BYU women's soccer won its first Big 12 regular-season title on Thursday night, and it did it with a free kick off the left post in the 68th minute. Senior Bella Woods' 25-yard strike beat Arizona State 1-0 at South Field in Provo, and the Cougars (12-3-3, 8-1-2 Big 12) will go to the conference tournament as the No. 1 seed. The night also served as the last regular-season match for head coach Jennifer Rockwood, who retires after this season.
| Result | BYU 1, Arizona State 0 (Nov. 5, South Field) |
| Goal | Bella Woods, 68th minute, 25-yard free kick |
| Record | 12-3-3 overall, 8-1-2 Big 12 |
| Seed | No. 1 in the Big 12 Tournament |
| Next | West Virginia, Mon. Nov. 9, 1 p.m. MT, Mansfield, Texas (ESPN+) |
How the match went
The first half ended 0-0 even though BYU had 12 shots to Arizona State's two and a 3-0 edge in corners, according to BYU Athletics. For the match, BYU outshot Arizona State 21-7. Goalkeepers Chelsea Peterson and Collins combined for three saves. Arizona State committed 13 fouls and picked up three yellow cards; BYU committed eight.
The goal came in the 68th minute. Woods' free kick from about 25 yards hit the left post and bounced in. It was her third goal of the season, and all three have come on set pieces, BYU said. "Then Bella came through with another unbelievable game winner," Rockwood said afterward.
The first Big 12 regular-season title
It is the first regular-season championship in the Big 12 for BYU, according to BYU Athletics. The result continues a long run of conference success for Rockwood's program: BYU's recap said she has won a conference title in all four conferences BYU has competed in.
It is also a change from last year's shape. In 2025 BYU got into the Big 12 Tournament as the last seed, the No. 8, then won the tournament, according to our BYU women's soccer season guide. This year the Cougars have the top seed and a first-round match against West Virginia.
The Big 12 Tournament
The Big 12 Tournament is played at Texas Health Mansfield Stadium in Mansfield, Texas. BYU's opener against West Virginia is Monday, Nov. 9 at 1 p.m. Mountain time, streamed on ESPN+, according to BYU Athletics. Our season guide lists the format this way: eight of the Big 12's 16 teams qualify, with the opening round on Nov. 9, semifinals on Nov. 11 and the final on Nov. 14. The champion gets the league's automatic NCAA Tournament bid. BYU is the defending tournament champion.
A regular-season title does not guarantee an NCAA bid or a seed by itself. The NCAA field is announced after the conference tournaments, and we will report BYU's draw when it is released. Check BYU's schedule page for any change to the match time.
Senior night and a coach's last home regular-season match
Before the match, BYU honored its seniors: Bella Woods, Chelsea Peterson, Ella Rustand-Ford, Avery Frischknecht, Emma Neff, Ellie Walbruch and Mattyn Summers-Oviatt. Rockwood was also honored for 32 seasons as BYU's only women's soccer head coach.
She announced on June 23 that she will retire in December after the 2026 season, KSL reported. In that story, Rockwood said, "It has been the honor of a lifetime to represent Brigham Young University and to lead this program since its inception." The school will begin a national search for her successor after the 2026 NCAA tournament, KSL reported.
KSL's account of her path: she played basketball briefly at Rick's College, transferred to BYU in 1985 to play for the women's club soccer team, and was named head coach upon graduating three years later. She coached seven seasons before the program moved to NCAA Division I in 1995. With a recent retirement by another BYU coach after 41 years, KSL said, Rockwood became BYU's longest-tenured head coach.
BYU Athletics' list of her accomplishments is long:
- More than 480 career wins, as BYU counted on Nov. 5. KSL put the total at 470 in June, so the figure has moved up during the season.
- 26 NCAA Tournament appearances, including two College Cup appearances.
- A trip to the 2021 national championship game, where BYU finished as runner-up, and a College Cup semifinal return in 2023.
- 17 regular-season conference championships and nine conference tournament titles across four conferences. The sources we read do not say whether the 17 regular-season titles includes this week's.
- 24 All-Americans, nine MAC Hermann Trophy candidates and 18 players who went on to professional careers.
KSL's story also recalled that the 2023 College Cup run included an Elite Eight win over North Carolina on a snow-covered South Field.
The scholarship fund
On the same day, BYU Athletics announced the Jennifer Rockwood Endowed Soccer Scholarship Fund, a $500,000 donor-funded endowment that will provide scholarships to women's soccer student-athletes. Athletic Director Brian Santiago said, "Jennifer Rockwood is BYU women's soccer," and called the endowment a meaningful way to remember her legacy. The announcement links to a giving page at byutickets.evenue.net/give/WSOC. As with any online gift, go to BYU's own announcement to find the link rather than following one sent to you.
What the season looked like
A look at the regular season: BYU opened with a 2-1 win at UCLA on Aug. 12 and lost at Wisconsin 1-0 a week later, according to our season guide. It was 8-3-2 and 4-1-1 in the Big 12 by Oct. 12, and ranked No. 20 going into an October road trip. Last winter's Sweet 16 team returned top scorer Ellie Walbruch, who had 16 goals in 2025 and told KSL before the season she wanted 20 or more. Frischknecht told KSL the team wanted to "give her the best season ever" in Rockwood's last year.
The path to the title ran through some tight results, according to our season guide. BYU beat TCU 2-0 on Sept. 28 and Kansas State 2-1 on Oct. 2, when Woods won it on a penalty after the Cougars trailed at halftime. Then came the only Big 12 loss before Thursday's match, a 2-0 defeat at West Virginia on Oct. 8 in which BYU outshot the Mountaineers 19-8. Four days later BYU won 1-0 at Cincinnati on a Woods direct free kick in the 51st minute. That history makes Monday's opponent notable: West Virginia is the team that handed BYU its first league loss.
Woods' three goals this season, by BYU's count, have all come from the penalty spot or on free kicks. That pattern is a reminder of how tight some of these matches have been. The Thursday opponent forced BYU to wait until the 68th minute even though the Cougars controlled the shot count from the start.
What to do this week
- Watch: BYU vs. West Virginia on ESPN+ at 1 p.m. MT Monday, Nov. 9. Later rounds depend on results.
- Read more: our BYU women's soccer season guide has the full results table and ticket information. For the other soccer program in Utah Valley, see UVU women's soccer. Fans coming in for football should see the BYU-Utah game guide and the Big 12 fan's guide to Provo.
Related on Provo.com
- BYU women's soccer 2026 season
- UVU women's soccer 2026
- BYU-Utah Holy War 2026 game guide
- Big 12 fan's guide to Provo
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.
- No. 13 BYU defeats Arizona State 1-0 to claim Big 12 regular-season title, BYU Athletics. Checked November 6, 2026.
- BYU Athletics Announces Jennifer Rockwood Endowed Soccer Scholarship Fund, BYU Athletics. Checked November 6, 2026.
- BYU's longest tenured head coach will retire after the 2026 season, KSL. Checked November 6, 2026.
- BYU women's soccer motivated to send retiring coach, legend out on high note, KSL. Checked November 6, 2026.