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PROVO — After three straight West Coast Conference championships, the BYU women's soccer team knows what it wants as the season approaches.
Part of setting goals involves what the players can do out of season when NCAA regulations and coaches' time constraints make it difficult to train daily.
That wasn't as much of a problem this year, though.
This year's team includes several players who starred in summer club competitions at various level, and it's already had an effect just a week into fall camp.
"The more you can play, the more you can gain. That's a great experience," head coach Jennifer Rockwood said. "There aren't a lot of opportunities for all the girls to play, but some of the girls took advantage. Anytime you can play some more games, you become a better player and learn more. That's always big for us."
The Cougars will put that summer work on display for the first time Tuesday night in the Blue-and-White scrimmage. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at South Field. BYU will also face Arizona in a home exhibition match Saturday at 7 p.m. before opening the season Aug. 21 in Hawaii against Cal.
Bizzy Phillips was one of a handful of former and current BYU starlets who helped Real Salt Lake Women to the WPSL Elite championship at Rio Tinto Stadium. The sophomore midfielder had two goals and an assist in the 7-0 win over San Francisco in the title match, and she partnered well with former BYU standout Colette Smith, who also had two goals.
"It was so much fun to play with players like Colette, whom I played with as a camper," Phillips said. "To be on the field with the girls I looked up to was really fun. I felt like they've taught us so much and helped us get there, and now we were together on the field.
Phillips, who didn't play the full season with RSL Women because of other commitments, starred for the semipro outfit and often hurried between Salt Lake City and Provo to be available with players from both squads.
"As a team for BYU, we had free play every morning. Everyone was so much more bought in than last summer," Phillips said. "I feel like this team is so much closer than I've ever experienced."
The RSL Women experience definitely helped midfielder Carla Swensen, who had an assist in the WPSL Elite title match. The sophomore forward has already impressed the coaching staff.
"She's noticeably better and more confident," Rockwood said. "I think this summer was great to play those extra games and put herself out there to improve on the things she needs to improve on. I've already seen a big difference in her play."
Summer work wasn't just for returning veterans, either. Incoming freshman Madie Siddoway advanced to the U.S. Youth Soccer National Club semifinals with Layton-based La Roca FC in July. Siddoway helped her team win its regional tournament and advance to the national competition in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where they came back from the brink of elimination in pool play to make it to the semifinals in the hot, humid southwest weather.
"It was a neat experience to win regionals and to get to Tulsa with such high-caliber teams that are so amazing," Siddoway said. "We were at the national level playing with national-level players, and to be able to compete with those teams was amazing."
Siddoway, a Sky View High product, said La Roca, which also put a team in the finals of its age division, felt the constant support from the local community, college coaches and even supporters who didn't have children on the team but flew from Salt Lake City to Tulsa to cheer on the club.
"To represent Utah was a huge thing," Siddoway said. "We had Utah youth soccer behind us. We had the whole La Roca club behind us. That was amazing to feel that support from our college coaches and everyone here."
The extra work has put high expectations on this year's BYU team, but they are expectations Rockwood said the Cougars are confident they can achieve.
"The girls love the game. They are quite competitive, and they've worked extremely hard to prepare themselves for the season," she said. "We all have a lot to look forward to, and we expect a lot out of this group."
