Soccer team goes 1-1 with Portland
By Kevin Nielsen
Senior Writer
The Utah State women’s soccer team fought through a physical match-up against Portland State to earn a 1-1 tie on Saturday afternoon.
The Aggies scored in the second minute off a cross from Sierra Smith to Dana Peart. Peart one-timed it into the corner of the net to put the Aggies up. The rest of the half, the Aggies had chances but couldn’t find the net again.
“We made a conscious effort to go long and it paid off,” Utah State Head Coach Heather Cairns said. “If we would have put the other first half chances away, it would have been an entirely different game.”
The Aggies outside midfielders played a solid game and are becoming a strength on the attack.
“We need to get our outside mids more involved,” Cairns said. “We have great players at outside-midfield position, we want to play through them. The lone goal was Sierra to Dana, outside mid to outside mid.”
The teams combined to have 18 fouls called against one another, including one yellow card on the Vikings. The physicality reached its climax in the second overtime when a Portland State player had to be taken off on a stretcher after lying motionless on the field while the ambulance arrived.
“They took it to us,” Kiersten Nilsson said. “We just got hit randomly.”
The physical nature of the contest wasn’t a surprise for Cairns, though.
“It was definitely a physical game,” she said. “It’s the mark of their conference.”
In the second, the Vikings took control of the game, taking 10 shots in the second half alone to go with seven corners to the Aggies’ two.
The game-tying goal came in the 68th minute off a corner kick when Jessica Shadle headed in service.
One problem Cairns said needs to be changed are the in-game adjustments. Between the second half and the two overtimes, the team adjusted well, but she said they should be able to do it during the game, not wait for a stop in play.
Things turned around in overtime as the Aggies managed to get eight shots off, but couldn’t capitalize on any of them since Charity Weston missed just left when she had the Viking goalie one on one.
Kiersten Nilsson, who got to start, hit the underside of the crossbar with minutes left in the second overtime period.
With Nilsson’s play, she may have won more playing time and perhaps a starting spot, Cairns said.
“Kiersten has earned [her playing time] the last couple games,” Cairns said. “She’s taken that opportunity and run with it.”
Jessie Malaska is another player who “seized her opportunity,” Cairns said.
In an effort to find winning combinations and see what people can give the team, Cairns said she has been rotating players in and out of lineups.
On Saturday, Abbey Hunt didn’t dress after she had played in nine previous games.
The Aggies will take on Weber State in Ogden next Saturday and will open the conference season at home in two weeks against Louisiana Tech on Oct. 9.
-krn@cc.usu.edu
USU´s Tiffany McQueen keeps the ball away from a Portland State player Saturday in Logan