PROVO, Utah – Last season the Dons dialed up a historic upset over then-No. 5 BYU, but the same kind of magic could not be conjured this time around as the USF women's soccer team suffered a 4-0 loss to the third-ranked Cougars on Monday evening at South Field.
 
BYU's Ashley Hatch – the nation's leading goal scorer – notched a hat trick to lead the Cougars.
 
"We played so well in the first 45 minutes, but then it was just a total collapse," said head coach Jim Millinder. "The kids were crushed playing one of the best teams in the country on the road, but we just deviated from the game plan, and when you do that you put yourself at risk."
 
USF (4-8-0, 0-2-0) matched up well with BYU in the first half as both sides worked to a scoreless opening frame. The Dons' backline held BYU in check with some heads-up defensive plays from junior Allison Arriola and senior Ali Schaffer.
 
BYU (10-1-1, 1-0-1) held just a 6-4 advantage in shots heading into halftime.  
 
However, once BYU's offense finally clicked, the Cougars opened up the flood gates by scoring all four goals in a seven minute span, starting with a header by Hatch in the 54th minute that she barely angled around a USF defender and past a diving Makayla Presgrave in goal.
 
Less than a minute later, Hatch followed up a rebound after Presgrave stonewalled Elena Medeiros' shot, but the deflection left Hatch alone for the follow up in front of the empty net to give BYU a 2-0 advantage.
 
In the 58th minute, it was Medeiros who found the back of the net as she converted a cross from the right wing into the far corner from about 12 yards out.
 
The final BYU score came in the 61st minute when Hatch dribbled past Presgrave, who had rushed out to apply pressure on the one-on-one, and slipped it into the empty net.

BYU ended up with an 18-11 edge in shots on the night and a 6-2 advantage in corner kicks.
 
Presgrave recorded five saves in the contest, which was USF's most lopsided defeat since a 9-0 loss at Santa Clara in 2013, which was also the last year the Dons started WCC play 0-2.
 
 UP NEXT: The Dons return home for a pair of contests this weekend, started off with a 7 p.m. kickoff against Saint Mary's on Friday evening, followed by a 1 p.m. tilt on Sunday against Pacific. Both matches will be streamed live on TheW.tv with USF's broadcasting tandem of Charles Wollin (play-by-play) and Joe Dugan (analyst) on the call.