BYU Women Get 1st Round Bye In NCAA Champs, Host 2nd Round Game At South Field
BYU(18-3-1, 6-0) repeated as MWC Champs in Las Vegas last week. This week, the Cougars are one of 48 teams participating in this year's 200 Women's College Cup. Their strong schedule and top ranking gave them a first round bye and are set to host second round action on Saturday, Nov. 11 at 5 p.m. The visiting team will be the winner of Wednesday's game between Stanford and San Jose State.
Last Week Recap
• The Cougars picked up their second consecutive MWC crown in women's soccer defeating the University of Utah in the championship game 6-1 in Las Vegas on Saturday afternoon. On Friday, BYU defeated Air Force 8-1 in one of two semifinal games.
•Kim Lowe and Sara Reading picked up two goals a piece in the win over the Falcons. All-American Staci Reynolds also scored in the game while Janet Jensen and Lydia Ojuka came off the bench to each put in a goal in the con- test.
•In the title game against Utah, five different BYU players put in a goal with Lowe notching two.
•BYU outshot its two opponents 60-9 in last week's MWC tourney.
Cougars Pick Up MWC Honors In Las Vegas
On the night before the conference tournament, head coach Jennifer Rockwood was honored as the conference's Coach of the Year. At the banquet the team also received the regular conference championship trophy after compiling a perfect 6-0 record in league play. Several players also picked up individual regular season honors.
First-Team All-Conference
Michelle Peterson, Aleisha Cramer, Sara Reading, Staci Reynolds
Second-Team All-Conference
Athelia Graham, Natalyn Lewis, Kim Lowe
MWC Player of the Year
Michelle Peterson
MWC Freshman of the Year
Aleisha Cramer
More honors came the Cougars way at the end of the MWC Soccer Championships.
Tournament MVP
Michelle Peterson
All-Tournament Team
Sara Reading, Jeni Willardson, Michelle Peterson, Aleisha Cramer
BYU In The Polls - Highest Ranking No. 8 By The NSCAA
Monday's no. 8 ranking by the NSCAA placed the Cougars at number 8, that is the highest ranking for the six-year Division I women's program. Last week the Soccer America poll had the BYU team ranked 9th.
• 9th in Soccer America (as of 11/600)
• 9th in NSCAA Coaches (as of 11/600)
BYU's NCAA History
• This will be the Cougars fourth consecutive visit to the NCAA Women's Soccer Championships and the first time they have gotten a first round bye.
• In 1997, BYU made its first appearance losing 1-0 in the first round to Santa Clara in Santa Clara.
• The Cougars had their best showing to date in 1998 finishing in the "Sweet Sixteen." They got there after a 6-1 victory against Stanford in Provo, and a 2-0 shutout over UCLA in Los Angeles. In the round of 16, BYU once again met Santa Clara on their home field with the Broncos picking up a 3-0 win to end the Cougars run at the title.
• Last year, BYU got its third straight invite, hosting a first round game against California where the Cougars picked up the 2-0 win. Then it was once again to Santa Clara for a third meeting against the Broncos who were ranked number one in the country. Santa Clara defeated BYU 0-2 in that matchup.
•BYU's overall record in the NCAA
Year Team Record NCAA
1997 19-4 0-1
1998 21-4 2-1
1999 21-4-0 1-1
Overall Record: 3-3
2000 Season Highlights
• Record:18-3-1, 6-0-0
• Senior midfielder Michelle Peterson continues as the team's leading scorer with 17 goals and 10 assists for her 44 points from 63 shots.
• Kim Lowe leads the team in the assist category with 14 for the season. She's also second on the leader board in scoring with 36 points from 11 goals and14 assists.
• The Cougars are currently on an 11-game winning streak and one tie since Sept. 28. Their last loss was on Sept. 22 against Marquette.
• BYU finished their home season undefeated in 2000 with a 7-0-1 record at South Field, their second consecutive unbeaten year.
• There have been seven shutouts to date for the Cougar defense and they have allowed just 20 goals.
• Head Coach Jennifer Rockwood picked up her 100th win in the 2-0 victory over Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Sept. 23.
BYU Returning Starters To Watch - 2000 Stats
• 13 Michelle Jensen Peterson - MF/F, Sr (17G, 10A, 44PTS, 63SH)
• 15 Kim Lowe - MF, Sr (11G, 14A,36PTS, 71SH)
• 12 Sara Reading - F/MF, Sr (15G, 5A, 35PTS, 99SH)
• 04 Natalyn Lewis - MF, Sr (6G, 6A, 18PTS, 56SH)
BYU Newcomers To Watch - 2000 Stats
• 17 Aleisha Cramer - MF, Fr (6G, 11A, 23PTS, 59SH)
• 14 Annie Hoecherl - 5-10 D, Fr (Played in 18 games, has one goal)
Cougar 2000 Quickie Stats
• Averaging 26.5 shots on goal per game
• Averaging 3.7 goals per game
• Average 3.63 assists per game
Home Sweet Home
In 2000, the Cougars went 6-0-1 playing on South Field during the regular season. Last year, BYU went undefeated at home with a 12-0 record. BYU's last home loss dates back to the 1998 season when San Diego State defeated the Cougars 1-2 in overtime for the WAC championship title on Nov. 7. Overall, the Cougars are 43-5-1 playing at home.
Women's College Cup Second Round Opponent Notes
Scouting Stanford
The No.15-ranked Stanford women's soccer team currently sport a 13-5-1, (6-3-0 Pac-10) record. This is their 10th time in 11 seasons that the Cardinal has been in post season action and their third consecutive invitation. Stanford is hosting a first-round game against San Jose State on Wednesday night, Nov. 8. Marci Ward leads the Cardinal in all categories with 38 points from 12 goals and 11 assists on the year. Three other players are in double digit points. Marcia Wallip has 12 goals and three assists for her 27 points, Kelsey Carlson has three goals and eight assists her 14 points with Brittany Oliveira rounding out the scoring with five goal and three assists for her 13 points. Stanford is averaging 13.4 shots and 2.3 goals a game and are currently on a three-game winning streak. Earlier this year, the Cardinal beat San Jose State 3-0.
Series Record: 2-0 favoring BYU.
Last Meeting: The Cardinal and Cougars met previously in 1998 with BYU picking up a 3-2 victory in Stanford and then a 6-1 win in Provo in that year's first round of the NCAA tournament.
Scouting SJSU
San Jose State is in this year's Women's College Cup after clinching the WAC's crown last weekend with victories over UTEP, SMU and Tulsa. The Spartans are 10-12-1 on the year with a 3-3-1 conference record. Two players are at the top of the leader board in scoring for San Jose State with equal stats. They are Brandy Apodaca and Julie Brum who have tallied six goals and four assists for each of their 16 points. Jennifer Mescher leads the team in assists with six. The Spartans are averaging 13.5 shots and 1.6 goals a game.
Series Record: 4-2 in favor of the Cougars.
Last Meeting: These two teams have met six times since 1996. In their last matchup in 1998, the teams went 1-1 each picking up the wins on their home fields, with a 0-1 victory for San Jose State and a 2-0 win for BYU. Both teams were members of the WAC in their previous meetings.
Coach Jennifer Rockwood Quotes
We're coming off a great weekend in Las Vegas. We had a full team effort and everyone was able to contribute to our wins and our second conference title. We're certainly glad to be at home this week because we've been on the road the last three weeks. We need to have the girls get back into their schooling. We're planning tohave good practices this week in preparation for Saturday's game. We're healthy right now, very focused and ready to play a great game. Our team likes to play at home in front of their fans so we'd like to have a big crow to support us on Saturday.
The Rockwood File
Jennifer Rockwood begins her sixth season at the helm of BYU's women's soccer program. In the five year history of the Division I program, she has guided her team to two conference championships and three straight appearances in the NCAA Championships beginning with the 1997 season. The Cougars highest finish in the NCAA tourney came in 1998 when BYU finished in the "Sweet Sixteen." Her many honors include being named Coach of the Year by the Western Athletic Conference and by Soccer Buzz in 1996.
Prior to becoming the head coach, Rockwood led BYU's highly successful club soccer team, for seven years compiling a 128-25-9 record. In her final two years, she took her teams to first place in the Western National Collegiate Club Soccer Association (NCCSA) championships and to second place in the NCCSA national championships.
A native of Lake Oswego, Oregon, Rockwood was a three-sport athlete, receiving all-league and all-state honors in soccer, basketball, and track. She has also competed in the Olympic Development Program in both Oregon and Utah. Rockwood attended Ricks College on an academic and basketball scholarship for one year and then transferred to BYU, graduating in 1989 with a business administration degree. While at BYU, she played on the soccer club team as a four-year starter at center midfield.
Rockwood coached in the Utah Olympic Development Program and has coached at the youth club and high school levels. She is also currently the director of BYU summer soccer camps which recently put through over 1,400 participants.
Rockwood's Record (11 Years at BYU)
Club team/years: 128-25-9/7
Division I/years: 111-25-2/6
1995 Record: 11-8-1
1996 Record: 22-1-0
1997 Record: 19-4-0
1998 Record: 20-5-0
1999 Record: 21-4-0
2000 Record: 18-3-1
Cougars Practice/Interview Schedule At Home
At home, the Cougars practice daily from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Player and/or coach Rockwood interviews may be done in advance by contacting Norma Collett at 801-378-4908 or via e-mail at norma_collett@byu.edu There are no player interviews 24 hours prior to games.
NCAA Women's College Cup Ticket Prices
Tickets a prices for Saturday's game are as follows:
$7.00 for general public
$5.00 for students, seniors and children under 12
Tickets will be available for purchase at the gate on game day.
Up Next For The Cougars
Based on the draw BYU got in Sunday's pairings, if the Cougars win their game on Saturday, then their next opponent would either be Santa Clara or California. If it's Santa Clara, that game would be played in Provo on Friday, Nov. 17. If it's California then BYU would travel to Berkeley for a game on either Nov. 17 or 18.
