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Carlee Payne Holmoe Will Hope to Lead BYU to An Upset of Penn State on Saturday

BYU vs Penn State – 9:30 PM

BYU could’ve hardly picked a better time to put on a show, as they destroyed Texas in front of a national audience on Thursday night. The Cougars spurned more than a few chances in the first half but then turned on the style in the second, netting five goals, with many of them being gorgeous strikes. Despite having lost Niki Fernandes to an ACL injury, the BYU attack has marched on, with the Cougars racking up thirty shots and thirteen shots on goal against the Longhorns on Thursday. And as Dana Oldroyd Cusick and Lindsi Lisonbee Cutshall showed with their wonder strikes, virtually anyone on the field for the Cougars is capable of putting it into the back of the net. But this BYU team on Saturday meets the rare opponent with an attack that’s even more explosive in the form of Penn State. The Nittany Lions have netted multiple goals in all six of their matches thus far in 2012 and will be looking to add to that total in Provo. Christine Nairn is the likely frontrunner for the Hermann Trophy at this stage and has blistered opposing defenses for seven goals and four assists as the conduit of offense for PSU. Talented forwards Mallory Weber and Tani Costa have also been in fine form, with seven goals between them. They probably won’t have it easy though, as BYU has given up just one goal in their last five games while also keeping three straight clean sheets as of the Texas win. A big crowd and an intimidating atmosphere will also likely be on tap for this one, as Penn State tries to win in a notoriously tough environment for visitors. The home side will be looking to shine once again though, knowing a win here would go a long way in ensuring NCAA Tournament soccer is played in Provo this season.

Auburn vs Texas Tech – 8:00 PM

With plenty of other teams to boost their RPI against in the SEC, it’s not quite do-or-die for Auburn on Saturday night, but they could seriously help their cause with a result over Texas Tech in their final non-conference game of the regular season. The Tigers have been on a serious slide as of late, losing three of their last four and pushing the patience of head coach Karen Hoppa, who did not sound pleased at all after the club’s 2-0 defeat to William & Mary last Sunday. Having scored just three goals in the last four games, Auburn’s offense has to wake up in a hurry, especially in an attack minded league like the SEC. They could do with some goal on Saturday too, against a Texas Tech side who have probably been itching to get back on the pitch after their first loss of the season last Sunday, coincidentally to another SEC club, Ole Miss. The Red Raiders came out flat and paid the price, being forced to play from behind for much of the match and being stifled by the Rebels in the second half in Oxford. Tom Stone’s side is one of the RPI’s most interesting cases early on. The Red Raiders are in a lofty position at the moment, but with no real quality wins to speak of, TTU could come crashing back to Earth with just a loss or two. They’ll be looking to avoid that fate on Saturday, knowing a win would help their cause while also diminishing that of a potential bubble rival come November.

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