Cougars win 9-0 over alumni in final tune-up before North Carolina

PROVO, Utah – No. 3 BYU women’s soccer hosted its alumni game Wednesday evening at South Field, with the Cougars defeating the alumni team 9-0.

BYU finished with 30 shots, including 17 on goal, compared to the alumni team’s seven shots with three on goal. Bella Folino led BYU with four goals, while Rachel McCarthy and Allie Fryer contributed two goals each.

First Half

After initial pressure by BYU in the opening minutes, Folino fired a shot into the left corner to claim an early 1-0 lead for the Cougars in the fourth minute. Just over a minute later, McCarthy scored off an assist by Brecken Mozingo to push the early lead to 2-0 at the 4:10 mark.

BYU concluded an efficient first half to tally 15 shots on goal compared to the alumni team’s four. Despite four saves by alumni keeper Taygan Sill, BYU headed into the break with a 4-0 lead.

Second Half

The Cougars continued their dominance early in the second period with a deep assist from Mozingo, the ball making its way from the far-right side and placed for a close-range Folino score. This marked her third of the night, giving her a hat trick.

After a yellow card was assessed to Rachel Lyman of the Alumni team, BYU’s Ellie Maughan had a free kick opportunity, but it was saved by Sill on a high, centered shot.

In the 65th minute, an explosive down-the-field play led to another goal by Folino to mark her fourth of the contest and extend the lead to 6-0 for the Cougars.

Goalkeeper Savanna Mason played for the Cougars in the first half and the alumni in the second half. She put together a string of three stops midway through the second half before BYU’s Erin Bailey scored off an assist from Ruby Hladek to make the score 7-0.

BYU would finish the final minutes with two additional goals by Allie Fryer to finish the contest with a 9-0 victory.

The Cougars will travel to take on No. 10 North Carolina for a battle of Top-10 teams in an exhibition contest Sat. Aug 13 at 6 p.m. EDT at North Carolina Dorrance Field. Fans can tune in to the match on BYURadio.org or the BYU Radio app.