WCC Play Begins WIth Portland at Home, Thursday

Action as the WCC's newest member begins on South FIeld this week for the BYU women's soccer team, starting Thursday against Portland at 7 p.m. MT and Saturday against No. 8 Pepperdine at 1 p.m. MT.

To watch a preview of the games click here

Thursday's game against Portland has been chosen by the NSCAA and FOX soccer as the nation's "Game of the Week" and will be broadcast live on FOX soccer with commentary from Dean Linke and Kyndra de St. Aubin.

The Cougars are in the middle of a four-game home swing and, after being off the game field for about a week, are ready to come back against the Pilots on Thurdsay in front of a record-setting crowd. The current attendance record on South Field is 4,742 fans which was set in 2006. The Cougars have seen more than 22,000 fans over 11 games this season and are averaging a 3,213 attendance on their home field.

A 6-3-2 record is on the line for the Cougars when they host the 5-5-1 Portland Pilots. Senior Jennie Marshall, junior Carlee Payne and freshman Jaiden Thornock currently lead the BYU offense with three goals apiece and a combined 57 shots on the year. A total of 11 different players have scored at least one goal in BYU's 11 games, combining for 20 team goals.

The Pilots are led offensively by Danielle Foxhoven with five goals and 36 shots, and is one of five Pilots to have recorded double-digit shots this season. Portland has won three of its last five games and come to Provo as the winners of four-straight conference titles in the WCC.

The Pepperdine Waves are riding an 8-0-4 record and will come to Provo with a No. 8 ranking in the nation after going unbeaten thus far this year. The Waves are outscoring their opponents 27 to eight and out-shooting them 183 to 130 in 12 games. Anisa Guajardo leads the Pepperdine offense with eight goals and 31 shots as one of seven players on the Waves roster to record double-digit shots. 

Saturday's game will be broadcast live on BYUtv and online at byutv.org/live for free.