BYU soccer does it again, eliminates UCLA on penalties for Round of 16 berth

STANFORD, Calif. — From the last one into the eight-team conference tournament, BYU women's soccer is now one of the last 16 teams standing in the country.

Chelsea Peterson stopped two penalties in a second straight NCAA Tournament shootout, and Mackenzee Vance, Ellie Walbruch, Izzi Stratton and Halle Dixon all converted from the spot to eliminate fourth-seeded UCLA 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Friday night's second round of the NCAA Tournament at Stanford's Cagan Stadium.

It's the 10th Round of 16 appearance in 31 seasons under head coach Jennifer Rockwood, whose team has advanced at least as far in four of the past five years.

BYU (11-6-6) won three games in five days in Fort Worth and Waco, Texas, to win the program's first tournament title in three years in the league.

After drawing in-state rival Utah State and going to penalty kicks against the familiar Aggies, the Cougars traveled to Stanford for another rematch — a UCLA side the Cougars held off 1-0 in the third match of the regular season on Sept. 23.

This one played out plenty different. But the result was (mostly) the same, with the Cougars taking their third penalty shootout in five postseason matches.

UCLA (12-5-4) out-shot the Cougars 27-17 in 110 minutes of play, but BYU put nine of its shots on target to just eight for the Bruins, and Peterson made six saves in goal for a BYU squad that never trailed in regulation and a pair of extra-time sessions.

That included a second-half goal by Mattyn Summers-Oviatt that gave the fifth-seeded visitors the first lead.

The two long-time west coast rivals played to a scoreless draw through the first half, with UCLA doubling BYU's shots, but the Cougars put three of their four attempts on frame before the break. The Bruins put just eight of their first 27 shots on target, and Peterson continued to make several of those saves look routine in just her fifth start with the Cougars — all in the postseason.

The former Utah goalkeeper who transferred to BYU following an 18-month church mission in Manchester, England, who was without a roster spot — and who made just two appearances without a start before starter Paiton Collins went down with a knee injury in the regular-season finale — was up to the task until the Cougars broke through in the 72nd minute.

Halle Dixon found Mika Krommenhoek in the corner, and the former Maple Mountain standout lofted a ball into the penalty area that Summers-Oviatt converted into her fourth goal of the year and a 1-0 advantage with a header.

But Emma Egizii didn't keep the higher-seeded Bruins down for long. The fifth-year senior led a counter attack in the 81st minute, followed up her own shot after Avery Frischknecht initially blocked the attempt, and roped a laser inside the far post to equalize with 10 minutes remaining that ultimately forced extra time and penalties for BYU for the third time in five matches.

BYU will face the winner of top-seeded Stanford and eighth-seeded Alabama in Monday's Round of 16. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. MST.

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