Y not? Ags in search of win over Cougars
While the upcoming BYU-USU football game is getting most of the attention from Aggie fans, USU has another chance to beat the rival school from the south, Thursday at 4 p.m., as the Aggie soccer team returns home to take on the Cougars.
Unlike the football series, which has been dominated in recent years by close games at USU, the Aggie soccer team has yet to win a game against BYU. In fact, USU has never even scored a goal at home against BYU.
In the five times the two teams have met, BYU has outscored USU 16-1, with the Aggies’ lone goal coming from forward Candice Clark last season at Provo.
Despite the lopsided outcomes, there is some intensity to this rivalry, said USU head coach Heather Cairns. Many of the girls on both teams having played with each other on high school or club teams, Cairns said, which adds to the emotion of the games.
“BYU is a rivalry game for us,” Cairns said. “The games the last couple years have gone down to the wire, obviously not to our favor.”
Could this be the golden year the Aggies win?
Record-wise, regionally-ranked BYU (6-5-0) looks very similar to USU (5-6-1). Both teams have played difficult nonconference schedules and both squads were soundly defeated 3-0 by Long Beach State.
With returning veteran players on both sides of the ball and tried and tested early schedules, this season’s rivalry is shaping up to be a close contest.
“BYU, they’re probably playing the most challenging schedule in recent years,” Cairns said. “Now they’re kind of challenging themselves as road warriors.”
The Cougars are led in scoring by Katie Larkin, who has four goals and one assist on the season. The last time the Aggies faced BYU, it was Larkin who scored the game-winning goal and fed the assist for the Cougars’ first goal. Shutting down Larkin will be key for the Aggies.
But Larkin is not BYU’s only threat. Three other Cougars have scored more than one goal this season and Lauren Anderson has five assists on the year.
Defensively, BYU is just as strong. The Cougars play two goalkeepers – McKinzie Olsen and Aleena Shelton – who have fairly evenly split the time in the net. Olsen has a .800 save percentage, has three shutouts and 20 saves on the season. Shelton posts a lower save percentage at .550 and has yet to claim a win this season.
Cairns said while she knows BYU will be a challenge, she feels the tough non-conference schedule has prepared her team well. In addition, Cairns said home-field advantage and coming off a big 2-1 win over Wyoming, another Mountain West Conference team, will give the Aggies some confidence in taking on the Cougars.
“Certainly a win gives you confidence, and gives the team confidence in what we’re doing,” Cairns said. “They’re really starting to see things click.”
Offensively, the Aggies are starting to mesh, with four players having scored at least two goals and eight players claiming assists. Sophomore forward Lauren Hansen leads the team in scoring with four goals, and junior forward Erin Salmon is close behind with three goals.
Senior netminder Ali Griffin has seen plenty of action this season, making 42 saves, posting a .764 save percentage and earning three shutouts.
More than anything, Cairns said she feels like her team is starting to play well together and to really prepare for Western Athletic Conference play, which begins following the BYU game.
-seth.h@aggiemail.usu.edu