BYU Pulls off Historic Elite Eight Comeback

by Victor Olorunfemi

November 24, 2023

On a magical snowy night in Provo, Utah, one of the greatest comebacks in soccer history occurred, as down 3-0 with 30 minutes remaining in the Elite Eight, BYU scored four to overturn a deficit and win 4-3. The Cougars will now meet Stanford in the Final Four, spurred on by the momentum of a historic accomplishment.

The deficit resulted from three goals in the first 20 minutes as North Carolina silenced the home crowd with the early onslaught. Ally Sentnor was at the center of it all with an assist and two goals in what looked to be enough to send the Tar Heels to another semifinal. There looked to be no answers as BYU struggled to create open looks, and when it did, Emmie Allen was there to repel any shots on goal.

But spurred on by a passionate home crowd and a stadium where the Cougars have not lost all season, Bella Folino struck back in the 61st minute in a goal of pure will as the ball bounced around the box, and the Senior was there to convert. And with 29 minutes to go, in front of a few thousand passionate fans, there was a belief that anything could happen. Credit to North Carolina, they held tight for another ten minutes, turning away chance after chance.

Then Brecken Mozingo happened.

BRECKEN HAS SUPERPOWERS

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— BYU Women's Soccer (@byusoccer_w) November 25, 2023

In a moment of pure ingenuity, the Senior scored an Olympico, a goal curled directly from a corner kick. Exactly 73 seconds of soccer later, Folino struck again to tie the game as she converted a rebound after the keeper saved Ellie Walbruch’s shot. With the stadium in pure bliss, it felt like when, not if, BYU would do the seemingly impossible and win the game.

THE WINNING GOAL

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— BYU Women's Soccer (@byusoccer_w) November 25, 2023

BYU has been led by the brilliant duo of Mozingo and Wave-Kotoa all season, so it only made sense that they were the two to win the game. With 90 seconds remaining, Mozingo drove down the middle of the field, attracting three defenders, which meant Wade-Kotoa was in a 1-on-1 situation, and she capitalized with a composed right-footed shot fake, setting up a placed left-footed strike into the bottom corner. In a moment highlighting the brilliance of the beautiful game, the crowd erupted as North Carolina and BYU players fell to their knees for vastly different reasons.

BYU moves on to the Final Four for the second time in program history and the first time since 2021. The Cougars will play Stanford on December 1st in Cary, North Carolina.