Provo • Although BYU’s women’s soccer team has dominated its series against Utah throughout the years, the matches are always close, intense and highly entertaining.
Friday night at South Field was no exception.
The No. 21 Utes and still-winless Cougars battled to a 1-1 draw in front of 5,367 fans, Utah scoring in the first half and BYU evening it up in the second. Neither team was able to score in the two overtime periods, so the series now stands 21-7-2 in BYU’s favor as the rivals tied for just the second time ever.
“It is always a great game, it is always a close game between us and Utah,” said BYU coach Jennifer Rockwood. “A great atmosphere, a great battle. I thought we took a step forward today with some of our players fighting and battling a little bit more.”
Utah coach Rich Manning was generally pleased with how his team “saw this as a challenge and played that way” in trying to get its first win in Provo since 2007. It almost happened, he said, but the Utes couldn’t capitalize on a few scoring chances in the second half.
“We have played well as a team [against BYU] the last three or four years and haven’t gotten a result,” Manning said. “They were pretty determined to try and get some momentum [early].”
The Utes took a 1-0 lead in the first half on a goal by Eden Jacobsen, a Woods Cross High product. A junior, Jacobsen took a pass from Paola Van der Veen and stuck the ball just inside the left post in the 31st minute.
It was Utah’s only decent offensive chance in the first half, and Jacobsen delivered on the rare opportunity, getting the ball past BYU goalkeeper Hannah Clark.
The Cougars, who outshot the Utes 5-3 in the first half, got an opportunity minutes later but Danika Bowman’s blast sailed over the cross bar.
Trailing 1-0 at halftime, BYU discovered some energy 10 minutes into the second half.
Storylines<br>• No. 21 Utah scores first, but BYU gets the equalizer in the secondhalf in front of 5,367 at South Field in Provo.<br>• The Cougars (0-3-3)remain winless on the season, but scores just its third goal of the year.<br>• Eden Jacobsen scores for the Utes (4-1-1), her second tally of theseason
The Cougars tied it in the 57th minute when Nadia Gomes notched her first goal of the season and 19th of her career. Gomes challenged Utah goalkeeper Carly Nelson after a back-pass, and Nelson’s attempt to clear the ball ricocheted off Gomes.
The BYU senior deposited the ball in the back of the net, then was clotheslined by Utah’s Natalie Kump.
“I was excited when it hit my foot,” Gomes said. “I did it for the team. I love the team. … I think it kinda broke the ice. We are going to get more.”
The goal came just after a restart because BYU’s Cameron Tucker was given a yellow card.
The Cougars carried the action most of the second half, but Nelson corralled shots by Bizzy Bowen, Gomes and Madie Lyons Mathews.
The Utes’ best chance to pull ahead came in the 83rd minute, but Clark stopped a shot by Hailey Skolmoski. The Utes got their fifth corner kick in the final minute of regulation, but Clark stepped in front of a header to send the match into overtime.
Utah almost scored in the first overtime, but Van der Veen’s blast was wide right midway through the first extra session. Neither team generated much of an attack in the second overtime, as fatigue set in. Utah’s Holly Daguirda did get a shot off with two minutes left, but Clark was there, again.
“The big thing for us was that we got caught up in the moment,” Manning said. “We got caught up in the environment a little bit. We got away from the game plan. … One or two plays with a little bit more composure, we could have flipped the game in the second half.”