Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
PROVO — Seeing its name emerge among the 64 teams on the NCAA Tournament is commonplace for the BYU women's soccer team, and so is Cougars' first-round opponent this year.
The No. 6-ranked Cougars earned a No. 1 seed for just the second time in program history from the NCAA selection committee Monday, and will host in-state rival Utah State in the tournament's opening round Friday at 6 p.m. MST at South Field.
Tickets will go on sale through BYU beginning Wednesday at 10 a.m. MT for Cougar Club members and 12 p.m. for the general public.
It's the first top seed since 2012 for BYU, which leads the country in goals (69) and goals per game (3.29). The Cougars have received a top-four seed in three of the last five years.
Florida State (16-0-1), Clemson (15-3-3) and defending champion UCLA (16-1-1) also received No. 1 seeds in the tournament. Fifth-seeded Texas earned a No. 5 seed after knocking off BYU 3-1 in the Big 12 tournament championship match Saturday.
BYU (16-2-3, 7-0-3 Big 12) advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the 24th time in 29 seasons — including seven Sweet Sixteens, three Elite Eights and one College Cup finals appearance — under head coach Jennifer Rockwood, while the Aggies are tournament-bound for the third time in program history.
But Utah State will come in with confidence after handing the Cougars their only loss of the regular season in a 1-0 win Sept. 16 at Chuck and Gloria Bell Soccer Field in Logan.
Sound familiar?
BYU also hosted a rematch in last year's opening round, when it beat Utah Valley 3-0 at South Field en route to the tournament's round of 16. The Wolverines had beaten the Cougars 4-2 earlier in the season, one of just three losses on the year and the only one at home.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭 😍⚽️
— NCAA Soccer (@NCAASoccer) November 6, 2023
➡️ https://t.co/RYzPo5rnxF#NCAASoccerpic.twitter.com/4cMeDUCK1x
"It's exciting, this is what our student-athletes came to Utah State to be able to accomplish," said Utah State coach Manny Martins, the Mountain West coach of the year. "This is what we've worked hard for since the beginning of our preseason. It's not something that we talk about constantly, but it's the goal. I think they're a deserving group. They've worked hard throughout the season, they've grown throughout the season, and I think at this point we're a group that certainly belongs."
The Aggies (14-7-1, 9-2 Mountain West) are back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since winning the Wester Athletic Conference in 2011 and 2012. Utah State's 14th win, a 1-0 victory over Colorado State in the Mountain West tournament championship match in Laramie, Wyoming, ranks second in program history — just one win behind the all-time winning mark of 15-5-2 set in 2013.
That win also marked the seventh straight victory for the Aggies, outscoring opponents 12-1 with six shutouts during the fourth-longest winning streak in program history.
BYU is winless in its last three matches against Utah State after winning the first 13 meetings. The last time the Cougars drew a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, they also faced Utah State, defeating the Aggies 2-1 en route to the Elite Eight before a loss to eventual champion North Carolina at South Field.
The tournament semifinals and championship will be held Dec. 1-4 in Cary, North Carolina.
