photo by: Kansas Athletics

Kansas midfielder Emika Kawagishi defends against BYU's Ellie Walbruch on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, in Waco, Texas.

In the lead-up to Saturday night’s Big 12 tournament final, Kansas coach Nate Lie had said he was stressing to his team that the championship would be theirs until someone took it from them.

Well, BYU’s Ellie Walbruch essentially did just that early in the championship match, launching a high-arcing shot from outside the box at which KU goalkeeper Sophie Dawe had no chance.

Her remarkable goal was all the Cougars needed on offense to become the first-ever No. 8 seed to win the Big 12 tournament, and to prevent KU from repeating as the champion, with a 1-0 victory at Betty Lou Mays Soccer Field in Waco, Texas.

BYU goalkeeper Chelsea Peterson, meanwhile, kept a clean sheet as the seventh-seeded Jayhawks were shut out for the first time in a month. She made a pair of heroic saves at the death, diving to her left to deny freshman forward Becca Smith in the 81st minute and blocking sophomore midfielder Kate Langfelder’s well-placed header in the 89th.

Chasing the game for nearly 70 minutes after Walbruch’s goal, KU outshot BYU 17-10 in all, led by five shots (including three on target) for forward Lexi Watts. But the Cougars’ defense kept the Jayhawks’ potent attackers in check and minimized the sorts of straightforward opportunities that had allowed KU to go three goals ahead in the first half when it beat BYU earlier in the season.

BYU spent more time on the front foot early, controlling possession and attempting a pair of corner kicks. The Jayhawks’ best opportunity in the opening stages of the match occurred when Peterson bobbled but eventually secured a ground cross by Caroline Castans.

After Walbruch’s goal, BYU almost doubled its lead on two separate occasions in the minutes immediately afterward, once on a breakaway for Mia Goettsche and once when Mackenzee Vance had a solid look on goal from a short corner.

Watts sent a probing shot at Peterson, but Halle Dixon had a much more threatening opportunity at the other end shortly afterward, only for it to careen wide of the left post.

The Jayhawks looked more composed in possession as the half drew on but struggled to find quality services into the box.

Later, within the first two minutes of the second half, Walbruch misplaced what was essentially an open-net attempt when she went one-on-one with Dawe.

KU had a string of three straight corners because Peterson deflected the first two over the bar, but BYU was able to clear the third. Then, after a free kick from just outside the box, KU was able to play the ball back in, and Watts popped it up for Jillian Gregorski, but her header missed the mark.

In the 59th minute, officials initiated a review of a potential handball on a BYU defender, but decided not to award a penalty.

The Cougars loaded their own box with bodies and repeatedly prevented KU from producing quality shots. On one occasion, Saige Wimes blew past one BYU defender and found herself face to face with four others and had a shot easily blocked.

Watts got close to hitting the top corner of the net off a deflection with 10 minutes to go, but the ball didn’t quite go in and KU got nothing from the ensuing corner kick. In general, the Jayhawks generated nearly all of their best chances of the night in the nervous final minutes for BYU, but never converted.

KU will learn its NCAA Tournament seeding in the selection show at 3 p.m. on Monday. The Jayhawks’ chances of hosting prospective second- and third-round action as a top-eight seed took a significant hit, as they had entered No. 5 in the RPI but lost to the No. 26 team. They will still be in position to host a first-round match.