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PROVO — For at least one program on BYU's campus, the new Big 12 patch adjourned to the uniforms was just that: a patch.
BYU women's soccer has been operating at a Power Five level since long before the Power Five was a possibility.
But now, head coach Jennifer Rockwood's team has the threads to match and a veteran squad ready to take the Cougars' new conference home by storm.
"There are very few times in anybody's coaching career that you return all of your starters," said Rockwood, whose team opens the preseason with Saturday's annual blue-and-white scrimmage at South Field (7 p.m. MDT, BYUtv.org). "For us to have that going into this season and going into the Big 12, we feel that is a big advantage for us. Any time you return that many significant minutes for you, and a group that also played significant minutes during our 2021 run. … Having that chemistry and experience helps make it that much easier to come in and get acclimated to what we do."
The Cougars are as prepared as anyone could be for the move to the Big 12, coming off an 11-3-7 season that included an unbeaten 6-0-3 record in their final season in the West Coast Conference and a spot in the Round of 16 of the NCAA Tournament against North Carolina. They also return every starter from a year ago, including leading scorer Brecken Mozingo (12 goals, 10 assists) and team captains Jamie Shepherd and Olivia (Wade) Katoa.
BYU added a few key transfers, too, including former UCLA forward Ellie Walbruch and Washington State's Lynette Hernaez in goal to go along with their veteran core that includes nine seniors. When the United Soccer Coaches released their preseason poll Tuesday ahead of the 2023 season, the Cougars were ranked No. 13 nationally — one of four Big 12 teams in the top 25, along with No. 9 TCU, No. 15 Texas and No. 24 UCF.
"It definitely feels like we haven't skipped a beat," said Katoa, the former Davis High star who married former Layton HIgh quarterback and USC linebacker Tayler Katoa in the summer and is one of nine seniors on the team. "The new players who came in, whether they be transfers like Ellie, a few freshmen and some returned missionaries, there is such a large group of returning players that the newcomers has been easy to find a way to jump back into the system. I think it's been awesome; it really doesn't feel like we skipped a beat."
BYU has also produced one of the most consistent programs in college soccer in the West, let alone on campus since Rockwood helped launch the Division I program 28 years ago.
In that time, the Cougars have 26 winning seasons, 23 NCAA Tournament appearances, 14 conference titles, a .751 winning percentage under Rockwood, and are only two years removed from a first-of-its-kind run to the NCAA College Cup and national championship match.
The squad is as experienced as they come in a program that has consistently rated among the best in its sphere — rated so high, in fact, that the Cougars have put together another challenging schedule well before they get to new conference play.
That schedule includes a preseason trip to Rutgers; the home opener against five-time defending Atlantic 10 champion and No. 21 Saint Louis on Aug. 17; in-state rivalry trips to Utah Valley, Utah and Utah State; and a home date with No. 1 UCLA — the reigning NCAA Tournament champion that held off UNC in the final and brings back leading scorer Sunshine Fontes, College Cup most outstanding player Reilyn Turner and 2022 most outstanding defensive player and Honda Award winner Lilly Reale.
"That's marked on my calendar," admitted Walbruch, a Highland native who scored a goal in 13 appearances off the bench with the Bruins last year. "I'm stoked, honestly, to say the least. It's going to be a battle, but we're here at South Field and I know the fans will come out for that one. Me and Brecken have already been preparing. We want to beat the Bruins."
That's all before a 10-game Big 12 schedule, with matches scheduled every Thursday and Sunday across the conference, with BYU playing each Monday due to its no-Sunday play policies as the flagship university of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
It starts Sept. 14 against former Mountain West rival TCU and runs through the Big 12 soccer championship Oct. 28-Nov. 4 in Round Rock, Texas.
Between the program's pedigree, the core returning group and a handful of impact additions, expectations are high at BYU — and the Cougars aren't shying away from it.
"We purposely have a more difficult preseason than most teams; we like to play the best of the best," Katoa said. "I think that sets the tone for the rest of the season, that we are going to be competing against the best. We want to be the best, so we're going to compete against the best all year long. Playing these big-name teams from the beginning helps us start the season the right way."
