Provo, Utah –
15 for No. 15.
Ellie Walbruch recorded her 15th collegiate goal of her career and third of the 2025 season on a penalty kick, as No.19 BYU women’s shutout No. 4 UCLA 1-0 Saturday night on South Field in Provo, Utah.
Walbruch has had quite the week as the junior out of Highland, Utah, buried the shot on the left side of the net past Bruins goalkeeper Alphne Nakfoor to give BYU the 1-0 lead in the 13th minute. Nakfoor got a hand on Walbruch’s shot but couldn’t stop because it had too much power behind it.
“Obviously it’s a huge win for us in the home opener against one of the premier teams in the country year in and year out,” said BYU coach Jennifer Rockwood. “We knew this was going to be a big game. I’m really proud of the way we got started. We moved the ball well and came out confident and strong. We got the first goal, but it was a battle from there. It was a gritty performance by our team. We bent, but didn’t break. Paiton Collins came up with a couple of great saves, and the girls just fought hard and protected our box.”
BYU midfielder Mika Krommenhoek took her defender one-on-one inside the 18-yard box and would draw the foul on UCLA midfielder Grace Shank, which would award Walbruch the opportunity for the Cougars to score first.
When the Cougars score in the first 15 minutes of a match, the team is 27-4-4 all-time. However, this was the first time an opponent outshot BYU. The Bruins out-shot the Cougars 19-11, while only having three shots on goal.
Walbruch had an eventful week, scoring two goals in the recent match against Cal Poly on August 18th, which ended in a draw for the Cougars. Although she missed a penalty kick in that game, she was determined not to second-guess herself in Saturday’s match.
Another player that didn’t make a second guess was sophomore BYU goalkeeper Paition Collins made a crucial save in the 84th minute, punching the ball out of play and stopping UCLA forward Lexi Wright’s quick shot to the far right corner of the goal.
“Before this game I was visualizing a lot,” said BYU goalkeeper Paiton Collins. “Something the Cal Poly announcers said was Paiton Collins is a new keeper, she hasn’t made a name for herself. Before this game I was writing in my notebook this is a game I can make a name for myself. In that moment I saw her load up to shoot. I saw the ball come and everyone thought it was going in. That was my big moment I came up big. Hopefully that gets my name on the board.”
Collins indeed made a name for herself, earning her first career shoutout and doing over a top-ranked opponent.
The Cougars almost extended the lead in the 73rd minute coming off a corner kick from Mika Krommenhoek.
UCLA controlled the ball in the second half and made a late push to find an equalizer, taking five shots in the last 10 minutes.
The Cougars nearly extended their lead in the 73rd minute with a corner kick from Mika Krommenhoek that found the head of Avery Frischknecht, but it hit the crossbar before being cleared by the Bruins’ back line.
BYU’s defense stood strong, ensuring that UCLA returned home with another loss to South Field similar to what happened in 2023 as the series is now 4-4-1.
The Cougars will conclude non-conference play by hosting five consecutive games, starting with the Auburn Tigers on Friday August 29th at 7 p.m. MT. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.
