BYU Claims No. 2 Seed with Season-Finale Win

PROVO -- No. 17 BYU (13-2-3, 4-1-2) secured the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Mountain West Conference Tournament and, in doing so, earned a first-round bye as the Cougars closed out the season with a 2-0 win over UNLV (8-10-1, 3-4-0) Saturday night at South Stadium.

Goalkeeper Erika Woodbury improved upon her record-breaking season with three saves, giving her 177 career saves, the most in school history. Woodbury also recorded her 11th shutout of the season, which is a new BYU single-season record. Two more shutouts will give the junior the all-time record.

Both teams came out looking eager to make the most of the last game of the season. The high-energy and fast-paced first half featured a total of nine shots on goal and 11 shots overall. BYU got off seven shots and six shots on goal in the half.

"I'm very proud of the way we played tonight," BYU head coach Jennifer Rockwood said. "We came out with a lot of energy and got off to a great start."

BYU was first to get on the board, as junior midfielder Natalie Nate put the Cougars up 1-0 on a penalty kick in the 18th minute. Nate, who nailed both of her penalty kick attempts in 2005, barely got the ball past UNLV goalkeeper Ciera Nero. Nero initially got her hands on it but couldn't hold on, as the ball rolled over her fingertips.

With less than a minute remaining in the first half, BYU struck again when Bobbi Tillotson sent a corner kick from the left side into the field of play. Several players took turns bouncing the ball around until BYU defender Andrea Willis found an opening. The goal, Willis' first of the season, sent the Cougars into the locker room with a 2-0 halftime advantage.

The frenetic tempo kept up in the second half with BYU penetrating the Rebel defense for 10 shots and six shots on goal. The Cougars came close to scoring a third time in the 60th minute when Katie Larkin tapped the ball to fellow senior Haylee Cuthbert. Cuthbert sent a one-touch bullet toward the net, but Nero extended her body as far as she could to tip the ball out of bounds. Nero's six second-half saves kept BYU from getting another score, and the Cougars took the 2-0 victory and a four-game winning streak heading into the MWC tournament.

"We're very excited to be playing in the tournament next week," Rockwood said. "We have a great team. Hopefully we can carry this momentum and excitement into the conference tournament."

The MWC tournament begins Wednesday with BYU slated to play Thurs. at 4:30 p.m. in Salt Lake City. The Cougars will learn who they will face when the MWC announces the tournament schedule Sunday.

Soccer Box Score (Final)
The Automated ScoreBook For Soccer
UNLV vs #17 Brigham Young Univ. (Oct 28, 2006 at Provo, Utah)
UNLV (8-10-1, 3-4-0) vs. 
Brigham Young Univ. (13-2-3, 4-1-2)
Date: Oct 28, 2006 Attendance: 1601
Weather:
Goals by period  	1 	2 	Total 
UNLV 	0 	0 	0 
Brigham Young Univ. 	2 	0 	2 
UNLV
Pos 	## 	Player 	Sh 	SOG 	 G 	 A 
GK  	1  	NERO, Ciera  	0 	0 	0 	0 
D  	3  	KUHNE, Brie  	0 	0 	0 	0 
D  	4  	DAVIS, Dani  	0 	0 	0 	0 
D  	6  	O'HARROW, Ashly  	0 	0 	0 	0 
MF  	9  	JENSEN, Erica  	1 	0 	0 	0 
MF  	11 	ROBERTS, Tanya  	2 	2 	0 	0 
D  	13 	NEELY, Mack  	0 	0 	0 	0 
F  	14 	CARNEY, Katie  	0 	0 	0 	0 
D  	16 	MORIN, Dani  	0 	0 	0 	0 
F  	20 	DESTITO, Jessica  	2 	1 	0 	0 
MF  	22 	RICE, Armani  	0 	0 	0 	0 
  	  	--- Substitutes --- 
 	8  	CONNOLLY, Niki  	0 	0 	0 	0 
 	15 	PARTRIDGE, Haley  	0 	0 	0 	0 
 	18 	MOORE, Brianna  	0 	0 	0 	0 
 	21 	FUENTES, Taylor  	0 	0 	0 	0 
 	 	Totals......... 	5 	3 	0 	0 
## 	Goalie 	Minutes 	 GA 	Saves 
1  	NERO, Ciera  	 90:00 	2 	10 
Brigham Young Univ.
Pos 	## 	Player 	Sh 	SOG 	 G 	 A 
GK  	28 	WOODBURY, Erika  	0 	0 	0 	0 
D  	3  	CUTHBERT, Haylee  	2 	1 	0 	0 
D  	4  	COOK, Karen  	1 	1 	0 	0 
F  	7  	SWENSON, Carolyn  	1 	0 	0 	0 
D  	10 	HARMON, Jessica  	0 	0 	0 	0 
D  	11 	WILLIS, Andrea  	1 	1 	1 	0 
MF  	12 	NATE, Natalie  	6 	5 	1 	0 
F  	16 	AQUINO, Jessica  	2 	2 	0 	0 
F  	18 	LARKIN, Katie  	1 	1 	0 	0 
D  	21 	PHILLIPS, Jenavieve  	1 	0 	0 	0 
F  	22 	FELLOWS, Katie  	1 	0 	0 	0 
  	  	--- Substitutes --- 
 	2  	ANDERSON, Amberlea  	1 	1 	0 	0 
 	6  	ZWAHLEN, Annie  	0 	0 	0 	0 
 	13 	DEARBORN, Heidi  	0 	0 	0 	0 
 	14 	HEATON, Laura  	0 	0 	0 	0 
 	15 	BOWMAN, Brooke  	0 	0 	0 	0 
 	20 	TILLOTSON, Bobbi  	0 	0 	0 	0 
 	25 	THOMAS, Claire  	0 	0 	0 	0 
 	26 	SMURTHWAITE, Katie  	0 	0 	0 	0 
 	 	Totals......... 	17 	12 	2 	0 
## 	Goalie 	Minutes 	 GA 	Saves 
28 	WOODBURY, Erika  	 90:00 	0 	3 
Shots by period  	1 	2 	Total 
UNLV 	4 	1 	5 
Brigham Young Univ. 	7 	10 	17 
Corner kicks  	1 	2 	Total 
UNLV 	2 	0 	2 
Brigham Young Univ. 	4 	1 	5 
Saves by period  	1 	2 	Total 
UNLV 	4 	6 	10 
Brigham Young Univ. 	3 	0 	3 
Fouls  	1 	2 	Total 
UNLV 	3 	2 	5 
Brigham Young Univ. 	5 	9 	14 
SCORING SUMMARY
Goal 	Time 	Team 	Goal Scorer 	Assists  
1. 	18:08 	BY  	NATE, Natalie 	(unassisted) 
2. 	44:26 	BY  	WILLIS, Andrea 	(unassisted) 
CAUTIONS AND EJECTIONS
UNLV  	#11 	ROBERTS, Tanya  	
Yellow card 	 83:36 
Officials: 
Offsides: UNLV 1, Brigham Young Univ. 1.