PROVO, Utah — Recently turned away from the Top 25 in the national coaches’ poll (though hanging around with “others receiving votes”), the BYU women’s soccer team looked every bit the part Thursday night in the Big 12 home opener.
Mika Krommenhoek had a goal and an assist, and the Cougars dispatched No. 23 UCF to stay unbeaten at home with a 3-1 victory in front of 3,032 fans at South Field.
Mia Goettsche and Afton Perry also scored for the Cougars, who got one save from Chelsea Peterson in a complete-game effort in goal.
But with respect to Peterson — who put it all on the line, including colliding with the post while trying to save a goal that was later ruled offside in the second half — BYU won on the offensive end, out-shooting the Knights 24-7 and forcing six saves from UCF goalkeeper Kaina Cesar while earning an 8-1 corner-kick advantage.
Offense, thy name was BYU — at least on Thursday night, with Perry and Krommenhoek both playing like controlling 10s and the Cougars dominating the wings with fullback Presley Freeman.
“We had momentum the whole game, and by the time we got to the second half, they were tired and were were able to really break them down,” said Krommenhoek, the junior ever-match starter from Maple Mountain High who had one assist on the season prior to Thursday evening. “I found the ball in good spaces, we got forward, and we were all hungry to get that goal. I think that’s where all the intensity came from.”
The Cougars (5-2-2, 1-0-1 Big 12) wasted little time opening the scoring, when Goettsche tallied her second goal of the season to put the Cougars up 1-0 less than 90 seconds after kickoff.
The sophomore from Eastvale, California who totaled five goals and five assists in 24 appearances (including 15 starts) a year ago took advantage of Freeman’s driving run towards the end line with one left-footed touch that stopped the clock at 76 seconds to give the host’s the early advantage.
But the 23rd-ranked Knights came right back.
Naomi Clark beat her defender with a chip over the top in the 13th minute, as the transfer forward from Parker, Colorado by way of Oklahoma notched her conference-high eighth goal of the season to equalize early.
BYU out-shot the Knights 13-4 and held the visitors to a single shot on frame in the first 45 minutes — that being Clark’s league-high eighth goal of the season — though Peterson also pulled down a loose ball in front of goal in the final minute of the half.
Cesar made three saves before the break to keep UCF level.
But Perry put the Cougars back in front in the 70th minute, finishing Krommenhoek’s center passing from the edge of the penalty area with one touch down the alley.
Krommenhoek couldn’t see Perry when she drove toward the end line. But she could definitely hear the sophomore calling for her first goal of the regular season.
“She was yelling pretty loud,” Krommenhoek said of the Westlake alum, laughing. “She wanted that one.”
Krommenhoek stretched the lead to 3-1 in the 78th minute, rising up to finish her first goal of the season from Lucy Kesler’s free-kick cross from the corner to help BYU bounce back from a 4-0 thumping at Utah State and a disappointing 1-1 draw at Arizona in the Big 12 opener.
“I think coming off a tie against Arizona where we really felt like we had it,” Krommenhoek said, “this was the momentum that we needed to start conference play.”
BYU will host TCU, which held off Utah 1-0 on Thursday night, Monday at 7 p.m. MT.
Homecoming match
Despite the 2,322 miles between Provo and Orlando, the Knights (5-2-1, 0-1-1 Big 12) found some home cooking upon the arrival in Utah County.
That was the family of Kalena Bellini, who invited the team over to their home in the Lehi area for dinner Wednesday night.
Bellini played club soccer at Wasatch SC and prepped at Skyridge High, where she had 10 goals with two assists as a freshman in leading the Falcons to their first-ever state championship match in 2021-22.
But after initially committing to Utah Valley, Bellini spread her wings toward central Florida, where she started four of eight matches as a freshman and notched two assists prior to a season-ending injury.
On Thursday night, she was back in the starting lineup at right back, playing in front of friends and family in her home state — and three nights before the Brazilian youth international who played in the U-17 World Cup in 2024.
Bellini, a sophomore whose brother Kendi played for the RSL Academy before a collegiate career at North Carolina, Utah Valley and Portland, landed on the Knights for plenty of reasons — from coaches to playing time to … the weather?
“I’ve always wanted to play in a warmer climate where I could enjoy outdoor soccer year-round,” she admitted.
She’ll face Utah on Sunday afternoon (2 p.m. MT, ESPN+) before heading back to the warmer weather of Orlando, where UCF will host No. 13 Colorado next Friday, Oct. 2.