Looking to uproot the spudsters
Traveling to Idaho to take on Boise State and the University of Idaho, the women’s soccer team looks to maintain their unbeaten conference record and claim the top spot in the WAC.
With a 3-0-2 record, the Aggies are off to the best conference start in the program’s history and have already clinched a WAC playoff berth. The team also looks to top last season’s four conference wins to establish a new record. To accomplish these goals, the soccer squad will have to down two teams on the road – one of which is only slightly behind the Aggies in the WAC rankings.
“I think we’re excited,” Head Coach Heather Cairns said. “It’s nice to have the weight of qualifying for the tournament off our shoulders. We have a great opportunity to prove ourselves and see how good we can be. We have to buckle down and put together a complete game to have a shot at winning everything.”
The outcome of the matches against Boise State and Idaho will largely determine which team claims the regular-season WAC champion title.
“The last matches of the season have a lot riding on them,” Cairns said. “In our case, it has the significance of being able to actually win a WAC regular season championship. If we take care of business, things might fall into place. We’ve got to take care of what we can take care of.”
The only WAC team Boise State has beaten this season is Hawaii. Although they claimed two ties against Louisiana Tech and Idaho, the Broncos dropped matches to Fresno State and Hawaii, the two top teams in the WAC.
The match between USU and Boise State on Friday, Oct. 27 is a must-win for both teams, Cairns said.
“Boise still has not qualified for the tournament,” Cairns said. “They have a lot riding on them. To control their own destiny they need to win.”
Leading the offensive attack for the Broncos is senior midfielder Brennan Lau, who has nine points off three goals and three assists. She is followed closely by senior forward Kristen Hall, who leads the team in scoring with four goals. Both players rank high in the WAC for scoring and should prove a formidable threat for the Aggie defense.
“I expect a lot like Fresno State’s team,” Cairns said about her expectations of Boise State. “They’re going to play a good style of soccer. I expect that they’ll take it to us and we’ll just have to turn it around and take it right back to them.”
Boise State’s veteran goalkeepers provide a strong defensive advantage for the team. Senior goalie Kim Parker boasts an .823 save percentage and has a 1.14 gaa. She is currently ranked fourth in the WAC for in save percentage. Also between the pipes is junior Michaela Morrison who has a .740 save percentage and has made 37 saves this season. Regardless of who mans the net, the Aggies will have a challenge pushing the ball through.
Sunday afternoon the Aggies will travel across Idaho to tangle with the University of Idaho Vandals. The Vandals broke free of the losing column as they tied Boise State 1-1 on Sunday, Oct. 29. Idaho is 0-4-1 in WAC play and 0-16-1 on the season. But despite spending time in the cellar of WAC’s soccer rankings, the Vandals are not a team to be underestimated, Cairns said.
“They’ve improved defensively throughout the year,” Cairns said of Idaho. “We’re going to have to find a way to break them down. It’s their senior day, so they’re going to be playing with some emotion and we have to match that. You can’t overlook Idaho.”
The Idaho offense is sparse but spread evenly among five players. With three points on a goal and an assist, senior forward Jenny Springer leads the team.
The Vandals have rotated the goalkeeper among three younger players, two of which are freshman. One of those freshman, Anna Sandman, made 48 saves in only eight matches and posts a .738 save percentage, making her the strongest goalkeeper for Idaho.
While Idaho is the underdog in the WAC, if they win their match against Louisiana Tech and USU, they can still claim a spot in the WAC tournament.
The Aggies will come into this weekend’s matches with plenty of momentum offensively and defensively. After struggling with a tough preseason schedule, the Aggies turned a losing record into a winning record and have progressed to be a major contender for the WAC title.
“Without a doubt our tough preseason helped us prepare for conference,” Cairns said. “The West is the toughest region to be a part of. Five of the seven teams we lost to are in the top 15 in the region. I think that experience is starting to pay off now.”
The Aggie defense will be one of the great strengths for USU this weekend. Sophomore goalkeeper Ali Griffin ranks second in the WAC for shutouts and saves and third in save percentage (.833). Griffin’s tough defense has earned her a WAC Defensive Player of the Week award. She was also named to Top Drawer Soccer’s National Team of the Week and to SoccerBuzz.com’s Elite Team of the Week.
Offensively, the Aggies are led by senior forward Charity Weston, who has 11 points on the season and is tied for 10 in the WAC with four goals. She is joined up top in the attack by freshman forward Erin Salmon who has three goals and one assist on the season.
After completion of the matches this weekend, the Aggies will participate in the WAC Tournament in Reno, Nev., Nov. 2-5.
-sethhawkins@cc.usu.edu