Women’s soccer BWC slump continues
Wheeeeew!
A long and relaxed sigh of relief was let out by the Utah State University women’s soccer team Sunday
afternoon after defeating Cal State Northridge 1-0 – USU’s first Big West Conference win this
season.
But it wasn’t anywhere near a perfect weekend for the team.
The Aggies (7-9-3, 1-6-1) were also in action Friday night, losing 4-0 at the University of Pacific.
USU 1, CSN 0
Aggie striker Chanel Blaquiere scored the game winner in the 84th minute off of what USU Head Coach Jen Kennedy Croft called a great Brigid Turner cross.
After last week’s matches in which USU failed to notch its first conference win, many Aggies said they had no doubts the first conference win would come, even with so little time remaining to get it.
But Croft had a different tone after Sunday’s win.
“I think the team felt it and I know I felt it,” she said. “To get a conference win is big for us. It’s exciting to get the monkey off our back with the win.”
USU goalkeeper Megan Mills earned her third shutout of the season with three saves. Northridge goalkeeper Mary Alessi guarded the net in the first half, recording four saves. The Matadors switched goalies in the second half as Jen Jasper allowed the USU goal and tallied five saves.
Turner’s assist was her second of the year and gives her 26 points this season, two shy of tying the school record for points in a year.
USU dominated Northridge (2-13-1, 1-5-1) in shots 20 to 10, as well as 10 to three on shots on goal.
“We had a much better second half,” Croft said. “We were more aggressive.”
UOP 4, USU 0
Playing under the bright night lights of Pacific, the Aggies lost “terribly” to the Tigers 4-0.
“We just didn’t have a very good game in general,” Croft said. “We didn’t come out to play [Friday]. I really don’t know why.”
At the half, Pacific (10-5-2, 2-3-2) held only a 1-0 lead, but the Aggies had a difficult time keeping tabs on the Tigers’ striker Regina McGee.
She put in the Tigers’ first goal in the 24th minute off a head pass from Maggie Barsotti.
McGee eluded the Aggie defense two more times in the second half to give her a hat trick.
“We weren’t marking her well,” Croft said. “We just let her go a lot.”
Other statistical categories were fairly even as both the Aggies and the Tigers put up 11 shots on goal as well as Pacific outshooting USU 20 to 16.
USU’s Amber Tracy had five of the Aggies’ 16 shots, four coming on goal. Aggie goalkeeper Megan Mills allowed all of Pacific’s goals and collected six saves.
Pacific goalkeeper Megan Pickering notched 11 saves, 10 of them coming in the second half.
Aggie defender Shaylee Hogge is probably out for the remainder of the season – one game – due to a possible broken ankle she suffered against the Tigers, Croft said.
-samhis@cc.usu.edu