BYU's Quest For Second MWC Title Continues At Home, With Games Against SDSU and UNLV

After two conference road wins against New Mexico and Utah, the Cougars top all MWC stats as they prepare to play their final home games of the 2000 season, hosting SDSU on Thurs. Oct. 12 and UNLV on Sat. Oct. 14.

Last Week Recap

• In the opening game of MWC action, BYU's 17th ranked women's soccer team had an easy time beating New Mexico 4-1 in Albuquerque.

•The Cougars kicked three goals into the net in first half action against the Lobos with a final goal at the 65th minute by senior captain Natalyn Lewis.

•At Utah on Saturday afternoon Michelle Peterson, BYU's leading scorer, got the explosive BYU offense going one minute into the game with her first of three goals to tally her second hat trick of the year. Others contributing in the 5-2 Cougar win included Kim Lowe, and Athelia Graham who scored a goal a piece in the contest. Graham's score was her first of the 2000 season.

Cougars Picked To Repeat as MWC Champions

BYU was selected as the favorite to capture its second straight conference title in a vote by the league's coaches.

Place Team (1st place votes) Points

1. BYU (5) 35

2. Utah (1) 31

3. San Diego State (1) 27

4. Air Force 21

5. New Mexico 14

6. UNLV 13

7. Wyoming 6

BYU In The Polls

• 21st in Soccer Times (as of 10/01/00)

• 17th in Soccer America (as of 10/09/00)

• 21st in NSCAA Coaches (as of 10/09/00)

Cougars on Local/National TV

The BYU vs UNLV game on Saturday, Oct. 14 will air tape delay on Fri. Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. on KBYU-TV and on the Dish Network for those who have a 500 system.

Season Highlights

• Record:10-3-1, 2-0-0

• Afterlast week's stellar performance by senior midfielder Michelle Jensen Peterson, she picked up her third MWC Player of the Week honor on Oct. 9. Her performance included four goals and three assists in the two conference games.

• Peterson continues as the teams leading scorer with 13 goals and eight assists for her 34 points. Teammate Kim Lowe who's tallied 21 points from five goals and 11 assists is in second place. Lowe is also the team's assist leader.

• Head Coach Jennifer Rockwood picked up her 100th win in the 2-0 victory over Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Sept. 23.

• The team netted its second score off a corner kick in the 5-2 victory over Utah on Oct. 7. BYU averages 7.0 corner kicks a game.

• Freshman All-America Aleisha Cramer tallied her first collegiate goal for the Cougars, a minute and a half into the Weber State game. In that game, she picked up two goals and an assist. Currently Cramer has two goals and five assist for her nine points from 24 shots.

• Jennifer Waldron, BYU's junior goalkeeper picked up her first solo shutout in 2000 with the 2-0 win over Florida in Gainesville on Sept. 18.

• Sophomore goalie Kylee Dickson got her second start against UWM, recording her second shutout of the year. Her first was against Washington State on Sept. 4, a 3-0 win for the Cougars.

BYU Returning Starters To Watch - 2000 Stats

• 13 Michelle Jensen Peterson - MF/F, Sr (13G, 8A, 34PTS, 43SH)

• 15 Kim Lowe - MF, Sr (5G, 11A, 21PTS, 43SH)

• 12 Sara Reading - F/MF, Sr (9G, 2A, 20PTS, 58SH)

• 04 Natalyn Lewis - MF, Sr (5G, 1A, 11PTS, 37SH)

BYU Newcomers To Watch - 2000 Stats

• 17 Aleisha Cramer - MF, Fr (2G, 7A, 11PTS, 33SH)

• 14 Annie Hoecherl - 5-10 D, Fr (Played in 12 games, has one goal for her two points to date)

Cougar 2000 Quickie Stats(Conf)

• Averaging 23.7 (21.5) shots on goal per game

• Averaging 3.2 (4.5)goals per game

• Average 3.42 (5.0) assists per game

• Picking up 7.0 (8.0) corner kicks a game

Home Sweet Home

In 2000, the Cougars are 5-0-1 playing on South Field. Last year, BYU went undefeated at home with a 12-0 record. BYU's last home loss dates back to the 1998 season when San Diego State defeated the Cougars 1-2 in overtime for the WAC championship title on Nov. 7. BYU is currently riding on a 18-0-1 unbeaten record at South Field. Overall, the Cougars are 43-5-1 playing at home.

San Diego State Notes

Making their fourth appearance at South Field are the Aztecs of SDSU. They come in with a 5-9-0, 2-0 record.The Aztecs two conference wins are against Air Force and Wyoming at home. Junior midfielder Fay Deleon is the lone Aztec in double digit points. She's tallied four goals and four assists for her 12 points off of 42 shots. Two other players have put in four goals during the season. They are Nicole Findlay and Kim Castellanos. San Diego State is averaging 13.4 shots and 1.0 goals per game. In conference stats, the Aztecs are getting 17 shots on goal and 1.50 goals. SDSU is the only team the Cougars lost to last year in conference play and are the only school who has a positive record against BYU, a 5-3-0 advantage.

Series Against SDSU

Record:3-5-0 favoring the Aztecs. Last year the two teams met twice. SDSU won at home 0-2 followed by BYU's victory over the Aztecs in San Diego in the title game of the MWC . The Cougars picked up the 2-1 overtime win and the first conference title in women's soccer in San Diego last November.

UNLV Notes

The Rebels are currently 2-0 in conference action with a 9-4-0 overall record. UNLV will play Utah in Thurs. Oct. 12 before making the trip to Provo for Saturday night's game at South Field. The Rebels' conference wins are against Wyoming 1-0, and Air Force 3-1. UNLV is averaging 13.4 shots, 1.85 goals and 1.54 assists per game. In conference contests, the Rebels are tallying 17.0 shots, 2.0 goals and 1.50 assists per game. This will be a homecoming of sorts for one UNLV coach. Former BYU All-America Maren Hendershot returns to her alma mater as the Rebels assistant coach.

Series Against UNLV

The Record: 2-0 in favor of BYU. Last year, the Cougars defeated the Rebels 7-0 in Provo.

Coach Jennifer Rockwood Quotes

(On the Cougars) I think we're coming together as a team very well right now. We're working hard and we're coming off a very successful week where everyone got some good playing time. We were also able to score nine goals in two games and that's important because it means we're taking advantage of our scoring opportunites which is something we've been working on. (On SDSU and UNLV) Playing San Diego State has always been a challenge for us. They have beaten us at home twice during the past several years. We are looking forward to our game with them. We need to work hard and play our best. UNLV is another good program in our conference. They're coming in with two good home wins and that's a great advantage. Again, this is the part of our season that we've been planning on and we're putting everything togeter nicely. We need to take care of business here at home this week. It will probably be the last time our fans will get to see our senior players.

The Rockwood File

Jennifer Rockwood begins her sixth season at the helm of BYU's women's soccer program. In the five year history of the Division I program, she has guided her team to two conference championships and three straight appearances in the NCAA Championships beginning with the 1997 season. The Cougars highest finish in the NCAA tourney came in 1998 when BYU finished in the "Sweet Sixteen." Her many honors include being named Coach of the Year by the Western Athletic Conference and by Soccer Buzz in 1996.

Prior to becoming the head coach, Rockwood led BYU's highly successful club soccer team, for seven years compiling a 128-25-9 record. In her final two years, she took her teams to first place in the Western National Collegiate Club Soccer Association (NCCSA) championships and to second place in the NCCSA national championships.

A native of Lake Oswego, Oregon, Rockwood was a three-sport athlete, receiving all-league and all-state honors in soccer, basketball, and track. She has also competed in the Olympic Development Program in both Oregon and Utah. Rockwood attended Ricks College on an academic and basketball scholarship for one year and then transferred to BYU, graduating in 1989 with a business administration degree. While at BYU, she played on the soccer club team as a four-year starter at center midfield.

Rockwood coached in the Utah Olympic Development Program and has coached at the youth club and high school levels. She is also currently the director of BYU summer soccer camps which recently put through over 1,400 participants.

Rockwood's Record (11 Years at BYU)

Club team/years: 128-25-9/7

Division I/years: 103-25-2/6

1995 Record: 11-8-1

1996 Record: 22-1-0

1997 Record: 19-4-0

1998 Record: 20-5-0

1999 Record: 21-4-0

2000 Record: 10-3-1

BYU Media Information/Home Practice Schedule

At home, the Cougars practice daily from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Player and/or coach Rockwood interviews may be done in advance by contacting Norma Collett at 801-378-4908 or via e-mail at norma_collett@byu.edu There are no player interviews 24 hours prior to games.

Up Next For The Cougars

BYU finishes MWC action as it started it, on the road with games against Air Force and Wyoming on Oct. 19 and 21.