shots in the half.

BYU played a strong first half with 14 shots, six on goal and five corner shots. The Cougar defense put up a solid showing, not allowing Mizzou any shots and corners throughout the entire half.

Second Half

BYU opened with a corner, coming up just short of the Cougars’ fourth goal of the night. The Tigers rallied, taking the ball across the field for their first shot of the night, which was saved by freshman goalkeeper Savannah Empey.

BYU widened the gap as Tucker scored her second goal of the night, assisted by freshman midfielder Olivia Smith. Tucker moved up to a tie for 13th place in career goals at BYU with 29.

Mizzou applied some pressure as the Cougars gave up their first corner of the night, however, the backline held strong and promptly regained control. 

The goals kept coming as Kotter added her second goal of the night off a deflected save from Worth. The Tigers put their first goal in the back of the net off the foot of Ashlyn Mills in the 73rd minute. The Cougars fired back quickly as Makaylie Moore added goal number six to the Cougar stat line in the 74th minute. 

The Tigers answered again with their second goal, scored by Skye Kingsley and assisted by Milena Fischer in the 80th minute. BYU came back with an answer of its own as McCarthy launched a shot into the upper corner of the goal, assisted by Poala Garcia in the 81st minute. 

The goals did not stop as Fischer hit the back of the net for the third time for Mizzou in the 83rd minute and Jenna Bartels scored the Tigers’ fourth of the night in the 85th minute.

The second half consisted of eight of the 11 goals scored by both teams, including all of the Tigers’. BYU ended the match with 26 shots, 15 on goal, five saves and 12 corners. Mizzou ended with 10 shots, nine on goal, eight saves and two corners. 

BYU’s next game will be at home against Idaho State on Thursday, Sep. 16. The game will take place at 7 p.m. MDT and will be available on the BYU Sports Network — BYU Radio 107.9 FM/BYU Cougars App.