PROVO, Utah - The No. 5 ranked BYU women’s soccer team defeated Gonzaga 4-1 in front of 4,557 fans, the second largest home crowd this season.

“I thought the girls played a great game today,” BYU head coach Jennifer Rockwood said. “They were hungry and wanted to score a lot of goals in front of our fans. I thought we really took care of things, especially in the second half, doing a really nice job on our attack.”

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The Cougars improve their record to 14-1-1 overall and 3-0-1 in the West Coast Conference, and are currently on a 13-game unbeaten streak.

The Bulldog’s loss puts them at 6-8-1 overall and 0-3-0 in the WCC.

Five minutes into the game, BYU took the ball into Gonzaga territory on a free kick when Hermann Trophy Watch List candidate Lindsi Lisonbee Cutshall gave the Cougars an early 1-0 advantage. The Cougars got the free kick opportunity after defender Dana Oldroyd Cusick was pushed from behind as she was moving the ball up field. Cutshall’s shot was deflected off a Gonzaga defender’s head.

Following the score, the Cougars had several close attempts on goal but were unable to connect with the net. They headed two over the cross bar and shot one off the left post.

Heading into the half leading the Bulldogs by one, BYU had 11 shots on goal and eight corner kicks.

Entering the second half, Gonzaga struck first scoring after only three minutes of play to tie the game 1-1. Gonzaga capitalized on their first shot of the night. Three minutes later, Michele Murphy pushed back by taking the ball deep in Gonzaga territory before passing off to Jaiden Thornock. Thornock fired a shot on goal, but for the second time, the ball rocketed off the left post out of bounds.

Immediate response from the Cougars led to their second goal following three quick shots giving the home team a 2-1 lead. Cusick crossed the ball into the keeper’s box to Rachel Manning. Manning chipped the ball up to Cloee Colohan who headed it into the net.

The Cougars scored again 10 minutes later on a pass-play combination from Cusick to Carlee Payne Holmoe to Murphy, who buried the ball in the left corner of the net. Nine minutes following goal three, the Cougars struck yet again with another pass-play combination from Colohan to Thornock to Jessica Ringwood. Ringwood came from outside the box with a sliding kick for the score putting the Cougars up 4-1.

Up next for BYU is a road trip to California for its next conference matchup on Oct. 25 against San Diego. The game kicks off at 7 p.m. PDT.

The Cougars return for one final conference home game on Oct. 27 hosting Saint Mary’s in a 1 p.m. MDT, kick off. The 2012 senior class will be recognized.

PROVO, Utah - The No. 5 BYU women's soccer team plays its second-to-last regular season home game this Friday, Oct. 19, at 7 p.m. MT against the Gonzaga Bulldogs. 

The Cougars are on a 12-game unbeaten streak and have recorded 14-straight games with double-digit shot performances.

Freshman Michele Murphy leads the team with seven goals, followed closely by teammate Jessica Ringwood with six. Senior Carlee Payne Holmoe leads the team with seven assists. 

Ringwood also leads in the shot category with 53. Seven other players for BYU have recorded double-digit shots so far this season. 

BYU goalkeeper Erica Owens has spent 1,321 minutes in front of the net, recorded 47 saves and tallied seven shutout wins. 

BYU's opponents are being out-scored 31 to eight on the year while the Cougar defense, anchored by Senior CLASS Finalist Lindsi Lisonbee Cutshall, is allowing its opponents an average of just 7.9 shots per game. 

Opponent
The Gonzaga Bulldogs come to Provo with a 6-7-1 season record and 0-2-1 record through West Coast Conference action.

The Bulldogs have lost six of their last eight games. Sila Tuiofea, Emma Dolcetti and Kasey Rubosky lead the team with three goals apiece. Heather Johnson leads with 35 shots.

Gonzaga is averaging 13.7 shots per game through the season, but in conference play, the average goes up to 20 per game.

The Cougars are 4-0 all-time against the Bulldogs.

How to Watch
Friday's game will be broadcast live on BYUtv and online for free at byutvsports.com/gameday. 

Live stats will be available and fans can also follow the action on the BYU women's soccer Twitter page.