PROVO, Utah — The BYU women's soccer team achieved a historic milestone, winning the program's first Big 12 women's soccer championship with a 1-0 victory over Kansas. The Cougars became the first No. 8 seed to ever claim the tournament title.
BYU entered the tournament as the lowest seed after barely qualifying for the final spot. Despite their underdog status, however, the team embraced the challenge.
"We went into each game with the mentality of we have nothing to lose and everything to gain and that took the pressure off and made it fun," Junior captain Avery Frischknecht told FOX 13 News.
The team adopted a motto this season — Family, which stands for "Forget About Me I Love You." "When you make the extra effort to get to a ball or make the extra run, you're making it, so your teammate doesn't have to do it," Frischknecht, who's from Mapleton, said. "They're my family, they're my best friends."
Goalkeeper Chelsea Peterson earned the title of Most Outstanding Defensive Player after making eight saves during the championship game. “We felt like underdogs cause we’re obviously the lowest seed in the tournament but at the same time it was like well, we’re BYU, we expect to win — this is what we do here," Peterson said.
Coach Jennifer Rockwood has known most of the players since they were kids, watching them attend soccer summer camps over the years. "It's fun for me to sit back and be a small part of their lives during these times," Rockwood said. "They've all worked so hard, I'm proud of what they've accomplished."
