PROVO — No. 1 seed BYU defeated the Marquette Golden Eagles 6-5 on penalty kicks after going scoreless through regulation and two overtime periods in front of a crowd of 3,193 at South Field Saturday night to advance to the 2012 NCAA women’s soccer tournament Elite Eight round.
This is BYU’s first time back in the Elite Eight since 2003, and it’s the furthest a BYU team has been in the NCAA Tournament in program history.
Freshmen Paige Hunt, Michele Murphy and Marissa Nimmer, sophomores Jaiden Thornock and Kayla Varner, and senior Cami Jensen each scored penalty kicks to help the Cougars seal the victory.
“This was a huge game for us,” said BYU coach Jennifer Rockwood. “It was a battle with lots of emotion. Our fans create such an awesome atmosphere here and I’m so excited for Kayla, she really came through for us tonight.”
Marquette scored the first penalty kick but after two amazing saves from BYU goalkeeper Erica Owens and the game-winning PK from Varner, BYU took the 6-5 edge.
Next Friday, the Cougars host the winner of today’s game between North Carolina and Baylor.
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