Women’s soccer continues homestand
Competing against teams the Utah State University women’s soccer team members don’t know much about is just how they like it. Just ask Aggie forward Brigid Turner.
“This team is very easily taken out of our mental game,” Turner said. “If we have preconceptions of the style of play the other team has, it will hurt the way we come out and perform.”
The Aggies (1-1) will face two teams at home this weekend who they have faced only one other time in the program’s history.
First up for Utah State are the Sacramento State Hornets (0-2) Friday at 3 p.m. on Bell Field.
The Hornets have a fresh face at head coach. Karen Hanks was hired as Hornet head coach Aug. 9 because the women’s soccer head coaching position for SSU was one of a couple spots moved from part-time status to full-time this past year.
Hanks previously coached Cal State Dominguez Hills, turning them into one of the top Division II programs in the country.
The Hornets return forward Lisa Wrightsman, an all-Big Sky first-team selection during the past two seasons, and is one of the conference’s top goal-scorers.
Utah State will play its second game Sunday at 2 p.m. against the Eastern Washington Eagles (0-2) – a team USU Head Coach Jen Kennedy Croft said has been struggling the past few years.
Eagle Head Coach George Hageage is 10-23-1 in two years at Eastern Washington.
“Even though they have been struggling, we never want to take a team for granted,” Croft said.
Aggie forward Michelle Eversman will be out at least two weeks because of a stress fracture in her right leg, leaving what Croft said will be a major hole in the Aggie lineup.
“Michelle being out is a huge loss for us,” Croft said.
As big of a loss as it is for the Aggies, Eversman said the Aggie coaches told her losing her this early in the season is much better than losing her during conference play. The Aggies don’t open up conference play until Oct. 4.
In the meantime, Eversman is hoping she will be back very soon.
“I hope I can come back right away and contribute,” she said.
-samhis@cc.usu.edu