Utah State soccer wins 2-nil over Nevada Wolfpack in Reno
The Utah State women’s soccer team toppled the University of Nevada, 2-0, Sunday. Junior defender Natalie Norris and sophomore midfielder Kendra Pemberton both tallied goals for the Aggies, while the Wolfpack was held scoreless on the day.
“(Norris) did fantastic,” said USU head coach Heather Cairns. “She was great. Anytime you earn a shutout it’s a credit to the back line.”
Nevada seemed to be on the verge of breaking through for the lead early in the second half, as the Wolfpack took four shots in a 10-minute span, putting pressure on the Utah State defense and senior goal keeper Molli Merrill.
Despite early chances for both teams, it wasn’t until the 79th minute when Norris was able to break the scoreless tie and put the Aggies in front. Norris took a corner kick from senior defender Summer Tillotson and headed the ball home past Nevada goalkeeper Dana Moreno. It was Norris’ third goal of the year and the breakthrough the Aggies were looking for.
“The second half we focused on maintaining our composure,” Cairns said. “We made a pact at halftime to finish the game and come away with the win, and we did that.”
Pemberton added her goal seven minutes later, as she fought through the Nevada defense after taking a centering pass from Tillotson, deflecting her shot off a defender and past the Nevada goalkeeper for her fifth goal of the year. The Aggies had nine shots on goal and the USU defense limited Nevada to only five shots total, three of them on goal.
Utah State created opportunities early from a Pemberton corner kick in the third minute and two minutes later tested Nevada goalkeeper Dana Moreno, with a shot from senior midfielder Chandra Salmon-Christensen.
The Aggies kept Moreno busy all afternoon, who finished with seven saves while giving up the two Aggie goals. Merrill was credited with the shutout for the Aggies — the seventh shutout on the season for Utah Sate.
“Kendra had a good game for us as well,” Cairns said. “She had a couple crosses that went through that we just couldn’t quite get to, and then she added that insurance goal.”
Pemberton finished with three shots on the day, playing a total of 78 minutes for USU.
Utah State held the Nevada offense in check most of the afternoon, not allowing any corner kicks and Nevada was caught offside on four occasions, in comparison to only once for the Aggies.
This was the third straight win for the Aggies, as they continue to build on their early season momentum, and Cairns said she is hopeful the team will carry it through the rest of the season.
“We have to keep pushing for qualifying for the conference tournament,” Cairns said. “We have to keep pushing to play good soccer and to really take it to teams and impose our style of play.”
Utah State improved to 11-4-1 on the season and moves to 3-1 in WAC play, while Nevada fell to 3-13 on the year and dropped to 1-3 in the WAC.
The Aggies conclude their two-game road trip at the University of Idaho Friday, Oct. 21 at 4 p.m. Utah State will then host the San Jose State Spartans and the Fresno State Bulldogs in a two-game home stand Oct. 28 and 30.
“We’ve got a lot of season left to achieve our goals. To play in the tournament is a dream for all of us,” Cairns said. “The most exciting part of the season is still ahead of us.”
– curtis.lundtrom@aggiemail.usu.edu