When she was selected, unexpectedly, in the National Women’s Soccer League draft last January, BYU senior Mikayla Colohan was flattered. But she knew it wasn’t her time to turn pro.
The All-American midfielder wanted to continue representing the Cougars. And Colohan wanted to return for the opportunity to lead her team back to the NCAA Tournament.
Well, that time has come.
No. 12 BYU faces Virginia Saturday (1 p.m. MDT) at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina, in a second-round matchup.
“I’m pumped. I have all sorts of emotions,” said Colohan, who has scored 11 goals and recorded five assists en route to being named the 2021 West Coast Conference Player of the Year for the second straight season. “I can’t wait until we finally get to play again on Saturday.”
The game will be streamed on GoHeels TV, with radio coverage on BYU Sports Network — BYU Radio 107.9 FM and at BYUCougars.com/LiveRadio.
The Cougars (11-3-1), who are making their eighth tournament appearance in nine seasons, take on a Virginia team (11-4-2) that defeated SIU-Edwardsville 3-1 Wednesday in the first round.
Coach Jennifer Rockwood is happy to be able to rely on Colohan’s experience and leadership heading into the tournament.
“She’s one of our captains and a great leader on our team on and off the field. We obviously were excited that she did get drafted but she still decided that she wanted to stay and play here as long as she was able to,” Rockwood said. “Very fortunate for us and our program. We love having Mikayla around. She’s great to coach. She continues to get better and better. She helps our team be a lot better.”
The circumstances surrounding Colohan being drafted were “unique and interesting,” Rockwood said. Because of the pandemic, the fall 2020 season was canceled but the NCAA announced plans to play in the spring.
The NWSL decided just before the January draft that players that had exhausted three years collegiately were eligible to be drafted. Colohan didn’t declare for the draft, but with the new rule, any players like her, that had played three seasons in college, could be selected.
“It was a unique situation to go through, wondering if people were going to draft her knowing that she was going to return,” Rockwood said.
Before the draft, Rockwood had talked to many of the NWSL coaches, explaining that Colohan wanted to continue her career at BYU before playing professionally.
That didn’t deter the Orlando Pride from taking Colohan with the fourth pick of the second round, 14th overall.
“It was humbling and an honor to be drafted. It all came super fast, out of the blue, with the rule change with the draft. I wasn’t expecting to be drafted at that time,” said Colohan, a Davis High product who earned the Deseret News’ 2016 Ms. Soccer award. “It was super exciting and it motivated me to push myself to perform and be capable of playing at that next level.”
“I just wanted to come back to BYU because I’ve loved it here. I’ve loved my experience. It’s the best-case scenario. Everything about it has been fun and pushed me to be my best in so many different ways inside and outside of soccer.” — Mikayla Colohan
Why was she so determined to return to Provo?
“I just wanted to come back to BYU because I’ve loved it here. I’ve loved my experience. It’s the best-case scenario,” she said. “Everything about it has been fun and pushed me to be my best in so many different ways inside and outside of soccer. Everyone I’m surrounded by here is amazing and I’m not in any rush to get out of here yet.”
Due to the NCAA rules during the pandemic, this season doesn’t count against players’ eligibility. Colohan plans to return again this fall as a super senior.
In the meantime, she’s hoping for a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
Colohan was, of course, one of the stars on BYU’s 2019 team, which advanced to the Elite 8. The Cougars have lost several key players from that team but they still have others with NCAA Tournament experience.
“The team’s a little bit younger but we’re super close off the field. The relationships and friendships are super tight bonds and that carries onto the field and the chemistry is really good,” Colohan said. “We have the same style of play … We’re a very good attacking team.”
As a senior, Colohan embraces her role in lifting her teammates.
“I try to instill confidence in the younger girls and make sure that they’re confident in themselves and comfortable with where they’re at because even if they can’t see their own potential, I can see it watching them play,” she said. “That’s my main role and I try to make sure everybody feels like they’re as good as we all see them to be.”
In 2019, the No. 2 seeded Cougars fell to No. 1 Stanford in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals. While the 2021 team is different from the Elite 8 squad from 2019, that tournament experience is important.
“It matters for sure because there are a lot of girls on this team now that were a part of that process that took us to that point,” she said. “Obviously that result at Stanford wasn’t what we had hoped for but the process and the journey we had to get there is something we’ve been able to build on this year. We have a lot of experienced players. Our seniors have been to the NCAA Tournament several times. That experience that helps with the younger kids that haven’t been a part of that. If anything, it really motivates you because you know what it’s like to win those first couple of games and you want to get further than you’ve been before. That’s something we’ve talked a lot about. Our program has been to the Elite 8 a few times. We want nothing more than to make it further than that. We know it’s a big challenge but we’ve been looking for those challenges all season. I think this team is up for it.”
As for Colohan, she wants to finish this spring season strong in the NCAA Tournament. After the fall season, she plans to report to Orlando to kick off her professional career.
But for now, professional soccer can wait. Colohan still has some unfinished business to take care of at BYU.