BYU Cougars
West Coast Conference
The Brigham Young Cougar women’s soccer team has stormed onto the scene as a national championship contender in 2012, thanks to some big wins over BCS conference teams like Penn State, Texas, and Washington. They have accomplished this with a very explosive offensive attack that has been extremely difficult to stop all season long. The Cougars are always a huge challenge to beat at home in Provo, and this year they have taken it to an even higher level with only a draw against Santa Clara keeping them from being completely unbeaten at South Field.
2012 Record: 18-1-1, 10-0-1
Coach: Jennifer Rockwood
Good Results: 9/1 Colorado College (2-0), 9/8 Penn State (3-1), 10/13 at Portland (2-1)
Bad Results: 8/25 at Utah (0-1), 10/5 Santa Clara (0-0)
Why They Can Surprise:
The opposition can’t just focus in one player and slow the BYU offensive attack. The Cougars are led by Michele Murphy and Jessica Ringwood with eight goals apiece. Senior forward Carlee Payne Holmoe has racked up nine assists in 2012 to lead BYU in that category. They can also surprise because of the ability to defend by only allowing ten goals in 2012. If you fall behind this Cougar team early and have to play catch up, it is going to be a very difficult proposition to advance as BYU is just relentless in generating scoring chances and is one of the best in the country at finishing their scoring chances.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The biggest challenge for this Cougar squad will be if they have a match in the postseason like the Santa Clara match on October 11. The match against the Broncos was dominated by BYU as they outshot Santa Clara 22-9, but could not convert on any of their big scoring chances and had to settle for a scoreless draw. If they run into a similar type of match in the postseason, it could become potentially problematic. The penalty kick shootout to decide matches after two overtimes in the postseason is the great equalizer and it can punish a team that does not finish its scoring chances well enough to put a match away in regulation or overtime.
Key Strikers:
Jessica Ringwood, Senior, 8 goals, 2 assists
Jaiden Thornock, Sophomore, 6 goals, 5 assists
Carlee Payne Holmoe, Senior, 6 goals, 9 assists
Key Midfielders:
Michele Murphy, Freshman, 8 goals, 7 assists
Rachel Manning, Junior, 0 goals, 3 assists
Key Defenders:
Cloee Colohan, Junior, 5 goals, 3 assists
Lindsi Lisonbee Cutshall, Senior, 3 goals, 2 assists
Dana Oldroyd Cusick, Senior, 3 goals, 3 assists
Ashley Bazzarone, Senior, 0 goals, 0 assists
Key Goalkeepers:
Erica Owens, Junior, 0.50 goals against average, .851 save percentage, 10 shutouts
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 2.44 (13th in nation, 1st in conference)
Goals-Against Average: 0.561 (10, 1)
Shutout Percentage: 0.500 (28, 1)
Save Percentage: 0.836 (45, 2)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
BYU 2010 First Round Lost to UCLA
BYU 2009 First Round Defeated UC Santa Barbara
BYU 2009 Second Round Lost to Stanford
BYU 2008 First Round Defeated Virginia Tech
BYU 2008 Second Round Lost to USC
BYU 2007 First Round Lost to Texas
BYU 2006 First Round Lost to Portland
*all team stats through 10/28
See All Women’s Soccer Postseason Capsules
