Jalen Wilkie/BYU Photography
BYU’s Sierra Pennock dribbling the ball during a college soccer game during the 2022 season.
LOGAN, Utah — The Cougars and Aggies finished in a 1-1 draw at Chuck and Gloria Bellfield on Thursday afternoon.
BYU (3-2-2) was looking to avenge a 2-1 overtime loss to Utah State when the Cougars made it to the national championship game in 2021. However, BYU, who led 1-0 midway through the first half, conceded a goal in the 83rd minute and ended in a draw.
Mozingo’s score in the 19th minute saw her score in five straight games, leading the Cougars in goals this season with six. She is also rising in BYU’s all-time record as she holds the sixth-longest scoring streak in the school’s history.
The Aggies were the first to score goals with two shots in the first five minutes of the match. Both balls rolled straight into the hands of BYU goalie Savannah and his Mason. Continuing the offensive pressure, Utah State scored his kick free just outside his 18, but senior defender Natalie Wells cleared the ball out of danger.
The Cougars fought back with Bricken Mosingo’s first shot on goal in the 10th minute of the game, forcing the Utah State goaltender to make a diving save. BYU kept the pressure high and in the 19th minute Mozingo and Olivia Smith fired back-to-back shots from the right side in the 18th minute.
After both shots were blocked by the Aggies defense, Mosingo cut inside and fired a left-footed shot into the top left corner of the goal to put the Cougars up 1–0. The goal was her fifth game scoring streak for Mozingo, and Smith’s assist was her fourth of the year.
A high press from BYU’s offensive line gave the Cougars a free kick on the left side of the pitch and a corner kick that bounced off several players in the penalty box. The Cougars continued to hold possession as four consecutive shots were blocked by the Utah backline.
In the 32nd minute, Jamie Sheppard and Allie Fryer made a combo play, with Fryer firing a shot that missed the goal by inches. Shortly after, Izzy Stratton hit a long shot that hit the top of the crossbar, giving BYU’s ninth shot of the game.
In the final minute of the first half, Stratton was fouled 28 yards out for a free-kick that sailed just over the crossbar.
Utah had the first few shots of the game, but the Cougars entered halftime with 10 shots compared to a 1-0 lead and the Aggies’ 5 shots.
In the second half, BYU defeated freshman keeper Tygan Sill after Mason played the first 45 minutes of the game. A soft back pass to BYU’s backline one minute into the second half saw Sill rise to the top of the box for a diving save.
In the 50th minute, Olivia Wade stole the ball in BYU’s offensive third, firing a shot from the right side of the field that hit the crossbar and was cleared by the Utah State defense. BYU continued to shoot with Mozingo’s hit missing just left of the goal.
BYU scored their sixth corner kick of the game in the 58th minute, but it was nodded off by Wade just out of the frame on the left side of the net. Utah State quickly fought back, but the BYU defenders cleared the ball to avoid danger.
The Aggies began applying pressure in the offensive third, scoring a free kick just outside the 18 that was hit from a BYU defender for a Utah State corner kick in the 68th minute. A few minutes later, Utah hit another shot on goal, which was sent into Sill’s arms.
At another BYU corner in the 74th minute, the ball found Sheppard’s head and was knocked onto the crossbar by the Utah State goaltender. The Cougars maintained their high press and scored two more shots by Fryer and Sierra Pennock who failed to capitalize on their chances.
In the 83rd minute, Utah sent a long ball to put Sill out of position before Whitney Lopez found the back of the net to tie the game at 1-1.
Despite pressing by BYU in the final minutes of the match, the Cougars were unable to score another goal and the game ended in a 1–1 draw.
The Cougars are next on the field to host Utah at Southfield on Saturday, Sept. 17 at 7:00 PM MDT. The match will be broadcast live on the BYU Sports Network — BYURadio.org/BYU Radio app/BYU Radio 107.9 FM. The game will also be streamed on BYUtv and his BYUtv app.
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