SDSU transfer Boaz makes immediate impact for BYU


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PROVO — Rachel Boaz never felt any qualms with her decision out of high school to play soccer at San Diego State.

The Murrieta, California, native played two years with the Aztecs, winning a Mountain West Conference title in 2012 and starting every game of the 21-2-1 season, including a run to the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16.

But after serving a mission for the LDS Church in Everett, Washington, Boaz, who comes from a family of BYU alums, transferred to Provo. The Cougars (3-0) are glad she did because she's played a big part in helping them start the season with three straight shutouts, including Monday's 2-0 win at Nebraska that helped push the Cougars to No. 9 in the latest NSCAA national poll.

"(San Diego) was the right place for me at that time in life, and it was the right time for me to go on a mission," Boaz said after practice Thursday. "Now is the right time to be here. It all just fits; it's perfect and guided by the Lord."

The Cougars host Utah on Friday night at South Field in a game that sold out early in the week. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Boaz enrolled at BYU last January, giving her ample time through the spring and summer training months to acclimate to her new teammates. The extra time has reaped dividends. She's played all 266 minutes of her BYU career thus far with no goals allowed and 15 saves made.

She's also done it in front of a newer defense, compared to most of the rest of BYU's veteran team. Stephanie Ringwood has made the move to central defender, despite having never played the position in her life, and she's picked up a prolific partnership with fellow center back Taylor Campbell Isom.

BYU goalkeeper Rachel Boaz reaches across the middle of her team's huddle following a 2-0 win over Colorado in the 2015 home opener at South Field on Aug. 28, 2015. (Photo: Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo)
BYU goalkeeper Rachel Boaz reaches across the middle of her team's huddle following a 2-0 win over Colorado in the 2015 home opener at South Field on Aug. 28, 2015. (Photo: Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo)

But the defensive mentality has spread across the spine of the team, even up to the attacking core of players like Ashley Hatch, Michele Murphy Vasconcelos and Nadia Gomes, said BYU head coach Jennifer Rockwood.

"We always stress at the beginning of the season that defense is the most important thing," Rockwood said. "Defense wins championships and defense wins big games. That's always been our priority.

"Our whole mindset is team defense, and we ask a lot of our forwards," she said. "Our defense always starts with the pressure we put on opponents."

Still, Boaz has been a rock behind the BYU defense. The redshirt junior came to Provo and eventually found her way to the starting goalkeeper spot, playing all but the final five minutes of the Cougars' 2-0 win at Nebraska.

She's been practicing with her new team as often as many college soccer players practice with the squads through two seasons. Since coming arriving in Provo, Boaz has taken little time off between the spring season, summer practices and BYU soccer camps with her new friends.

"We did our own touches, coached the camps, and I think being able to practice together so much gave us confidence together," Boaz said. "It's really helped us come together."

While she loved her time at San Diego State, Boaz said joining with her teammates in nonsoccer activities and sharing a plethora of common values and beliefs has been a monstrous benefit for her.

"I love that I can share the values that I live and love with my teammates. I love that we can travel and do a fireside and bear testimony," she said. "There's that camaraderie there that you can't find anywhere else. And I feel like that is a huge blessing to be more involved with them and the campus because the standards are the same."

Boaz didn't put too much stock into the contentious nature of the BYU-Utah rivalry, even though a few classmates have made it otherwise. The junior , who just said "It's pretty thick, I'm sensing that," has a patience and maturity well beyond her years after surviving a car accident on her bike during her freshman season in San Diego.

Like a veteran, Boaz is focused on helping her team get better and compete for a fourth straight West Coast Conference title — as well as an NCAA Tournament run that has eluded the Cougars for two straight seasons.

But her new college coach explained well enough the significance of the annual rivalry contest between the two Utah-based schools.

"We look forward to this game every year," Rockwood said. "It's a great rivalry between two good soccer schools, and it's been back and forth the last two years. We're looking forward to it."

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