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Washington State fell early. Then it was defending national champion Penn State, followed by Tennessee, rival Utah and Ohio State.
Knowing she would have what she has called "one of the best teams I have ever coached here," BYU women's soccer coach Jennifer Rockwood put together the most challenging schedule she could in 2016, with the toughest games on the road.
Think the No. 4-ranked Cougars (17-2-1) will be intimidated by the Big 12's Oklahoma (14-6-2) in an NCAA Tournament second-round match at South Carolina's Stone Stadium on Thursday?
Think again.
Kickoff is at 2 p.m. MST; The winner will meet either South Carolina or Colorado in a third-round match on Saturday at 5 p.m. MT.
BYU has advanced to the second round for the fourth time in five years and is on a six-game winning streak.
"Well, I think the first thing about any run in the tournament is you have to believe that your team and you as an individual are capable of getting results," Rockwood said. "These girls believe that. They have had an amazing season. The schedule we have put together to go 17-2-1 is quite an accomplishment. And we've been ranked in the top five now for almost the entire season, so they have reason to be confident.
"I do think there is a high expectation here," she continued. "And I think people will not be satisfied unless we get some good results this year."
While BYU was beating UNLV 2-0 in Provo last weekend, Oklahoma was advancing with a 1-0 win over SMU, its first NCAA Tournament win in program history.
Led by senior Liz Keesler (nine goals, six assists), Oklahoma owns wins over Arizona, TCU and Texas.
"Obviously, there is some pressure on us, just because we have such high expectations," Rockwood said. "I thought the girls did an amazing job of not letting that get to them, especially at the start of the [UNLV] game. They came out and really attacked well."
Senior Michele Vasconcelos, the WCC Player of the Year who notched a goal in her sixth straight game against UNLV, said this BYU team has what it takes to make a deep tournament run.
"I feel like the other teams we've had were special, but this team just has something extra," Vasconcelos said. "I feel like we already have the attitude going in, no matter who we are playing, it doesn't matter, that we aren't scared and we are always ready. We re going to give it our all."
Twitter: @drewjay —
No. 4 BYU vs. No. 25 Oklahoma
P NCAA women's soccer second round at Stone Stadium, Columbia, S.C.
When • Thursday, 2 p.m. MT
Records • BYU 17-2-1, Oklahoma 14-6-2
Radio • ESPN 960 AM, BYU Radio (Sirius XM 143)
Video • SEC Network Plus (live streaming)