Ever since suffering its lone WAC defeat to nationally ranked San Diego State at home two weeks ago, BYU has longed for a shot to avenge that loss against the Aztecs.

Well, the Cougars got their wish.After dispatching quarterfinal and semifinal foes this week in the WAC women's soccer tournament, No. 15 BYU and No. 9 San Diego State square off today at 4 p.m. at South Field for the conference championship.

The Aztecs' 1-0 victory over the Cougars on Oct. 24 in Provo amounted to the Pacific Division title game. And BYU hasn't forgotten it.

"We're definitely looking forward to a rematch," said Cougar coach Jennifer Rockwood. "We hope to have a different result on Saturday."

BYU forward Shauna Rohbock remembers how poorly the Cougars played against the Aztecs. "The first half was awful," she said. "Our passing was off, we didn't get into a flow."

What about this time around? "If we play like we can, we have a good chance (to win)," Rohbock said. "We have to come out strong right off, finish our goals and play the whole 90 minutes."

One Cougar who did not play the whole 90 minutes and may not remember much from that previous meeting between the two teams is Maren Hendershot. BYU's No. 2 scorer sustained a concussion in the 12th minute following a collision with an Aztec player and did not return.

In addition to WAC supremacy, an automatic berth in the upcoming NCAA Tournament is at stake today. San Diego State and BYU are virtually assured of spots in the tournament regardless of the outcome. The loser will likely receive an at-large invitation. The NCAA will announce the 48-team bracket for the 1998 championships Sunday night. The stingy Aztecs have yet to allow a goal in the WAC Tournament. They beat Texas Christian 6-0 and Fresno State 2-0. The Cougars have outscored their opponents, Tulsa and San Jose State, 5-2.

BYU will be without sophomore midfielder Natalyn Orchard Lewis, who underwent surgery Wednesday for a ruptured appen-dix.