CARY, North Carolina – No. 12 BYU women's soccer (11-4-1, 7-1-1 WCC) fell to Virginia (12-4-2, 5-2-1 ACC) 2-0 on Saturday afternoon in the 2020-21 NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament second round.

Not only was this game the first time BYU was shutout this season, but going into the matchup, BYU was on a 53-game scoring streak, shattering the last record of 39 set from October 21, 1995 to October 2, 1997.

“It’s been a great year for us, and we came out doing exactly what we wanted to do in the first half,” said head coach Jennifer Rockwood. “We let them hang around a bit too long, and they’re dangerous. But I’m really proud of the way the girls fought, though it was an unfortunate way to end the season, and sometimes the ball just doesn’t go your way.”

The Cougars came out striking and dominated for the first 30 minutes with several opportunities to score. Makaylie Call and Bella Folino both had shots on goal in the first three minutes of play, saved by Virginia’s goalkeeper. Two-time WCC Player of the Year Mikayla Colohan added two more shots on goal.

Virginia changed the tone of the game when Alexa Spaanstra scored for the Cavaliers scored in the 34th. For the remainder of the first half, the Cougars’ initial momentum dwindled as they played on the back half.

Going into the second half, Virginia applied the pressure, nearly going up 2-0 several times. Senior Cameron Tucker had two missed opportunities in the 62nd and 63rd minutes that were saved by Virginia’s goalie.

BYU goalkeeper Cassidy Smith kept hope alive for BYU with an impressive save midway through the second half, but Virginia’s Spaanstra broke away in the 68th minute and capitalized again for a 2-0 lead.

BYU continued to have good looks and several shots, but ultimately couldn’t finish. Forward Tucker led BYU with six shots and four on goal, while Colohan had more shots today than she did in her last three games combined, with five shots and three on goal. 

The Cougars finished the game leading in shots on goal with 11 to Virginia’s 4. BYU had 19 shots and two saves, while Virginia had 11 shots and 11 saves.

After a successful 7-1-1 conference season this spring, the Cougars finish their season 11-4-1 overall. BYU will return five of their seniors for the 2021 fall season.

CARY, North Carolina – No. 12 BYU women's soccer will take on Virginia on Saturday, May 1 at WakeMed Soccer Park for the NCAA women’s soccer tournament second round.

Saturday’s matchup is scheduled for 1 p.m. MDT in Cary, North Carolina. The game will also be streamed on GoHeels TV, with radio coverage on BYU Sports Network—BYU Radio 107.9 FM and audio play-by-play also streaming on the BYU Cougars app and at BYUCougars.com/LiveRadio.

IN THE RANKINGS. BYU finished the regular season ranked No. 17 in the National Soccer Coaches Association Poll. In the TopDrawerSoccer national rankings, BYU is ranked No. 21. The Cougars are ranked 12th in the tournament, with the last time being ranked being in 2019 when they were seeded No. 2 overall.

WCC HONORS. Three Cougars were named to the WCC First Team on Friday, with four others receiving all-conference honors. Senior Mikayla Colohan, senior Cameron Tucker, and sophomore Rachel McCarthy were named to the West Coast Conference First Team. Sophomore Jamie Shepherd was named to the WCC Second Team, while senior Josie Gelalich was named an honorable mention. Defenders Olivia Smith and Brooke Hale were also named to the All-WCC Freshman Team. In addition to being named to the WCC First Team, Colohan was also named the WCC Player of the Year for the second consecutive year.

LAST TIME IN THE TOURNAMENT. This marks BYU women’s soccer’s eighth tourney bid in the last nine seasons, and BYU has now made the NCAA Tournament in 21 of its 25 seasons as a program. In 2019, the Cougars were ranked No. 2 overall and lost to No. 1 Stanford in the quarterfinal. The other most successful tournament runs were when BYU reached the quarterfinal in 2003 and 2012.

LAST TIME ON THE FIELD. BYU closed its regular season on April 17 against Portland in a dominating 4-0 shutout at South Field. Sophomore Bella Folino opened the team’s scoring with a goal in the 15th minute, with McCarthy scoring just moments following.  BYU’s final two goals came with help off the bench with Brecken Mozingo scoring in the 33rd and Ashton Brockbank-Johnson in the 54th off an assist from Tucker.

No. 12 BYU (11-3-1, 7-1-1 WCC) vs Virginia (11-4-2, 5-2-1 ACC)

• Saturday, May 1, at 1 p.m. MT at WakeMed Soccer Park
• Streaming: GoHeels TV
• Radio: BYU Sports Network/BYU Cougars App/107.9 FM
• Radio play-by-play: Greg Wrubell

THE CAVALIERS. Virginia defeated Southern Illinois Edwardsville 3-1 in the opening-round of the NCAA Tournament Wednesday. SIUE struck first in the 11th minute, but the Cavaliers rallied back, scoring three unanswered goals to advance in the tournament.

COUGARS VS. CAVALIERS. The Cougars and Virginia have only met once before, which was on Oct. 4, 2001, with the Cougars losing 3-2 in overtime.

More information and the entire bracket can be found on the NCAA website.