No. 13 BYU women's soccer survived a day of near misses in Mansfield, Texas, on Monday, beating West Virginia 4-2 on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw to open the Big 12 Tournament. Sophie Sivulich scored in the 14th minute, West Virginia tied it on a free kick with nine seconds left in regulation, and goalkeeper Chelsea Peterson made a diving save in the shootout. The top-seeded Cougars (12-3-4, 8-1-2 Big 12) now meet No. 4 seed Colorado in the semifinal on Wednesday, Nov. 11, at 3:30 p.m. Mountain time on ESPN+.
| Result | BYU 1, West Virginia 1; BYU won 4-2 on penalty kicks (Nov. 9, Mansfield, Texas) |
| BYU goal | Sophie Sivulich, 14th minute |
| Next match | No. 13 BYU (No. 1 seed) vs. No. 18 Colorado (No. 4 seed) |
| When | Wednesday, Nov. 11, 3:30 p.m. MT (4:30 p.m. CT) |
| Where | Texas Health Mansfield Stadium, Mansfield, Texas |
| Watch | ESPN+, live stats on Statbroadcast |
| Records | BYU 12-3-4, 8-1-2 Big 12; Colorado 15-4-1, 8-3 Big 12 |
| Series | BYU leads 4-3-3; last meeting 2-2 in 2025 at South Field |
How BYU beat West Virginia
BYU got the lead early. Sivulich struck in the 14th minute, shooting low past the goalkeeper after a pass from Lucy Kesler, according to BYU Athletics. The school's recap credits Kesler and Mia Goettsche with assists, and its preview describes the finish as left-footed.
West Virginia, the No. 8 seed, pushed back for most of the rest of the afternoon. By BYU's first-half count, the Mountaineers had 10 shots to BYU's seven, with two on frame for each team. WV MetroNews reported that West Virginia finished with 24 shots, 14 of them in the second half and overtime combined, against four for BYU in that stretch. The Mountaineers led shots on goal 5-4, and BYU led corner kicks 6-4.
The defense kept the lead alive. BYU said Avery Frischknecht blocked a shot from the top of the box with three minutes left in regulation. Then, with nine seconds left, West Virginia's Maya Leoni took a free kick from just outside the 18-yard box and tied the match. WV MetroNews said it was her third goal of the season and her second free-kick goal from a similar spot. That put the match into overtime.
BYU's recap also notes a moment from the 51st minute, when a penalty call on Sivulich was overturned after a West Virginia VAR challenge. That detail appears in BYU's account, and the other recaps we read did not mention it.
Two scoreless overtimes
Overtime was two 10-minute periods under a golden-goal rule, and neither team scored. BYU said West Virginia's goalkeeper made a diving save on Afton Perry's shot in the 103rd minute, and that Bella Woods blocked a shot with her stomach in the second overtime period. West Virginia goalkeeper Bailey Herfurth made three saves after BYU's first-half goal, according to WV MetroNews.
The shootout
BYU went 4-for-4 from the spot. Woods, Mika Krommenhoek, Mattyn Summers-Oviatt and Afton Perry each converted, according to BYU Athletics. West Virginia made two of its four attempts. Peterson dove to save the first one, and the Mountaineers' last attempt sailed high over the crossbar.
The shootout was BYU's fourth in the last two seasons, and BYU says Peterson is now 4-for-4 in shootouts as its goalkeeper. Peterson is one of seven seniors the program honored on Nov. 5 at South Field, along with Woods, Ella Rustand-Ford, Avery Frischknecht, Emma Neff, Ellie Walbruch and Mattyn Summers-Oviatt, according to our earlier coverage. Woods and Summers-Oviatt, both on that list, were among BYU's four penalty takers Monday.
West Virginia finished its season at 9-4-5, WV MetroNews reported. The Mountaineers were also the only Big 12 team to beat BYU this fall, winning 2-0 at West Virginia on Oct. 8, according to BYU's schedule page. Monday's result closed the loop on that loss.
What BYU is playing for
The Big 12 Tournament is held at Texas Health Mansfield Stadium. Our earlier reporting laid out the format: eight of the league's 16 teams qualify, the opening round was Nov. 9, the semifinals are Nov. 11, and the final is Saturday, Nov. 14. The champion receives the Big 12's automatic NCAA Tournament bid.
BYU has been here before from the other direction. In 2025 the Cougars entered the tournament as the No. 8 seed and won the title by beating TCU, Baylor and Kansas, which BYU describes as the first time a No. 8 seed had done so. This year they arrived as the No. 1 seed after winning the first Big 12 regular-season title in program history, a 1-0 win over Arizona State on Nov. 5 on a Bella Woods free kick. That night was also the last regular-season match for coach Jennifer Rockwood, who announced in June that she will retire after this season. Our full report on the title and Rockwood's career has the details.
The season so far
BYU's schedule page lists 19 matches that count toward the record, and the 12-3-4 mark matches them. The Cougars opened with a 2-1 win at UCLA on Aug. 12, lost 1-0 at Wisconsin a week later, then won three straight at home, beating USC 2-0, Minnesota 1-0 and Colorado State 2-1. A 1-1 draw with Oklahoma on Sept. 5 was followed by a 4-0 loss at Utah State on Sept. 10, the heaviest defeat of the season, and a 1-1 draw at Arizona.
Conference play started with wins over UCF (3-1), TCU (2-0) and Kansas State (2-1). After the 2-0 loss at West Virginia came a 1-0 win at Cincinnati, a 3-2 win over Texas Tech, a 1-1 draw at Kansas, a 3-0 win at Iowa State and a 3-1 win over rival Utah on Oct. 30. The Arizona State win on Nov. 5 completed the regular season. For the full results table, see our BYU women's soccer season guide.
The Colorado matchup
Colorado (15-4-1, 8-3 Big 12) is the No. 4 seed and ranked No. 18 nationally. The Buffaloes reached the semifinal by beating Kansas 2-1 on Monday after trailing 1-0, with Reagan Kotschau scoring the winner in the final two minutes, according to BYU Athletics.
The teams have met 10 times, and BYU leads the series 4-3-3. They did not play in the 2026 regular season. The last two meetings were 2-2 draws, in 2025 at South Field and in 2022. A series that has produced three draws in 10 meetings, two of them in the last two matchups, gives some reason to prepare for a long afternoon.
BYU is the higher-ranked team and the top seed. One difference in preparation is plain from the box scores: Colorado needed 90 minutes on Monday, while BYU played two overtime periods and a shootout.
How to watch
- Streaming: ESPN+, according to BYU Athletics. The school lists live stats through Statbroadcast.
- Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. Mountain time on Wednesday, Nov. 11. The match is in Mansfield, so that is 4:30 p.m. Central.
- Venue: Texas Health Mansfield Stadium, Mansfield, Texas.
- In Provo: BYU lists ESPN+ for the stream, and the match falls on a weekday afternoon. For home matches at South Field, see our student sports tickets guide.
A note on the date
BYU's own pages do not fully agree on the day. The semifinal preview and the schedule page both list Wednesday, Nov. 11, at 3:30 p.m. MT, and Nov. 11, 2026 is a Wednesday. The first-round recap, published Nov. 9, calls the match "tomorrow," which would be Tuesday, Nov. 10. Both pages agree on 3:30 p.m. MT, the opponent, the venue and ESPN+. We are using Wednesday, Nov. 11, because the schedule page and the preview agree and our earlier tournament coverage also listed Nov. 11 for the semifinals. Check BYU's schedule page before kickoff.
What is next
The winner of Wednesday's match plays for the Big 12 title on Saturday, Nov. 14, and the champion takes the league's automatic NCAA bid. A team that loses the semifinal does not necessarily end its season, because the NCAA field is announced after the conference tournaments. WV MetroNews reported that the NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament selection show was set for Monday at 4 p.m. on NCAA.com. We will report BYU's draw once the field is released.
BYU reached the Sweet 16 last year after the Big 12 title, according to our season guide. Rockwood has led the program since its start, and Monday's win means her final season continues at least one more day.
Related on Provo.com
- BYU women's soccer 2026 season guide
- BYU women's soccer wins its first Big 12 regular-season title
- Big 12 fan's guide to Provo
- UVU women's soccer 2026
- Youth soccer in Utah Valley
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources
The facts in this guide were checked against these sources. Hours, fees and rules change, so confirm anything time-sensitive with the source before you go. How we make Provo.com.
- Cougars prepare for top-25 matchup in Big 12 Semifinals, BYU Athletics. Checked November 10, 2026.
- BYU Advances Past West Virginia in First-Round PK Shootout, BYU Athletics. Checked November 10, 2026.
- BYU Women's Soccer Schedule 2026, BYU Athletics. Checked November 10, 2026.
- Leoni's late goal not enough as Mountaineers fall to BYU in penalty kicks, WV MetroNews. Checked November 10, 2026.