Create and score: Walbruch opens BYU account to pace No. 13 Cougars to 2-0 start

PROVO — Thursday night, after her team's 3-2 season-opening win over No. 21 Saint Louis, BYU senior Olivia Wade Katoa made a bold proclamation about new teammate Ellie Walbruch.

"I know she has a million goals in her," Katoa said. "They're definitely coming. She's going to be great.

A million or not, the first one came through two nights later.

Brecken Mozingo, Katoa and Walbruch each registered a goal and an assist to help No. 13 BYU women's soccer improve to 2-0 with a 4-1 win Saturday night over Cal State Fullerton at South Field.

"It finally came," said Walbruch, who also had an assist. "Now we've just got to play more, right?"

Erin Bailey also scored for the Cougars, who assists from Ellie Boren, Bella Folino, Olivia Smith, Kendall Petersen and Jamie Shepherd, a plethora of attacking talent on a top-25 team picked to win the Big 12 in its first season in the conference.

"It shows that anybody can score. In practice, Petey scores, Lava (Vaka) scores, Liv Smith scores," Walbruch said. "Anybody on the field on this team can score, and that's very valuable for this team. If they mark one of our goal scorers, there are 10 others on the field."

But to score her first goal in her first collegiate start meant a little more for Walbruch, who spent her freshman season at UCLA before transferring home to be closer to family and friends — many of whom were among the announced crowd of 2,656 fans in Provo two weeks before the start of the new semester.

"It's a lot of emotions. I never started at UCLA, so my whole family was in the stands here," Walbruch said. "To get a goal with that is just the cherry on top. It was a great team performance, and I'm so glad I got my first team goal today."

Laurie Ann Moise scored for Cal State Fullerton (0-1-1), which got a career-high 11 saves from goalkeeper Mia Ranson.

Mozingo opened the scoring in the sixth minute, notching her first goal of the season with a right-footed shot off the far post after a quick touch from Katoa.

Katoa doubled the advantage less than 10 minutes later, sending home a ball after Walbruch laid it off around the top of the penalty area that caromed off Folino on the way to a 2-0 lead.

The Cougars out-shot Fullerton 10-4 in the first half, and held the Titans to just two shots on target.

Things might've been worse for the visitors, were it not for Ranson, who made five first-half saves. Fullerton had more fouls (seven) than shots (four) before the break, and no player had multiple attempts on target.

Walbruch scored her first goal for her hometown team in style. The sophomore UCLA transfer from American Fork took a cross from Olivia Smith Griffitts that sailed past Folino at the near post enough for Walbruch to tuck the ball into the back of the net just after the 50th minute.

"I told Bella to leave it, and thankfully she did," Walbruch said, "for an easy tap-in of a goal."

Moise pulled one back in the 74th minute, preventing the shutout with a right-footed shot inside the near post off an assist by Jaden Hall.

But Bailey left no doubt with less than 10 minutes to go, finishing off a wide play by Petersen with her second goal in as many matches to lift BYU to 9-0-2 all-time against the Titans.

The Cougars will host Long Beach State Thursday (7 p.m. MDT, ESPN+) before their first road match Saturday at Boise State, and they'll do it with the confidence of seven goals to three allowed through their first 180 minutes of the year.

"The confidence is a lot," Walbruch said. "It makes you want to prove your confidence to the coaching staff. I'm glad they have that confidence in me, and I want to show them that I am a true goal scorer."

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