Riding six consecutive victories and a plus-17 goal differential over that span, the BYU Cougars soccer team looked nearly unstoppable as it headed into the Big 12 tournament title match Saturday evening in Round Rock, Texas.
However, the Texas Longhorns did in fact put a stop to BYU’s run, taking down the Cougars 3-1 and getting some revenge in the process.
BYU and Texas met earlier this season in Austin, with the Cougars earning a 3-2 come-from-behind victory over the Longhorns.
Saturday, there was no coming back for the Provo school.
Texas got on the board first, and quickly, as Longhorns junior midfielder Lexi Missimo found the back of the net in just the second minute to give her team an early advantage over the Cougars.
But BYU fought back, tying things up in the eighth minute on a 20-yard strike from senior forward Brecken Mozingo.
That is where things stood until 10 minutes into the second half, when Missimo used a penalty kick to give her team the decisive goal.
Texas junior forward Holly Ward added to the Longhorns cushion with a goal in the 76th minute, sealing BYU’s fate as Big 12 tournament runners-up — an identical result to the Cougars’ regular season conference finish.
Ultimately, Texas outplayed BYU in nearly every facet of the contest. In the schools’ second bout, the Longhorns ended the night with more shots, more saves, more corner kicks and fewer penalties than the Cougars.
The final result was BYU’s second defeat on the year as it came up just short of a Big 12 tournament title.
The loss comes as a bit of a surprise after how well the Cougars began tournament play. BYU entered Saturday’s championship showdown following dominant victories over Oklahoma and UCF.
The Cougars outpaced those opponents by a combined score of 10-1, giving them an NCAA-leading 68 goals on the year heading into Saturday’s match.
Texas came into the final riding high as well after topping Big 12 regular season champion Texas Tech 1-0 in the semifinals to hand the Red Raiders their first loss of the season.
The Longhorns continued their impressive play, giving BYU its first Big 12 loss and stifling the Cougars’ high-powered offense.
BYU’s lone score marked its lowest goal total in a game since September.
The Cougars will look to make up for Saturday’s disappointing defeat when they return to the field.
Next up for BYU will be NCAA tournament play. The Cougars will find out what’s in store for them when the bracket is revealed Monday at 2 p.m.
The tournament begins Friday.