BYU took three useful questions from its 5-1 exhibition win to Los Angeles. The Cougars answered all three while beating No. 9 UCLA 2-1 Wednesday night.
Could BYU create after UCLA closed the easy passing lanes? Yes. Could the Cougars recover from a bad minute? They conceded first and equalized four minutes later. Could a freshman help when the match got tight? Brynnli Tolbert scored the winner in her college debut.
That is more valuable than a season-opening upset by itself. BYU did not steal a result while hanging on. The Cougars outshot UCLA 14-10, put seven attempts on target to UCLA’s three and created the decisive goal from a set piece after halftime.
One August result does not settle a season. It does give Jennifer Rockwood’s final BYU team a cleaner opening receipt than the ranking next to UCLA’s name.
The equalizer stopped UCLA’s best five minutes
UCLA scored in the 38th minute. Grace Shank and Ava Priest released Kara Croone behind BYU’s defense, and Croone finished low past Chelsea Peterson.
That was the danger BYU knew it would face. UCLA had less of the shot volume in the first half, but one turnover and one pass behind the line created a one-on-one. The Bruins led despite BYU holding a 7-3 advantage in attempts.
The response took four minutes.
Mattyn Summers-Oviatt intercepted a UCLA pass outside the box and scored with her left foot in the 42nd minute. The official box score records the goal as unassisted, which matters. BYU did not need a long possession or a perfect cross to regain control. A senior midfielder read a mistake, attacked it immediately and finished before UCLA could reset.
That was the harder version of something BYU showed in the Idaho State exhibition. Mia Goettsche restored BYU’s three-goal lead one minute after Idaho State scored by stealing the ball and finishing. UCLA offered far less time and space, but the same response traveled.
There is still a warning in the opening goal. BYU’s press and attacking posture can leave a direct route behind the back line. The official accounts do not establish which Cougar was responsible, so assigning blame would be guesswork. Wisconsin now has film of the route. BYU also has film of the answer.
Tolbert turned a preseason possibility into a result
Tolbert’s 60th-minute winner began with Presley Freeman drawing a foul on the left side. Ellie Walbruch redirected the free kick off the right post, and Tolbert poked the loose ball past goalkeeper Mariangela Medina.
The box score calls the goal unassisted because the final touch came after the post and a scramble. The sequence still says plenty about three players.
Freeman helped create the set piece. Walbruch won the first contact and put the ball into the most dangerous part of the goalmouth. Tolbert stayed alive to the rebound and finished through traffic. BYU found a route that did not depend on beating UCLA repeatedly in open play.
Tolbert had already supplied one of the best young-player chances in BYU’s Blue-White scrimmage. Against UCLA, she entered as a substitute, played 56 minutes, put her only shot on target and scored. That is not enough evidence to declare her a permanent starter. It is enough to say the freshman group is no longer contributing only in controlled preseason minutes.
The distinction matters because BYU’s returning stars will draw the scouting report. Walbruch came off a 16-goal season. Lucy Kesler and Freeman joined her on the Big 12 preseason team. If Tolbert can punish the second ball while opponents focus on those three, Rockwood has another way to score without asking a freshman to carry the attack.
BYU won without owning possession
UCLA’s official box score credits the Bruins with 54 percent possession. BYU still led every useful shooting category.
| Match receipt | BYU | UCLA |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 2 | 1 |
| Shots | 14 | 10 |
| Shots on target | 7 | 3 |
| Saves | 2 | 5 |
| Corners | 4 | 2 |
| Possession | 46% | 54% |
| Fouls | 13 | 18 |
BYU put half of its attempts on target. UCLA put 30 percent of its attempts on frame. Medina needed five saves; Peterson needed two.
That is a useful shape for a difficult road game. BYU did not confuse possession with control. The Cougars were willing to press, attack turnovers and make set pieces count. They also kept producing after halftime: seven shots in each half, with three second-half corners after taking only one before the break.
The game was not comfortable. BYU committed 13 fouls, received two yellow cards in the first seven minutes and was called offside five times. UCLA created seven of its 10 attempts after halftime and nearly equalized from a late free kick. A one-goal lead on the road required real defending, not a 30-minute celebration lap.
Bella Woods supplied part of that work. BYU’s recap credits her with blocks on two UCLA shots and two cross clearances during the closing stretch. Peterson finished with two saves and played all 90 minutes. The clean ending matters because BYU’s exhibition dominance did not test whether this group could protect a narrow lead against a ranked opponent.
The lineup was less settled than the result
The box score gives BYU a useful first look at Rockwood’s choices, but it should not be mistaken for a final depth chart.
Peterson, Woods and Avery Frischknecht played all 90 minutes. Krommenhoek logged 85. Summers-Oviatt scored after entering for 30 minutes, while Tolbert played 56 from the bench. Goettsche led BYU with four shots and three on target in 53 minutes. Walbruch took three shots in 75 minutes but did not put one on target before her header struck the post in the winning sequence.
Those minutes show a rotation, not a verdict. BYU used seven substitutes, and different players supplied the two goals. The best part is that the match did not require every established name to fill the same job.
Goettsche generated volume. Summers-Oviatt punished a turnover. Walbruch created danger without receiving an assist. Tolbert finished the second ball. That is a healthier attacking picture than waiting for one forward to solve every possession.
It also corrects the easiest overreaction from the Idaho State match. Afton Perry’s two exhibition goals earned attention, but she did not need to score at UCLA for BYU’s attack to function. Perry started, played 75 minutes and took one shot. The goals came from different parts of the roster anyway.
Wisconsin is a different test, not a victory lap
BYU is 1-0 and has now won nine straight season openers. The Cougars also won at UCLA for the first time since 1998 and moved ahead 5-4-2 in the all-time series, according to BYU Athletics.
Those are nice lines for the record book. The practical value is narrower.
BYU showed that its quick response against Idaho State was not just an exhibition habit. It showed that the freshman class can affect a ranked road match. It showed that an attack built around Walbruch, Krommenhoek and the returning core can still get decisive work from Summers-Oviatt and Tolbert.
The women’s soccer schedule sends BYU to Wisconsin next Wednesday, Aug. 19, at 6 p.m. Mountain on Big Ten Plus. The Cougars will not carry UCLA’s ranking into that match, and they will not get to reuse Wednesday’s two goals.
They can carry the method. Press a mistake. Answer quickly. Make the set piece dangerous. Trust a freshman when the ball stays loose in front of goal.
BYU’s 5-1 tune-up raised those possibilities. A 2-1 win over No. 9 UCLA made them evidence.
Sources and further reading
- BYU Athletics: BYU knocks off No. 9 UCLA in season opener for the match account, scorer sequences, series history and Wisconsin details.
- UCLA Athletics: Women’s Soccer Falls to BYU in Season Opener, 2-1 for the independent match account, UCLA scoring sequence and second-half chances.
- UCLA Athletics: official BYU-UCLA box score PDF for shots, possession, minutes, fouls, cards, saves and scoring records.
- Official BYU Athletics API: women’s soccer schedule, event 25198 and schedule ID 1624 for completed-event and opponent records.
- BYU Sport Nuts: women’s soccer hub, roster and schedule.
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