BYU Women’s Soccer 2022 Season Review

PROVO, Utah – The BYU women’s soccer team concluded its 2022 season undefeated in conference play and made a run to the NCAA Tournament after an 11-win season, notching several national awards for standout players.  

FINAL SEASON STATS

Finishing with a record of 11-3-7, the Cougars closed the season ranked No. 15 in the United Soccer Coaches poll. BYU's season-long dominant offense clinched the No. 1 spot nationally in shots per game with 25 and the No. 2 spot in shots on goal per game, averaging 9.48. The Cougars' goalkeepers and backline also racked up eight shutouts and a 0.725 save percentage. Playing in front of the best fans in the country, BYU ranked No. 1 nationally for the second year in a row in attendance averaging 3,186 fans per game.

The Cougars were ranked No. 15 in the United Soccer Coaches poll heading into their eighth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance as the No. 6 seed. BYU opened the 2022 NCAA Tournament with a 3-0 shutout over cross-town foe Utah Valley on South Field. BYU played Stanford in the second round and advanced on PK’s after a 1-1 draw through both overtime periods, courtesy of a save by freshman goalkeeper Taygan Sill, and a successful penalty kick taken by Ellie Maughan. The Cougars advanced to the Sweet 16 for the sixth time in team history, and competed against the UNC Tar Heels, falling 3-2 to end their season. 

The Cougars were led by juniors Jamie Shepherd, Brecken Mozingo and Laveni Vaka, all three earning significant national recognition. Both Shepherd and Vaka were named to the preseason MAC Hermann Trophy watch list. With a postseason ranking of No. 74, Shepherd was named the WCC Midfielder of the Year after a career-high year of seven goals, five assists and 45 shots. Vaka’s strong defensive strategy on the pitch helped her team secure eight shutouts on the season. While playing in all 21 games for 1,834 minutes, Vaka tallied one assist and five shots and earned WCC Defender of the Year honors. She also finished the 2022 season with a national ranking of No. 56.

Mozingo’s breakthrough season led the Cougars in goals (12), assists (10) and shots (109). With 5.78 shots per game, Mozingo ranked No. 1 nationally. With her 10 assists this season, Mozingo finds herself in the BYU record book tied for fourth-highest assists in a single season in BYU history. She is now ranked No. 2 in most shots in a season, with 109, behind former Cougar Mikayla Colohan. With three multi-goal games this season, Mozingo is also tied for fourth-most multi-goal games amongst Cougars. She closed-out the 2022 season ranked No. 43 nationally.

Shepherd, Mozingo and Vaka were also included on the NCAA All-West Region First Team, while midfielder Olivia Wade was named to the Third Team after tallying nine goals and five assists. After an incredible season, both Mozingo and Shepherd picked up All-America Second Team honors from United Soccer Coaches. Mozingo also received Third Team All-America Honors from College Soccer News

Four players scored their first goals as Cougars in the 2022 season: Allie Fryer, Tara Warner, Sierra Pennock and Erin Bailey. The Cougars scored at least three goals in seven games and totaled 51 goals on the season. 

Shepherd, Vaka and Mozingo were named to the All-WCC First Team, while juniors Olivia Smith and Wade received All-WCC Second Team honors. Freshmen Allie Fryer and Izzi Stratton were both named to the WCC All-Freshman Team.

Both Fryer and Stratton were huge contributors on the pitch as freshmen standouts this season. Stratton was a key starter for the Cougars in the center back position, playing side-by-side with Vaka for a lockdown defense. After a successful freshman season, Stratton was named to Top Drawer Soccer's Bext IX All-Freshman Team and ranked No. 6 nationally in Top Drawer Soccer's Top 100 Freshmen players.

Fryer played in all 21 games in her first season at BYU, tallying nine goals, which is tied for fifth-highest goals by a freshman in a single season in program history. Fryer scored two game-winning goals this season against Pepperdine and Gonzaga, respectively. Her pressure and closing speed off the bench contributed to BYU's overall offensive attack this season.