Shorthanded Cougars Top Utah Soccer, 2-1

Saturday, October 30

Salt Lake City

7:00 PM

University of Utah

BYU

10/30/2010 12:00 AM | Soccer

Oct. 30, 2010

Box Score

SALT LAKE CITY - The University of Utah women's soccer team (5-14-1, 3-3-1 MWC) got on the scoreboard first but couldn't hold down No. 16-ranked BYU (14-3-2, 5-1-1 MWC) as the Utes fell by a 2-1 margin on Senior Night at Ute Field.

"This was a very exciting game," said Rich Utah head coach Rich Manning. "The BYU derby game is always filled with drama and ups and downs. There was good play from both sides, both keepers made some great saves and there were a lot of close chances. I'm proud of our team and the way we fought, we put in a good effort tonight."

Utah opened the scoring in the 26th minute of play as senior forward Lauren Hair attacked the BYU back line and was taken down in the penalty box, drawing the first Utah penalty kick of the year. Junior defender Lauren Dudley, on the first PK attempt of her career, converted it with a blast into the right corner and past the dive of BYU goalkeeper McKinzie Olson, giving Utah a 1-0 lead.

BYU struck back less than three minutes later however, as the Utes conceded a free kick in their own half. Lindsi Lisonbee stepped up and drilled the 30-yard effort into the box, where it skipped on the wet surface and slid past Utah goalkeeper Hannah Turpen, leveling the game at 1-1.

With less than six minutes remaining in the first half, BYU's Nicole Gilliam was ejected from the game, earning a straight red card for throwing an elbow against Hair. The Cougars played the remaining 50 minutes with just 10 players.

Despite being shorthanded the entire second half, BYU was able to take a 2-1 lead off the foot of Jessica Ringwood. After a Ute turnover resulted in a Cougar corner kick, Lauren Anderson drove the set piece into the Utah box, where Turpen managed to punch it away. Before the Utes could fully clear the danger, Ringwood stepped up and drilled a 14-yard one-timer into the back of the net for the 2-1 lead and ultimately the game-winning strike.

Utah had several chances to pull level but was barely held out of the net. Olson recorded a nice diving save on a long drive from Dudley, then freshman forward Lexi Krantz rang the post with a header off a corner kick. The rebound fell back to her and the follow-up shot was blocked away by a well-positioned defender. In Utah's net, Turpen did a great job to keep it at just a one-goal margin, making a particularly skillful save on a near-breakaway as her quick reaction kept Ringwood from tallying her second of the game. Both keepers finished with four saves.

Utah outshot the Cougars 17-11 overall, but shots on goal went 6-5 for the visitors. Corner kicks were 5-4 for BYU, while fouls were whistled 12-8 against the Utes.

With the loss, Utah finishes fourth in the conference standings and will take on UNLV in the first round of the MWC Tournament in San Diego. That match will be played at noon PT on Wednesday, Nov. 3, with the winner facing No. 1-seeded New Mexico in the semifinals. In their regular-season meetings, Utah defeated UNLV at home, 3-0, and fell on the road to the Lobos by the same score.