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PROVO — Perhaps no team needed a bounceback win Monday night quite like the University of Utah women's soccer team after last week's 2-0 loss at Texas Tech.
Except, maybe, for the Utes' archrival BYU.
Allie Fryer bagged a brace to lift the Cougars by the Utes 2-1 in a rivalry match at South Field, her third straight goal for BYU to go along with an assist in seven matches to keep the Cougars unbeaten at home in conference play.
"It's personal; we had to win this one, especially at home on South Field," Fryer said after the first brace of her junior campaign. "We need those points in the Big 12. It's all to my team, though; we worked so hard."
But in this match, at this time — the first in-conference rivalry match in a dozen years — it meant a little bit more.
"Every game is so big, and this one had more riding on it than it has in the last 12 years now that they're in the conference," BYU coach Jennifer Rockwood said. "Now that they are in our conference, there's a lot more meaning before the game, and I think the rivalry will come back stronger than ever.
"I think that's exciting for the sport, for the state, and for the unbelievable fans tonight in such a fantastic environment. I know they do a lot to propel our team and find energy to fight and play even harder."
Lucy Kesler and Emma Hamberlin each had an assist for BYU (4-4-2, 2-1 Big 12), who rebounded from a 4-1 loss to TCU Thursday to hand Utah a second consecutive loss in Big 12 play.
BYU controlled momentum in the first half, when it out-shot its rivals 4-3 and had four corner kicks to the Utes' one. But BYU's Lynette Hernaez and Utah's Kasey Wardle each saved their only shot on goal to keep the match scoreless through halftime.
Otherwise, the first half passed mostly without incident — except for a dust-up just after the half-hour mark when BYU's Mattyn Summers took exception to a hard foul by Taliana Kaufusi, the Utes' leading scorer with nine of the team's 16 goals who was held without a shot before the break.
But Kaufusi was held scoreless for just the fifth time in 10 matches, and last week's Big 12 offensive player of the week had just two total shots on the night, her fewest since being held to a single shot in a 1-0 win over Arizona to open Big 12 play.
Credit the Cougars' midfield for denying the goal-scoring striker from Highland High who is just the second Utah player with multiple hat tricks in a single season in 28 years. But credit also goes to the road environment BYU created on rivalry night in front of an ESPNU audience, Utah coach Hideki Nakada added.
"We struggled in this environment. Obviously, BYU does a really good job of making this a tough place to play," said Nakada, whose team only dressed 14 players on the roster. "We were never able to play and be ourselves. That was the most disappointing thing — that performance was far from our very best."
Fryer gave the Cougars the first lead, heading home a back-post corner kick from Kesler in the 57th minute to put the hosts ahead 1-0.
But O'Kane equalized for Utah in the 63rd minute, taking advantage of a miscommunication between first-time center back Mattyn Summers and BYU goalkeeper Lynette Hernaez to square the match with a near-open look on frame.
BYU wasn't done yet, though.
After 12 corner kicks with no success, Hamberlin picked up a loose ball on the edge of the penalty area and flicked a left-footed cross towards the center of the box — where Fryer's head once again connected for the easy redirect in the 83rd minute.
"Addie (Gardner) told me, 'You were a magnet today with those headers,'" Fryer recalled. "It literally felt like that; I think I almost had a third one. It just came in so fast from Emma, and I had to hit that baby in.
"Her service was amazing. When she gets those crosses off, you know it's going to be good."
Added Rockwood: "We've been yelling at Allie all season to stay in front of the goal. She comes wide a little bit, and you never quite know where Allie is going. But there's a reason we want here between the posts — for a reason. She was right where she was supposed to be, and she was rewarded with the winning goal."
BYU out-shot the Utes 17-10, including holding their rivals to just two shots on target. Kasey Wardle had eight saves for Utah (4-4-2, 1-2 Big 12).
The Cougars stay home Thursday to host No. 12 Oklahoma State at 7 p.m. MDT on South Field.
The Utes return home from a two-match road trip to host Iowa State at 7 p.m. MDT Thursday.
