Weekly Release #6 - Weber and USC

Only Two Games Left Until Conference

This week the BYU women's soccer team will host in-state rival Weber State and USC at South Stadium where the Cougars are 4-2-1 on the season, with all four wins ending in shutouts.

BYU (6-3-1) is coming of a tough home loss in overtime to No. 2 Florida and will be looking to get back on the winning track with two games remaining before entering conference play.

Tuesday's game between BYU and Weber state will mark the eighth time the two schools have met, with the Cougars holding a 7-0 all-time lead against the Wildcats.

Weber State enters the game with a 2-4-2 overall record including a 1-0 win over Southern Utah last week.

Over the last seven contests, the Cougars have outscored the Wildcats 26-2 including five shutouts and six wins at South Stadium.

USC comes into Friday's game with a 4-3-3 overall record and a 2-3-0 record against teams ranked in the top 25 including a win last week over No. 18 Santa Clara.

After defeating Sanat Clara, the Trojans played to a 0-0 double overtime tie with Loyola Marymount on Sunday.

BYU is 1-3-1 against the Trojans over the last five years with all three loses coming on the road. When playing at South Stadium the Cougars have outscored the Trojans 3-1.

Kick off is set for 7:00 p.m. on both Tuesday, Sept. 30, and Friday, Oct. 3, at South Stadium, for the Wildcats and the Trojans, respectively.

The Last Time

A 2-0 victory over Weber State last season extended the Cougar winning streak to 10 games. The Cougars created several scoring opportunities in the first 20 minutes of the game. Senior forward Jeni Viernes scored her 10th goal of the season after freshman Brooke Bowman headed the ball from the opposite post. Junior Aleisha Cramer-Rose was also credited with an assist in the free-kick situation. Freshman Charlene Lui scored her third career goal 17 minutes into the second half off a Bowman assist. The Cougar

defense did not allow the Wildcats a single shot in the second half. The Cougars out shot the Wildcats 25-2 with an 8-0 advantage in corner kicks.

In a very hard-fought contest, BYU fell 1-0 to No. 20 USC in Los Angeles last season. USC's lone goal came in the 32nd minute when senior midfielder Ali Fennell split two Cougar defenders and knocked the ball past Cougar keeper Mandy Gott. The Trojans took 12 shots in the first half, compared to three for BYU. The second half saw the Cougars repeatedly attempt to break through USC's defense. BYU out shot USC 7-3 in the second half, and Gott recorded seven saves for the game. In the waning seconds of the game, Junior forward/midfielder Lydia Ojuka nearly tied the game with a diving header that went just wide of the goal.

Scouting The Opponents

On the season, Weber State (2-4-2) has allowed 11 goals in eight games while scoring seven of its own. The team has amassed 134 shot with .48 resulting in shots-on-goal. However, the Wildcats' opponents have got off 133 shots with .57 of those resulting in shots on goal. Currently Weber has allowed .08 percent off all shots to be converted into goals. Krista Davis leads the team with two goals on the year, while Ashley Wood has tallied three assists. In 193:34 minutes of action, keeper Melanie Stratford has recorded 13 saves, allowed one goal and has a goal against average of 0.46.

No. 14 Southern California has recorded 15 goals in 10 games resulting in 1.50 goals per game, while allowing 14 goals or 1.31 goals per game. The Trojans are out shooting their opponents 127-97 that includes an average of 12.7 shots a game. Rosa Tantillo leads the team with five goals on 12 shots with two assists, while Jessica Edwards has recorded four goals and two assists of her own. Six other players have scored one goal on the season. Goalkeeper Jullie Peterson has 33 saves in 960:00 minutes with .702 of shots on goal being saved.

Last Game: Gonzaga & No. 2 Florida

BYU picked up its sixth shutout of the season with a 4-0 victory over Gonzaga, Tuesday, in the team's second road trip of the season. Four different Cougars found the back of the net in the game. Sophomore Jaime Rendich got BYU on the scoreboard with an early goal in the 15th minute after Gonzaga keeper Ashley Haygen had come out of the box leaving Rendich wide open for an easy tap of the ball for the score. In the second half of play, BYU put the game out of reach with goals from senior Terra Bigelow, junior Krissa Campbell and freshman Annie Zwahlen. Another Cougar freshman Bobbi Tillotson received the assist credit on the Zwahlen goal, while Rendich took the assist credit for the Bigelow and Campbell goals. BYU out shot Gonzaga 18-8 with the Cougars getting six corner kick opportunities to the Bulldogs three.

In front of the second largest crowd in South Stadium history, BYU came up short in overtime against the undefeated No. 2 Florida Gators Friday night. In the first period of play the two teams recorded a combined six shots as the Gators and Cougars fought up and down the field for control of the game. BYU senior Terra Bigelow was the first to strike in the game as her header found the back of the Gator net on the far left side to give the Cougars the early 1-0 lead. Nearly 10 minutes later Florida's Stephanie Freeman drilled in a shot from 20 yards out off a free kick that hit the crossbar and bounced in the goal to tie the game at 1-1. The Gators scored again as Cougar goalkeeper Ashley Smith bobbled the ball and Florida's leading scorer, Crystal Frimpong, was able to tap in the rebound to give the Gators the lead 2-1 going into half time. In the second period, Aleisha Rose took a corner kick and connected with freshman Nicole Jensen from 20 yards out to tie the game up 2-2. With 2:20 left to go in overtime Monica Holyles found Johnson for the game-winning goal.

Living Live

For the remainder of the 2003 season, all Cougar home games will have Live Stats available online at www.byucougars.com/soccer_w by simply clicking on the 2003 schedule and then selecting the appropriate "Live Stat" link with the corresponding game. Live Stats provides an opportunity for those who cannot be at South Stadium to still follow and enjoy BYU Women's Soccer.

Tops of the NCAA

Category No. Name Actual

Assists in one game 2 Aleisha Rose 4

Assists per game 3 Aleisha Rose 0.80/game

Shutout Percentage 21 BYU 0.60 (six of 10)

Tops of the Mountain West

Category No. Name Actual

Shots/game 1 BYU 17.10/game

Points/game 2 BYU 6.30/game

Goals/game 2 BYU 2.00/game

Assists/game 1 BYU 2.30/game

GAA/game 1 BYU 0.76/game

GA/game 2 BYU 0.80/game

Shutout % 1 BYU 0.60 total

Corners/game 1 BYU 9.00/game

Attendance 1 BYU 1,418/game

Home Attendance 1 BYU 1,783/game

Individual No. Name Actual

Shots/game 2 Lydia Ojuka 3.10/game

Points 3 Jaime Rendich 11 total

Goals 3 Lydia Ojuka 4 total

Game-winning goals 2 Lydia Ojuka 2 total

Assists 1 Aleisha Rose 8 total

Assists/game 1 Aleisha Rose 0.80/game

Assists in one game 1 Aleisha Rose 4 total

Shutouts 1 Ashley Smith 4 total

Shutout Percentage 21 BYU 0.60 (six of 10)

GAA 1 Amanda Gott 0.00 in 73:23

3 Ashley Smith 0.81 in 782:20

The Assist Queen

Senior All-American Aleisha Rose tallied four assists against Southern Utah on Setp. 8, setting a new BYU school record and South Stadium record for most assists in a single game. The previous record of three assists was shared by Natalyn Lewis, Athelia Graham and Shauna Rohbock. With her assist on Terra Bigelow's goal in the 52nd minute against SUU, Rose became the No. 1 all-time career assist leader at BYU, passing Michelle J. Peterson who set the mark in 2000 with 38 career assists.

Ranking Or No Ranking

The Cougars are 2-1-1 against opponents ranked in the top 25 this season. BYU defeated No. 7 Tennessee 1-0, No. 14 Kentucky 2-1, and tied No. 17 Michigan 0-0 in double overtime. No. 2 Florida defeated the Cougars 3-2 in overtime for their only loss to a ranked team. At home the Cougars are 1-1-1 and 1-0-0 on the road with the lone road game being against Kentucky.

Rose On Hermann Trophy Watch List

Three-time All-American senior Aleisha Rose, of the BYU women's soccer team, was named to the Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy watch list Tuesday. The M.A.C.'s Hermann Trophy is college soccer's equivalent to the Heisman Trophy and represents the highest level of individual achievement in the sport.

Rose, a preseason All-American, is one of 15 athletes who make up the watch list that includes the top Division I athletes in the country. Past recipients include some of the biggest names in soccer, such as Mia Hamm, Kristine Lilly, Shannon MacMillan, Cindy Parlow, Claudio Reyna, Tony Meola and Alexi Lalas.

Rose Named Preseason All-America

In August, Soccer America announced its 2003 preseason All-Americans, and heading up the list is three-time All-American senior Aleisha Rose of the BYU women's soccer team.

Rose, a native of Lakewood, Colo., is one of the most decorated athletes to ever play for the Cougars and has been an integral part to the team's success the past three seasons.

Rose is one of 11 athletes that makes up the 2003 Soccer America preseason All-American list.

Cougar Awards in 2003

National

Preseason All-American - Aleisha Rose

Hermann Trophy candidate - Aleisha Rose

Soccer Buzz Elite Team of the Week:

- Midfielder, Aleisha Rose 9/16

Soccer America Team of the Week:

- Defender, Claire Thomas 9/8

- Midfielder, Aleisha Rose 9/16

Conference

Offensive Player of the Week - Aleisha Rose 9/15

Defensive Player of the Week - Nicole Jensen 9/2

Claire Thomas 9/8

Cougar Awards in 2002

National

NSCAA ALL-AMERICAN: Aleisha Cramer-Rose, 2nd Team

NSCAA All-West Region: Aleisha Cramer-Rose, 1st Team; Jeni Viernes, 1st Team; Brooke Bowman, 3rd Team

SOCCER BUZZ ALL-AMERICAN: Aleisha Cramer-Rose, 3rd Team; Brooke Bowman, Freshman 3rd Team

SOCCER BUZZ ALL-WEST REGION: Aleisha Cramer-Rose, 1st Team; Jeni Viernes, 1st Team; Brooke Bowman, All-Freshman Team

Conference

MWC PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Jeni Viernes

MWC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Brooke Bowman

MWC FIRST TEAM: Aleisha Cramer-Rose, Jeni Viernes, Brooke Bowman

MWC SECOND TEAM: Annie Hoecherl, Charlene Lui

MWC TOURNAMENT MVP: Jeni Viernes

MWC TOURNAMENT TEAM: Aleisha Cramer-Rose, Jeni Viernes, Jennifer Fielding-Henry, Brooke Bowman

MWC ACADEMIC ALL-CONFERENCE: Brooke Bowman, Aleisha Cramer-Rose, Jennifer Fielding-Henry, Katherine Gabbart, Britney Holman, Charlene Lui, Terra Smith-Bigelow, Jeni Viernes

Standing Room Only

A record crowd packed into South Stadium on Friday, Sept. 5 to watch the Cougars take on the No. 7 Tennessee Lady Vols. The game drew a standing-room-only crowd with 2,758 fans in attendance, breaking the old record of 2,191 set one week earlier in the season opener against No. 17 Michigan. That mark fell once again as 2,412 fans were on hand to watch No. 2 Florida and BYU battled to a 3-2 overtime Gator win on Sept. 26.

For the past eight years South Stadium, formerly South Field, has been the battlefield for the Cougars as they have taken on, and defeated, the top teams in their conference and in the NCAA. The Cougars have amassed a 77-13-2 (.857) record at home, a record that is among the best in the nation over the same time period.

Of those 77 home-game wins, an outstanding 43 have ended in a shutout. The Cougars consistently hold their opponents scoreless when playing at South Stadium with 55.84 percent of all their games ending in shutout victories, while BYU has been shutout only five times in the stadium's history.

The Stadium's crowds consistently rank in the top 15 in the NCAA for the largest crowds in the country. With an average attendance of 1,075 fans during the 2002 campaign, the Cougars had the 15th largest attendance average in the country making South Stadium one of the toughest places for opponents to play in college today.

The Rockwood File

In only eight short years, head coach Jennifer Rockwood has taken the BYU women's soccer team to national prominence and established herself as one of the premier coaches in Division I soccer today.

Rockwood currently ranks eighth in winning percentage among active NCAA coaches with an impressive 142-39-3 (.780) overall record for her career, with the likes of Anson Dorrance, John Walker, Chris Petrucelli, Becky Burleigh and Clive Charles being the only coaches ahead of her. Over the last seven seasons, Rockwood has averaged 18.85 wins per year, an average that has her ranked second behind only Anson Dorrance of North Carolina.

In eight years as head coach, Rockwood has guided the Cougars to five conference championships. After going undefeated in conference play and winning their fourth straight Mountain West Conference title last season, the Cougars managed to remain the only team to win the conference title in the history of the MWC.

On the national scene, Rockwood and her teams have made six consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament and reached the "Sweet Sixteen" in 1998 and 2000. Under the watch of Rockwood, the Cougars have also had seven consecutive top-25 finishes including last season's No. 23 finish.

Among the many achievements and awards she has received over her career, Rockwood has been honored with two Coach of the Year citations, one by the Western Athletic Conference in 1996, and then by the MWC in 2000. She also became the first MWC coach to eclipse the 100-win total mark when the Cougars shutout Milwaukee-Wisconsin 2-0 on Sept. 23, 2000.

Under Rockwood's tutelage, a long list of All-American soccer players has emerged from BYU's program. These athletes include Aleisha Rose, Jeni Viernes, and Michelle Jensen. Among the players who have been coached by Rockwood are four athletes that were drafted by the women's United Soccer Association: Shauna Rohbock, Maren Hendershot, Sara Reading, and Staci Reynolds.

Prior to becoming the head coach, Rockwood led BYU's highly successful club soccer team for seven years. In that time she amassed an overall record of 128-25-9, and in the final two years she took her teams to the Western National Collegiate Club soccer Association (NCCSA) title and placed second in the NCCSA National Championships.

The Lake Oswego, Ore. native was a three-sport athlete in college playing soccer, basketball, and track. After one year at Ricks College on a basketball scholarship, she transferred to BYU where she became a four-year starter at center midfield on the Cougars' club soccer team. Rockwood has also coached in the Utah ODP, youth club programs, and at the high school level.

ROCKWOOD, YEAR-BY-YEAR

Year W L T Conference

1995 11 8 1 WAC

1996 22 1 0 WAC

1997 19 4 0 WAC

1998 20 5 0 WAC

1999 21 4 0 MWC

2000 19 4 1 MWC

2001 14 7 1 MWC

2002 16 6 0 MWC

2003 5 2 1 MWC

Total 147 41 4 (.830)

BYU club team under Rockwood:

128-25-9 (.790), six years (1989-1994)

ROCKWOOD AMONG COACHING ELITE

Rockwood currently ranks eighth in winning percentage among active NCAA Division I coaches with an impressive 142-39-3 (.780) overall record for her career. Anson Dorrance, John Walker, Chris Petrucelli, Becky Burleigh and Clive Charles are the only coaches ahead of her. Over the last seven seasons, Rockwood has averaged 18.85 wins per year, an average that has her ranked second behind only Anson Dorrance of North Carolina.

Fresh Faces

This season's incoming class of Cougar freshman can be expected to make strong contributions to the team, with five of the nine recruits hailing from Utah.

With the loss of some key defenders from last year's squad, expect freshmen Claire Thomas, and Nicole Jensen to make an immediate impact for BYU.

Jensen was a 2002 All-State selection out of Denver, CO, and Thomas was a 2002 and 2003 Barons All-Tournament Team selection as well as a 2002 second-team All-Palomar athlete, and joins the team at 16 years of age.

Among the Utah athletes headed to BYU is the 5A MVP in 2002 Elizabeth Affleck (redshirting the 2003 season) out of Alta High School and the two-time 4A MVP Courtney Asay from Mountain View High School.

The Cougars' incoming class ranks along side with the best classes the school has ever had. Affleck and Bobbi Tillotson were both members of the 5A State Championship Alta High School, and Asay, Haylee Cuthbert, and Ali Williams all played for the three-time 4A State Championship Mountian View Bruins.

Home Sweet Home

The 2003 regular schedule is set to be one of the best home game schedules in school history. The Cougars will be playing 13 of their 19 regular season games at South Stadium. Highlighting this season's home schedule will be three teams that finished in the 2002 NSCAA top-25: No. 11 Michigan, No. 10 Tennessee, and No. 22 USC. BYU will also host four teams that are ranked in the NSCAA preseason top-25: No. 14 Tennessee, No. 17 Michigan, No. 19 USC and No. 21 Florida.

In the past home field advantage has paid great dividends for the Cougars as the team has amassed an impressive 61-10-1 record at home. In the those games BYU has managed to shut out its opponent 38 times, while losing only four games in a shutout.

Also included in the home schedule is the 1998 NCAA Championship team, Florida, as well as in-state rivals Southern Utah, Weber State, and Utah. The Cougars and Utes will face-off in the final regular season home game for BYU on Nov. 1 at South Stadium.

With seven teams on the regular season schedule that qualified for the 2002 NCAA Tournament, this year's schedule promises to be one of the most competitive seasons for the Cougars who finished No. 23 in the NSCAA final rankings last year and are No. 24 in the NSCAA preseason poll.

Cougars Picked Second in mwc preseason

The Mountain West Conference announced its 2003 preseason poll Monday with the league's coaches selecting BYU to finish second behind Utah.

One point and one vote separated the Cougars and the Utes in the voting, with BYU totaling 33 points and three first place votes, while Utah grabbed 34 points with four first place votes.

For the 2003 season BYU returns eight starters and 11 letterwinners while the Utes return six starters and 14 letterwinners.

MWC Preseason Coaches' Poll

Pl. Team (1st pl. votes) Points

1. Utah (4) 34

2. BYU (3) 33

3. New Mexico 26

4. UNLV 19

5. San Diego State 18

6. Air Force 9

7. Wyoming 8

Four-straight MWC Titles

With a 2-1 win over Utah in the final game of the regular season, BYU ensured itself a fourth-straight MWC Regular Season Championship.

The Cougars first goal of the game came in the 41st minute on a header by sophomore forward/midfielder Kimmie Davis. Senior forward Jeni Willardson-Viernes put BYU up 2-0, scoring her sixth game-winning goal of the season in the 64th minute on a pass from junior All-American Aleisha Cramer-Rose. Utah's only goal came on a penalty kick by Ute forward Shauna Gurr-Bingham.

Going into the MWC Tournament the Cougars earned a first-round bye before defeating San Diego State 9-2 in the second-round. The win advanced BYU to the championship game where they came out on top of New Mexico 5-1, winning their fourth consecutive MWC Championship title.

To date, the Cougars remain the only team in the MWC to ever win the either conference crown.

Injury Update

Senior Aydre Soff tore her meniscus in practice on Sept. 4, and is done for her career. Freshman goalkeeper Meredith Simmons is out for the season due to a torn MCL she suffered in practice Sept. 3 . Sophomore midfielder Brooke Bowman has a sprained MCL and will be out 4-6 weeks.

Practive and Interviews

Practice is held weekdays from 2:15-4:30 on Haws Field. Interviews with Coach Rockwood and/or members of the Cougar soccer team are schedules through the BYU Athletic Media Relations office. To schedule an interview, Please contact Jason Wells at (801) 422-8999 or by

e-mail at soccer_sid@byu.edu.