STILLWATER, Okla. - No. 8 BYU women’s soccer (12-1-3, Big 12 5-0-3) broke Oklahoma State’s eight-game unbeaten streak at home with a 3-0 win over the Cowgirls Thursday night.
With the win against Oklahoma State, BYU has recorded its first back-to-back shutouts this season. The 22 shots from the Cowgirls was the most shots BYU has faced all year, with BYU freshman goalkeeper Lynette Hernaez making a career-high six saves to hold the shutout.
"Tonight was a full-team effort," said associate head coach Brent Anderson. "We were struggling defensively right from the start because of the intense wind, but our girls handled that really well. I think Brecken [Mozingo] did a great job starting things off strong for us tonight with the penalty kick and then feeding the ball to Ellie [Walbruch] for that second goal."
In tonight’s win over Oklahoma State, Mozingo tallied her eighth goal of the season on a successful penalty kick in the ninth minute. She is now 4-for-4 on penalty kicks this year. With another assist in tonight’s match, Mozingo has tallied five assists in the last three games, with eight on the season.
With a left-footed goal in the first half, sophomore forward Walbruch notched her seventh goal of the season. Assisting Walbruch’s goal in tonight’s matchup, freshman defender Camryn Jorgensen has now tallied assists in back-to-back games for the Cougars.
Sophomore Allie Fryer scored her eighth goal of the season while Olivia Wade-Katoa notched her sixth assist of the year.
First Half
The Cowgirls saw the first shot of the night in the sixth minute from outside the 18-yard box, collected by Hernaez.
In the ninth minute, Cougar forward Fryer was fouled in the box for a penalty kick. Mozingo converted the PK to take the early 1-0 lead. Mozingo is now 4-for-4 on penalty kicks this season.
Oklahoma State continued to apply pressure on BYU’s backline, firing off three more shots within the first 20 minutes on the pitch, cleared out by the Cougars.
Mozingo took a free kick from 25 yards out on the right side of the pitch, narrowly missing over the top of the net.
The Cowgirls had a header at the top of BYU’s 18 in the 21st minute, hitting off the left woodwork and cleared out by senior defender Laveni Vaka.
As Oklahoma State saw more chances on goal, Vaka had four crucial defensive stops to hold the Cougars' lead through 30 minutes on the pitch.
In the 35th minute, Jorgensen sent a ball up the right side of the field to Mozingo, who flicked the ball to Walbruch who put the ball in the back of the net off her left foot, extending BYU’s lead.
Despite being outshot 14-5 in the first half, the Cougars put four shots on frame compared to OSU’s three and netted two to take a 2-0 lead into the break.
Second Half
Both teams came out of the locker room strong, applying high pressure and adding several more shots on both sides of the ball.
In the 58th minute, the Cowgirls made a run up the right side of the pitch and sent a cross into the box for a shot by Hannah Chance, missing high and wide.
BYU continued to pester OSU’s backline, with Wade-Katoa finding a through-ball for Fryer in the 68th minute to beat the goalkeeper and score a left-footed goal to give the Cougars a 3-0 lead.
The Cougar defense held off the Cowgirls in the final minutes of the game, recording their fifth Big 12 conference win, 3-0.
Oklahoma State outshot BYU 22-13, but the Cougars held the advantage with nine shots on frame to OSU’s six. Hernaez recorded a career-high six saves in tonight’s matchup.
BYU will continue its road trip in Norman, Oklahoma as they face the Oklahoma Sooners on Monday, Oct. 16 at 6 p.m. MT on John Crain Field. The match will be streamed on SoonerVision on ESPN+.