BYU soccer: Cougars come up short of title

While the national attention on the Mountain West Conference women's soccer tournament in Provo was mostly focused on poor play, it was a great play — one of the greatest you'll ever see on the soccer pitch — that decided Saturday's championship game between host BYU and San Diego State.

Aztec junior midfielder Cat Walker scored the only goal of the contest in the 29th minute of play, placing a gorgeous left-footed shot perfectly in the upper-right corner of the goal from 25 yards out.

Although the Cougars put intense pressure on the San Diego State net the rest of the way, attempting to get the equalizer, the Aztecs held on and earned the MWC title with 1-0 victory.

"It feels amazing," said Walker. "I'm just so happy for the team. I'm so proud of the way we dug down and finished it off. It's just great that we're bringing the trophy back to San Diego."

The SDSU junior said the goal was just one of those moments when she thought there might be an opportunity, so she let it fly.

"I got a touch and saw an opening at the back post," Walker explained. "I didn't even see it go in. I got tripped up, so I was on the ground, but when I saw my team running toward me I knew it had gone in. It was the best feeling."

Both teams attacked aggressively throughout the first half with the back lines repeatedly being forced to come up with big plays.

BYU, which didn't appear at all distracted by the aftermath of Thursday's semifinal win over New Mexico, had the edge in shots and threatened frequently but couldn't come up with the final touch it needed.

"I'm proud of the way we came out," said Cougar coach Jennifer Rockwood. "We had a great start, the energy was there, and the excitement was there. I thought we played well throughout the whole game."

With the lead in the second half, San Diego State elected to play more conservatively, striving to protect the slim advantage against the potent BYU offense.

"We started the half in our normal formation but then we dropped back into a 4-5-1," explained Aztec coach Mike Friesen. "We wanted to compact the field. BYU's a great team and we were trying to hang on."

The Cougars still got a few chances, including a beautiful opportunity in the middle of the SDSU box with 12 minutes left on the clock for junior midfielder Kassidy C. Shumway when a pass from sophomore forward Jennie Marshall was flicked on by freshman forward Carlee Payne. The shot, however, sailed wide and the Aztecs maintained their lead.

"We were really excited to play this game and we played our best, but the ball didn't roll our way," said BYU senior defender Andrea Willis.

"Hopefully, we we're just saving up for the NCAA tournament."

Both teams will discover their postseason fate when the NCAA tournament bracket is announced at 6 p.m. on Monday, but San Diego State has the edge in knowing they've already secured a spot.

"We're so excited to go to the NCAA tournament," Friesen said. "It's been 10 years since we've been there. It was a goal of mine when I took over two years ago and it's something we're looking forward to."

The Cougars feel they also will make the field, but know all they can do now is wait.

"We've had an outstanding year and won 17 games," Rockwood said. "We played a great schedule and we're hopeful. We'll find out on Monday."