BYU, Utah State back in the NCAA women's soccer tournament — and both are hosting

SALT LAKE CITY — Two of Utah's top women's soccer team will enter the 64-team NCAA Tournament bracket that kicks off Friday around the country.

And both will be hosting.

After winning the Mountain West Tournament in back-to-back seasons, No. 25 Utah State drew a No. 8 seed and will host Big Ten foe Washington in the first round at 2 p.m. MST Friday at Chuck and Gloria Bell Field in Logan.

The Aggies (18-1-4) will make their fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in program history, and second under Manny Martins, the fourth-year head coach who recently signed a contract extension with the school through 2027.

"Coach Martins has established a culture of winning and academic success at Utah State University," Utah State athletic director Diana Sabau said in a statement. "His leadership and passion for preparing our student-athletes has fueled the success of this team. The future of the Utah State soccer program is extremely bright under Manny's leadership and we are excited to continue our valued partnership with him as our head coach."

Under Martins, the Aggies have produced one of the best defenses in the country, allowing less than a goal per game each season. This season, Utah State set program records for goals (56), assists (56), points (168) and shutouts (12) — and perhaps most importantly, wins (18).

Back in the NCAA Tournament for the seventh consecutive season, BYU drew a No. 7 seed in the tournament and will host former West Coast Conference rival Santa Clara (12-3-4) in the first round Friday at 6 p.m. MST at South Field in Provo.

BYU finished fourth in its second season in the Big 12, ending the regular season unbeaten in five and adding a 5-0 win over Oklahoma State in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City.

A year after advancing to the NCAA College Cup semifinals for the second time in three seasons, the Cougars finished 9-6-5 with a new roster and an entirely new starting lineup save two faces. They also finished the season with the No. 26 ranking in the RPI, and jumped into Top Drawer Soccer's top 25 at No. 19 on Monday.

Allie Fryer led the team with nine goals for the second straight year, and added five goals each from MacKenzee Vance and Erin Bailey. Fryer and center back Avery Frischknecht earned All-Big 12 first-team honors, Vance and freshman Mika Krommenhoek were second-team selections, and Krommenhoek joined Lucy Kesler on the All-Big 12 freshman team.

Under head coach Jennifer Rockwood, BYU is back in the NCAA tournament for the 25th time in 30 seasons. The Cougars have advanced to the Sweet 16 nine times, Elite Eight five times, College Cup semifinals once and a national championship game appearance in 2021.

BYU is one of seven teams from the Big 12, joining Texas Tech (14-4-2), which earned a No. 8 seed opposite LSU in the first round. TCU (16-3-2) will host Stephan F. Austin as a No. 5 seed, and Big 12 Tournament champion Kansas (13-5-4) will travel to A-10 champion and eighth-seeded Saint Louis (14-1-6).

Oklahoma State (12-5-2) will travel to second-seeded Arkansas for the first round.

West Virginia will make its 23rd NCAA Tournament appearance in program history when it travels to fifth-seeded Kentucky, and Colorado (11-4-5) will open the tournament at No. 7 Georgia.

Duke, Southern California, Mississippi State and defending champion Florida State were tabbed the No. 1 seeds in each corner of the bracket. North Carolina, Arkansas, Wake Forest and UCLA each earned a No. 2 seed in the 64-team bracket, which can be seen below.

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