USU women’s soccer experiences first conference loss of the season
In their away debut for Mountain West conference play, the Utah State women’s soccer team went .500 as they traveled to Colorado to take on Air Force and Colorado College. It was the team’s first two games away from Chuck and Gloria Bell Field since Sep. 4th, which also saw both an Aggie win and an Aggie loss.
On Friday, USU headed to Air Force academy to start its two game road trip. The two squads held tight for the duration of regular play, as both the Falcons and the Aggies were not able to come through offensively. The game headed into overtime.
Wth eight minutes gone by, the Aggies earned a free kick mere yards into their defensive half. Freshman defender Mealii Enos soared the ball towards the edge of the box, meeting the head of Aggie Bailee Hammond. Hammond, a junior forward, skied the ball to the right of the goalie, leaving fellow junior forward Wesley Hamblin with an easy shot on the ground and into the back of the net, winning the game for Utah State 1-0.
Hamblin sealed the victory for USU for the second time, after netting a golden goal in the overtime win against Gonzaga on Sep. 9th. This was her fifth goal on the year, and Hammond’s fourth assist. For sophomore goalkeeper Grace McGuire, this would be her fourth shutout on the year, and her second in conference play.
Sunday saw the Aggies in Colorado Springs, looking to continue their perfect start of conference play. During the first half, the Aggies seldomly had a threatening chance downfield, but also kept the Prowlers from any menacing attacks.
Unfortunately for the Aggies, it seemed that the Prowler’s pep talk at halftime lit a fire under their bellies. Just three minutes into the second half, Colorado College’s Chanisse Hendrix who scored on a pass in the box from Dana Gornick after a Prowler corner kick.
The Aggies had some scoring opportunities, including two set pieces deep into Colorado territory, both unsuccessful. Utah State also had shot as a ball in the Prowler’s box drew the keeper out, yet the pass inside lead to a header that sailed over the goal.
After the weekend, USU is now 7-5-0 on the season, and 3-1-0 in conference play. Utah State looks to bounce back from their first conference loss as they host Fresno State and San Jose State on Oct. 7th and 9th.