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OGDEN, Utah (Sept. 19, 2007) - For the fifth time the season and fourth time in a row, Hermann Trophy candidate Katie Larkin scored a winning goal and No. 16 BYU shutout its opponent as the Cougars beat Weber State 2-0 in Ogden on Wednesday.
BYU is the only team in the nation to not have allowed a goal all season. Larkin's goal was her fifth of the season, and sophomore Kelsea Kakadelas scored her second goal of the season. Senior goalkeeper Erika Woodbury also recorded four saves, and head coach Jennifer Rockwood reached earned her 199th victory as well.
"I didn't realize that we had the shutout streak until the end of our last game," Mountain West Conference Defensive Player-of-the-Week Jessica Harmon-Carter said. "A shutout is our goal before every game, so we'll just try to keep the streak alive."
Katie Larkin scored three minutes into the game when she was fouled two yards outside the box and knocked in the free kick. Kelsea Kakadelas assisted the goal as she tapped it to Larkin who put the ball in the back of the net. It was the first goal this season that the Cougars have scored in the first half of a game.
The Wildcats threatened when Big Sky Offensive Player-of-the-Week Kelsie Ehlers had a throw in from the right side and put the ball within three yards of Woodbury. Ehlers won the honor by assisting three goals against Utah State and Boise State off throw-ins, but the Cougars were able to clear the ball before Weber State equalized.
BYU finished the first half with ten shots and five on goal. Weber State was able to squeeze of four shots, but none were on goal. The Wildcats were also issued two yellow cards in the first half.
Weber State was the first to threaten in the second half just seconds in with a shot from Shelli Gough that Woodbury was able to barely get a hand on to send right of the far post.
The Wildcats continued to add tough pressure against the Cougar defense throughout the second half and finished the game with 13 shots, more than any other BYU opponent this season. BYU's greatest scare of the season came in the 77th minute when Weber's Haley McCoy took a shot from 25 yards out on the right side that Woodbury tipped up to hit the crossbar.
Despite the number of Wildcats shots and the amount of pressure, BYU was able to reverse enough pressure to get an insurance goal late in the game. In the 87th minute, Weber keeper Deysha Victorine made one mental mistake after playing a strong game. She caught the ball and set it down two yards from the goal. BYU's Katie Fellows pressured the ball and Victorine picked the ball back up, which is a violation. Fellows tipped the free kick to freshman Kassidy Christensen for the goal directly in front of the net.
The Cougars' next game will be Saturday at South Stadium at 7 p.m. against Cal Poly. Rockwood is the winningest coach in the MWC and will be seeking her 200th victory against the Mustangs. All BYU parking lots will be available to the public.
