USD’s overtime effort falls short

Torero women’s soccer loses hard-fought 2-1 decision to WCC foe Brigham Young University

Alyssa Sanchez/Contributor/The USD Vista

The University of San Diego women’s soccer team lost to the Brigham Young University Cougars by a score of 1-2 last Saturday night. 

The players of both teams were aggressive right from the kickoff as they were determined to win this conference game. USD forward Summer Mason took two shots at the Cougars’ goal early into the game but both were blocked by the quick hands of their goalkeeper. The Toreros kept possession of the ball for the majority of the first half. Although BYU ran a man-to-man defense, the USD players easily slipped through the gaps and hurried toward the goal.

The Toreros appeared to be fearless as they played against the Cougars, who currently lead the conference in total goals scored. USD head coach Louise Lieberman explained that the team is not easily intimidated by schools like BYU.

“I don’t tell them they’re big schools. I think we’re just as good as anybody,” Lieberman said. “Our approach is to just stick to the game plan and give it our all.”

USD midfielder Milan Moses set the pace for the Toreros as she raced the BYU defensive players to the ball, almost always beating them to it. Moses and Mason assisted each other multiple times throughout the game as they passed the ball back and forth until one of them was able to take a shot.

“We’ve been working on moving as a unit and defending and attacking together,” Mason said. “I have been working on getting crosses in and finding opportunities to score for the team.”

The Cougars came close to scoring after they brought in a corner kick but an off-sides whistle foiled their attempt, much to the relief of the Toreros. With the ball turned over to USD, the Cougars retreated to their side of the field to reorganize their defense.

The ball was passed to Mason who then charged through several BYU defensive players and scored the first goal 30 minutes into the game. 

 BYU was able to shake off Mason’s goal and took multiple shots in response. None of their attempts were successful as USD goalkeeper Amber Michel stopped each shot with ease. The half ended shortly after with the Toreros leading 1-0.

The USD players re-entered the field with even more energy than they’d had in the opening half. Mason was quick to take two more shots at the Cougars’ goal early in the second half. 

BYU seized an opportunity to take the ball up the field as its forward player Madie Gates danced around multiple USD defensive players. Gates took a shot that was able to sneak past Michel, evening the score at 1-1.  

The Cougars, motivated by their goal, began to dominate the field for the rest of the second half. The ball hardly left the Toreros’ side of the field as BYU forward players were able to keep the ball in their possession. Michel, along with the USD defense, was able to stop the many shots taken by the Cougars near the end of regulation play.

As the end of the regulation time neared, both teams scrambled for the ball in order to take the lead. In an attempt to head the ball to a teammate, USD midfielder Halle Walls collided with a BYU player. A hard bump of their heads sent the two of them tumbling onto the ground in pain. Walls was able to walk it off but BYU brought in a substitution for their player who needed to sit out the rest of the game.

The regulation time ended shortly after the collision and pushed the teams into overtime.

Mason’s tenacity in overtime brought USD close to winning the game as she nearly scored more than once. The Cougars’ defense was able to aid their goalkeeper in blocking the shots taken by Mason. It seemed as though a second overtime period was going to take place as both USD and BYU battled back and forth across the field, attempting to take as many shots as they could. 

The Cougars were finally able to put a stop to the fervent playing as their forward Elise Flake scored in the 97th minute by targeting the goal when the Toreros left a gap in the defense and Michel was not prepared to make a save. The game ended with a final score of 1-2 and BYU left Torero Stadium victorious. 

Mason was not disappointed after the loss, but stressed the importance of winning the next conference games. 

“I think we’re going to be working on some fine tuning and fixing any lapses that we had because conference is extremely important to us, it’s everything,” Mason said. She explained that the rivalries they have within the conference help to motivate the team.

Coach Lieberman was pleased with the team’s performance, despite the fact that  the game did not end in their favor. 

“We played such a great game but in overtime sometimes there’s a defensive lapse, and unfortunately that happened with us,” Lieberman said.

She plans to keep the team working on the same things they’ve already been working on, since she believes the repetition has had a positive impact on the girls’ playing. 

“I’m proud of the team,” Lieberman said. “I tell them ‘give it your all and reach a new level of who you are, so you walk off of the field feeling like you did your job.’” 

The loss moves the Toreros to 4-7-1 (0-3 WCC) on the season. USD will continue conference play on their next homestand. They return home on Oct. 25 to take on the Santa Clara University  Broncos at 7:00 p.m. at  Torero Stadium.