PROVO, Utah — BYU coach Jennifer Rockwood hasn’t been shy in taking standout offensive players and converting them into defensive center pieces in her 30-plus years as head coach.
Add Bella Woods to the list.
The former 29-goal scorer at Alta High and All-Big 12 freshman team selection as a midfielder at the University of Utah scored her first goal in a BYU uniform Friday night, converting a 61st-minute penalty kick to clinch a 2-1 comeback win over Kansas State and cap a three-match home winning streak in front of an announced crowd of 3,663 fans at South Field.
“Bella is a great attacking player,” Rockwood said of the 10-game starting defender. “We’ve turned her into a center back, but she’s anxious to score goals.
“She takes a lot of our set pieces, and she has the mindset. Mika (Krommenhoek) and Bella are our two penalty takers, and sometimes you go with what you feel. Bella was up to the task.”
Afton Perry added her second goal of the season for the Cougars (7-2-2, 3-0-1 Big 12), who are tied atop the conference with No. 9 Baylor with an unbeaten start to league play.
But the Wildcats (5-3-4, 0-3-1 Big 12) put a BYU side that out-shot the visitors 21-9 and held K-State to just three shots on target under pressure with a 1-0 halftime advantage.
Mattyn Summers-Oviatt nearly put the hosts in front early as she blitzed toward goal in the 40th minute.
But less than three minutes, Adelle Francis lifted Kansas State to the halftime advantage with a putback from Lauren Moylan in the 43rd minute.
BYU out-shot the visitors 15-5 in the first half, including holding the ‘Cats to just three shots on target to go against eight corner kicks.
But the Cougars trailed at the break thanks in large part to seven first-half saves by Maddie Sibbing, who also stopped a penalty kick in Sunday’s 2-0 loss to Arizona State.
Perry equalized in the 53rd minute, finishing Lucy Kesler’s left-footed free kick into the box with glancing header for the Westlake High alum’s second goal of the regular season.
The Cougars were hyper aggressive after the break, starting with Kesler, the defensive midfielder who earned every bit of a yellow card while tying for a team-high three shots with Perry, Krommenhoek and Presley Freeman.
“I challenged (Kesler) at halftime,” Rockwood admitted. “Our midfield wasn’t keeping the ball very well, and she’s one of our most experienced players out there. So I challenged her to step up her game, to keep things simple, and that she needed to touch the ball 2-3 more times than she did in the first half.
“I thought she played a fantastic second half,” she added, “and really helped us to keep the. ball a little bit more.”
BYU earned a penalty for a handball after a VAR check in 61st minute, and Woods — the former attacking midfield at Utah — cooly converted from the spot to give BYU its first lead.
BYU goalkeeper Chelsea Peterson made two saves to help it stand up, and Paiton Collins didn’t concede in the final 29 minutes in goal to help the Cougars improve to 4-0 all-time against K-State.
With the win and Houston’s 2-0 loss to 18th-ranked West Virginia, the Cougars are tied atop the Big 12 standings with the ninth-ranked Bears and No. 14 Texas Tech at 3-0-1 in league play.
West Virginia is just 3 points back at 2-1-1 — and host BYU next Thursday as part of the Cougars’ two-match East Coast road trip that also includes Oct. 12 at Cincinnati.
Then it’s back home to face Texas Tech for a critical three-match stretch for the Cougars.
In other Big 12 news from the Beehive State, Shannon Davidson scored her third goal of the season as the University of Utah improved to 1-2-1 in league play Thursday night with a 1-1 draw at Iowa State.
Davidson gave the Utes (4-5-3) an early lead with a strike in the 16th minute. But Breezie Brewer equalized for the Cyclones less than five minutes after halftime to secure a draw for the hosts.
Utah continues its three-match Big 12 road trip Oct. 8 at Cincinnati.
