No. 1 seed BYU was forced to penalty kicks to eliminate No. 8 West Virginia in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 women's soccer tournament on Monday, Nov. 9, 2026. Following a 1-1 tie through regulation and two overtime periods, the Cougars prevailed 4-2 in a shootout at Texas Health Mansfield Stadium in Mansfield, Texas.
Sophie Sivulich scored the opening goal in the 14th minute of regulation after receiving a pass from Lucy Kessler, giving BYU a 1-0 lead. West Virginia outshot BYU 10-7 in the first half, and goalkeeper Chelesa Peterson was required to make two saves. While Sivulich was fouled in the box during the second half, an officials review reversed the call, preventing a penalty kick.
With nine seconds remaining in regulation, Paiton Collins misplayed a Maya Leoni free kick approximately 30 yards from the goal, allowing the shot to find the net and tie the match at 1-1. West Virginia outshot BYU 18-9 during regulation. During the first overtime period, a shot by Sophia Nickel was ruled offside despite appearing to be a potential game winner with 3:49 remaining. A second scoring opportunity for BYU occurred midway through the second overtime when Afton Perry's shot was saved by West Virginia goalkeeper Bailey Herfurth.
In the shootout, Bella Woods converted the first shot for BYU. Peterson then stopped West Virginia's first attempt to give the Cougars an advantage. After the teams traded successful shots, Afton Perry's conversion secured a 4-2 lead for BYU. West Virginia's Abbey Olexa missed her attempt when her shot cleared the crossbar.
The Cougars, who entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed, previously held a 13-3-3 record. This victory avenged a 2-0 loss to West Virginia in Morgantown earlier this season, which was the only defeat BYU suffered during league play. The Cougars, the 2025 Big 12 Tournament winners as the No. 8 seed, move on to the semifinals.
BYU is scheduled to face No. 4 seed Colorado in the semifinals on Wednesday. Colorado advanced to the semifinals after a 2-1 victory over No. 4 Kansas in their quarterfinal match.
