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BYU Starts NCAA Tournament Wednesday with Cal-Berkeley By Jennifer Groskreutz, from BYU Newsnet
Nov. 10, 1999
BYU's women's soccer team, ranked 23rd by the NSCAA, will host 26th-ranked Cal-Berkeley Wednesday at 6 on South Field in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Tonight will be the Cougars' third appearance in the national tournament. The Cougars are coming off a six-game winning streak following their 2-1 overtime win against San Diego State in the MWC championship game Saturday. BYU's overall record was upped to 20-3 with the win. Cal-Berkeley (13-6-1) enters the tournament on a three-game winning streak. The Bears faced the Cougars last year for the first time, resulting in a 4-3 loss for Cal. BYU's Shauna Rohbock scored the winning goal with 11 seconds left in the match. In last year's tournament, the Bears lost 2-1 to Pacific in the first round of play. Cal-Berkeley is making its eighth appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Bears' highlight years were in 1987 and 1988 when they tied for third place.
Even though the Cougars beat Berkeley the last time the two teams met, BYU head coach Jennifer Rockwood said this game will be tough.
"Cal is a very solid, well-coached team," she said. "They play very physical. It's going to be a battle." Junior forward Kim Lowe said when she played Cal her freshman year, their players were big, tough and fast. She also said the team has been working on its one and two-touch game for this match. "Hopefully it'll help us get past their defense," she said. Rockwood said the motive for Wednesday's game is to win the whole tournament. That won't be easy for the Cougars thanks to their tough draw in the tournament. In order to win it, the Cougars will have to get past No. 1 Santa Clara in the second round, assuming they win tonight's game. BYU lost 1-0 to Santa Clara in the first round of the 1997 NCAA Tournament. Then in 1998, the Cougars shot their way into the Sweet Sixteen only to face Santa Clara once more, where BYU was defeated 3-0. The top eight teams in the tournament, out of 48 teams overall, were seeded and given first round byes in the tournament. ___________________________ |
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