[BYU-NORTHWESTERN] It's rare for a clash of women's Top 25 teams to be played on a Tuesday night, but that was the case when surprise Northwestern traveled to BYU. Before a Provo crowd of 2,250 fans, the No. 12 Cougars held off No. 14 Wildcats, 2-1.

Northwestern was coming off a 1-0 win over UCLA, the highest-ranked opponent it had ever defeated, and gave BYU a real test.

Forward Jennie Marshall put BYU ahead with her fourth goal of the season in the 17th minute, but Northwestern midfielder Jennifer Baumann equalized before halftime.

Sophomore standout Carlee Payne won the game in the 55th minute off
a beautiful pass from Kassidy Shumway.

The win gave BYU a 4-0 start this season.

“This is a great team," said BYU head coach Jennifer Rockwood. "We have tremendous leadership and a lot of kids who have great experience. Last year we had a young team but this year we're more experienced and have lots of excitement, and energy. The girls love playing together and we’re hoping to get better with every game.”

The loss was the first for Northwestern (2-1-1).

"We faced a really big challenge heading into this game and I’m pleased with the way we responded,” said Wildcats coach Stephanie Foster. “Coming off a big win and two really hard games over the weekend, we came into an incredible college soccer atmosphere and held our own against a fantastic team. We were in the game the entire way. This is a game we can take a lot from and use it to keep getting better.”