BYU Women’s Soccer defeats Mississippi State in Starkville

BYU women’s soccer defeated Mississippi State 2-1 on Saturday night to complete their opening weekend in SEC territory road trip.

The Cougars opened strong against Mississippi St, pressing high into the Bulldogs’ defensive third. The Cougars fired off several shots, but did not find the net in the opening minutes. The press continued from the Cougars, and they would find the breakthrough goal from Elise Flake in the 21st minute. The Bulldogs attempted to play the ball back to MSU goalkeeper Gabby English, but the pass was poor and lacked the pace to make it to English. English decided to come out of her box to make a play on the ball, but Flake got to the ball first and placed a simple finish into an empty net.

The Cougars would continue to press and dominate the half, recording 10 shots in the half while holding the Bulldogs to just two desperate shots that Cougar goalkeeper Sabrina Davis easily defended.

The Bulldogs would start the second half stronger, and created more opportunities than in the first half. In the 64th minute, Mississippi State broke through the BYU backline, and Alyssa Jefferson tackled the Bulldog forward from behind in the box to give up a penalty. Jefferson was lucky to escape without a booking, however, Niah Johnson converted the penalty for the Bulldogs to equalize in the 65th minute.

The Cougars seemingly woke up following the goal, and pressed the Bulldogs, sending several crosses into the box. The Cougars would finally find a winner in the 85th minute on a free kick from just outside the box. Mikayla Colohan struck a clean strike across goal and into the side-netting, giving the Cougars the 2-1 lead and the game-winning goal.

The Bulldogs would have one last opportunity, with a volley challenging Sabrina Davis with under ten seconds left, but Davis stopped the shot and ran out the clock, sealing the win.

The win is the second for the Cougars in two games on the season, and completes the road trip sweep. The Cougars will return to Provo to play Southern Utah on Friday night at South Field.