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PROVO — Lynette Hernaez thought she had her life planned out from a young age.
A product of the prestigious SoCal Blues club soccer program in Southern California, the first-team All-CIF goalkeeper committed to Washington State during her sophomore year in high school and planned to play there.
Rated one of the top youth goalkeepers in the country, Hernaez was set. And then everything changed a year later, when a few friends in California invited her to attend The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and she eventually met with the local missionaries.
The day after her 18th birthday, the Corona, California, native scheduled her baptism.
Then things got complicated.
Hernaez, who is the oldest of five children, felt drawn to serve an 18-month mission for the church. But as the only member in her family, she knew it wouldn't be easy. Her parents were supportive of her decision to be baptized, but she'd have to pay her own way, she said.
Then there was the matter of her commitment to Washington State.
"It was definitely one of the hardest decisions of my life," Hernaez said. "I was ready and committed to be there. But then life happened, and I'm very grateful to meet the missionaries and things changed. When I decided to serve a mission, that was super hard.
"After being a member for just three months, I knew I needed to serve," she later added. "So I got a job, told my coaches that I wanted to go this path, and I was very blessed that my coaches at Washington State were so supportive of that and wanted me to succeed."
Hernaez was called to serve in the Salt Lake City South mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She called the experience one of the hardest things she's ever done. But also …
"It was the greatest decision of my life," Hernaez said. "I would absolutely do it again."
When she returned — about nine months ago, as it were — Hernaez opted to transfer from Washington State to BYU. She wanted to be around a program that represented more than soccer, with a group of friends and teammates who lived the church convert's values, as well.
Playing for a perennial top-25 program and Big 12 newcomer was just a bonus. So before the spring season, the freshman enrolled at BYU as one of two Division I transfers (along with UCLA forward Ellie Walbruch) in coach Jennifer Rockwood's program.
"Being a part of Cougar Nation means so much more than just being an athlete," she said. "This is a church school, and we represent Jesus Christ. I personally strive to be my best self, to be a representative of Christ, both on the field and off the field."
Since transferring in the spring, Hernaez split time in goal with Savanna Mason during the Cougars' overseas trip to Europe. She also played major minutes in the preseason opener, an 11-on-11 match intrasquad scrimmage that saw her White team take a 4-3 win over the Blue team.
BYU opened its exhibition season with a 1-0 win at Rutgers last Thursday, buoyed by an 80th-minute goal by Allie Fryer. The Cougars then returned home to rout Idaho State 7-0, with two goals each from Fryer and Brecken Mozingo, and a goal apiece from Kendell Petersen, Bella Folino and Ellie Bailey.
Hernaez spent the second half against the Bengals, who were playing in their third exhibition match of the week after wins over Salt Lake Community College and Snow. Neither Hernaez nor starter Mason finished with a save, after facing a total of one shot.
The preseason favorite to win the Big 12 by one point in the annual coaches' poll, the 13th-ranked Cougars open the 2023 regular season Thursday against No. 21 Saint Louis.
Grateful that Rockwood let her transfer, Hernaez also fit a need. The 5-foot-11 goalkeeper is one of four goalkeepers on the squad, a vastly different lineup from this time a year ago.
The Cougars are coming off an incredibly successful final season in the West Coast Conference, an 11-3-7 record that included a trip to the NCAA Tournament and the Round of 16.
They also did it with just two goalkeepers, keeping Mason and freshman backup Taygan Sill healthy with careful attention, metaphorical duct tape and a bit of faith.
Hernaez joins a group of goalkeepers that also includes fellow returned missionaries Haven Empey and Kelsey Hoopes, as well as Mason — instantly doubling Rockwood's depth with half of the program's six returned missionaries in the Cougars' first year in the Big 12.
"When Haven left on her mission last summer, it left us with two keepers — something we've never experienced before," Rockwood said. "But we made it through, even talked about bringing people in but we knew we had some coming back off missions. So now we'll have four keepers this year."
Having a half-dozen returned missionaries who are also in similar circumstances has its own advantages, too, Hernaez noted.
"We have each other's backs," she said. "We all know what it's like to come back and be a little bit awkward. But we have each other's backs to get back into the game. I love the support we have."
Thursday's kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. MDT on ESPN+.
