PROVO, Utah — Around this time last spring, Emma Hamberlin was training to be one of BYU’s next top center backs and Anna Neff was adjusting to college life in the freshman’s first semester on campus.
The two were teaming up in the attack Monday night to help the Cougars snap a 16-year streak against an old (and new) conference rival.
Neff notched the first collegiate assist of her career, and Hamberlin scored her team-high fourth goal of the year to help BYU to a 2-0 win over TCU in front of an announced crowd of 3,010 fans at South Field.
Chelsea Peterson made three saves for BYU (5-2-2, 2-0-1 Big 12) to earn the shutout, the Cougars’ first since a 1-0 win over Minnesota back on Aug. 27.
Sophie Sivulich added her second goal of the season to help BYU stay unbeaten on South Field (5-0-1) in legendary coach Jennifer Rockwood’s final campaign.
The future could be bright as well from Neff, whose team out-shot TCU 15-5 and held the Horned Frogs to two shots on goal in their first win over the former Mountain West Conference rivals since 2010 (a limited run that includes a 3-3 draw at South Field in BYU’s first-ever Big 12 game across all sports in 2024 and last year’s Big 12 Tournament first-round tilt that saw BYU advance on penalty kicks after a 2-2 finish).
But few sequences were as loaded as the one that led to Hamberlin’s opening goal, a run that started on the wing with fullback Presley Freeman, who slipped a pass to Afton Perry before the upfield pass to Neff prior to the freshman’s through ball in traffic to Hamberlin in the 66th minute.
“Presley won it good for us, and Afton had the awareness to look up and see the field,” the freshman said of her goal-scoring sequence. “I just tried to be on the back shoulder of my defender, who faced up, and Emma ran in the channel and made it easy for me."
“Growing up, this is the only place I ever wanted to be,” Neff added. “Being on South, and getting to play these great teams has been a dream come true.”
It was, in many ways, BYU soccer in 2026.
“That’s what we want: to build out of the back, through the midfield, and then build into our forwards,” Rockwood said. “Presley had a fantastic game, went the full 90, and she had her hands full. But she created a lot of offense for us.
“Same with Afton, both offensive and defensively, as she created some opportunities.”
BYU came out fast, out-shooting the Horned Frogs 6-2 in the first half, including a shot by Mia Goettsche that rattled the crossbar in the eighth minute.
Grace Vest found TCU teammate Emma Yolinsky on the counter for what looked like the opening goal int he 34th minute. But the goal was ruled offside on video review.
The Cougars put up 10 of the first 12 shots, including Perry’s attempt that was blocked 10 minutes after halftime.
The sophomore from Westlake High set up the first goal of the night, too, taking a pass from Freeman on the wing and slipping a ball to Neff around the top of the box.
Five minutes after the freshman from Olympus High entered as a second-half sub, Neff found Hamberlin in traffic and the junior who spent all spring training as a center back slotted home her fourth goal of the season to put the hosts in front in the 66th minute.
Sivulich doubled the advantage in the 82nd minute, firing from distance after collecting a headed turnover from Neff to push the lead to 2-0.
Just another tool the freshman pulled out in her 28 minutes off the bench.
“Anna’s one of our best head-ball winners; she’s shown that,” Rockwood said. “She’s got some good timing, and some good hops.”
The loss dropped TCU to 4-4-1 and 1-2 in Big 12 play four days after the Horned Frogs earned a 1-0 road win over Utah in Salt Lake City.
The Utes (4-5-2, 1-2 Big 12) bounced back Sunday afternoon with a 2-0 win over then-No. 23 UCF. Sophie Bellini and Brooke Gardner each scored a goal for Utah, which got four second-half saves from Anna Solomon to preserve the shutout that snapped a two-game losing skid to open Big 12 play.
In other games around the state this weekend, Utah Valley got goals from Sadie Beardall and Nixan Jackson to rally to tie UC San Diego 2-2 in the Wolverines’ Big West road opener Saturday night in La Jolla, California.
Cadence Packer and Lily Blum each scored as Weber State wrapped up nonconference play with a 3-1 win over Colorado State.
Utah State wrapped up nonconference play with a 6-0 road win over Idaho State and a 1-1 home draw with Saint Mary’s. The 19th-ranked Aggies open Pac-12 play Thursday against No. 24 Texas State at 7:30 p.m. MT at Chuck and Gloria Bell Soccer Field in Logan.
