West Virginia hands No. 16 BYU soccer 2nd straight loss to open Big 12 play

PROVO — West Virginia's trip from the country roads to the Wasatch Front couldn't have started much better.

Taylor White scored a goal with two assists as the Mountaineers stunned No. 16 BYU with a 3-2 win Wednesday night in the Cougars' conference home opener at South Field to drop BYU to 0-2 in Big 12 play.

Freshman Mia Lopez scored her second goal of the season, and Halle Dixon added her first since season-ending back surgery a year ago.

But the Mountaineers controlled the important minutes, keeping all but three of the Cougars' 15 shot attempts off target to hand BYU (5-3-1, 0-2 Big 12) a second consecutive Big 12 defeat after last week's 2-1 loss at Arizona State.

"It's obvious how amazing BYU is at home, and I've never in my 32 years of coaching walked into a lions' den like this," said West Virginia coach Nikki Izzo-Brown, who had a 407-147-76 career record with the Morgantown Mountaineers. "For my team to come away with the victory was just huge."

Make that 408 — thanks to White, the 5-foot-6 senior from Cincinnati who scored her 20th goal of her career but first since a 3-0 win over Duquesne back on Aug. 28.

"That's a senior captain that you really want to rely on," Izzo-Brown said. "Those are big moments that you wonder when they become seniors if they're ready for those moments, and she just took it on her shoulders and went with it."

Maya Leoni opened the scoring for West Virginia in the 25th minute, finishing a right-footed rip into the top left corner of the net to put the visitors ahead, 1-0.

The Mountaineers (6-2-1, 1-0-1 Big 12) came to South Field at 5-2-1 on the season, including a 0-0 draw with UCF in last week's Big 12 opener.

But the second-ever meeting between the two programs — the first since 2009 and first-ever in Provo — went the way of the Mountaineers, at least for the first 45 minutes, when BYU failed to put any of its seven chances on target.

West Virginia only needed one, a mid-first half snipe from White that she finished with an acrobatic double back tuck near midfield that gave the Mountaineers a 1-0 halftime advantage.

Lopez equalized with her second goal of the season, finishing a hustle play inside the box from Mia Goettsche midway through the second half.

But Layla Thompson needed just 16 seconds to put the Mountaineers back in front, going unmarked in the center of the box before the freshman put away her first goal of the season in the 69th minute to give the visitors a lead they would never relinquish.

"You just looked up, and they scored a goal," BYU coach Jennifer Rockwood said. "They were dangerous. They got in behind us a few times, and that's something that our team has been struggling with. We're not getting in behind.

"We have plenty of possession, but possession doesn't win games. We just have to figure out ways to be a lot more dangerous. And in the second half, I thought we were pretty dangerous. But we need to find some people who can find their confidence in front of the goal."

White stretched the lead to 3-1 with a left-footed laser in the 73rd minute to drop the Cougars to 0-2 in conference play with her 20th career marker.

Dixon pulled one back in the 89th minute, finishing a cross from Ellie Walbruch at the far post for her first goal of the year and the first since the Carlsbad, California native underwent season-ending back surgery a year ago.

"Halle's had a great season so far, and we're really happy for her," Rockwood said. "She's had such a battle to get back the last two years, and all her struggles before that. I think she's only going to get better and better, and we'll need to rely on her a lot in our attack.

"I thought there were a few bright spots in this game."

West Virginia heads up the road Saturday to face Utah, which played to a scoreless draw with Cincinnati. The Bearcats visit Provo on the weekend.

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