BYU Soccer Advances To Round Of 16 With Blowout Victory Over Louisville

PROVO, Utah – Through one half of play, the undefeated BYU women’s soccer team was scoreless against the Louisville Cardinals from the ACC. But the No. 2-seeded Cougars remained optimistic that an explosive attack in the second half would be coming, and that it did.

BYU (20-0-1) defeated the Cardinals 4-0 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday. The win advances BYU to the Sweet 16 round for the first time since the 2016 season and the sixth appearance all-time in the Round of 16.

#BYUwSOC head coach Jen Rockwood on #BYU’s victory over Louisville: “We withstood the pressure and we knew when we got to the second half we’d be able to turn things on.”@byusoccer_w @kslsports pic.twitter.com/bEGSfwYEyy

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) November 22, 2019

“We withstood the pressure (from Louisville) and we knew when we got to the second half we’d be able to turn things on,” said BYU head coach Jen Rockwood.

Louisville’s pressure came in the form of a shot off the crossbar in the first half. It was a wake-up call for the Cougars according to BYU midfielder Mikayla Colohan. Despite the pressure and close calls from the Cardinal, the match was scoreless at the midway point.

In the second half, BYU scored three goals within a 10-minute stretch all from their leaders in senior Elise Flake and juniors Mikayla Colohan and Cameron Tucker.

#BYU Advances!

BYU 4, Louisville 0

Cougars will face NC State at 6 pm at South Field in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. #BYUwSOC #GoCougs

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) November 22, 2019

Flake got things started in the 61st minute off an assist from Tucker. Flake’s goal was her 20th of the season and marked only the second BYU player in program history to score 20 goals in one season. The other being Shauna Rohbock who scored 20-plus goals in 1998.

BYU scored their fourth and final goal in the 82nd minute after a handball from Louisville gave Colohan her second goal of the night.

Between Flake, Colohan, and Tucker, BYU’s terrific trio has combined for 45 goals on the season as they continue to be a near-unstoppable force for opposing defenses.

With the victory, the Cougars have won their 20th game of the season. Its the third time in program history that BYU has won 20 games in a single season. The last time coming in 2012. A season that BYU advanced to the Elite 8.

All smiles on South Field tonight ☺️
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀#BYUwSOC #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/b14iRFla2A

— BYU Women's Soccer (@byusoccer_w) November 22, 2019

“You know obviously, it’s [20-win season] huge,” Rockwood said. “We want to appreciate and enjoy the moment and the girls have worked hard to deserve it. We’re trying to not think about how many wins or that sort of thing, we’re just trying to move one game at a time.”

Now BYU will look to continue their undefeated season when they host the NC State Wolfpack from the ACC in the Round of 16 this Saturday at South Field at 6 p.m.

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12-3 pm) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.