Looking for redemption
A challenging nonconference schedule may be over for the USU women’s soccer team, but the hard work is just beginning.
The Aggies open Western Athletic Conference play Friday at 4 p.m. with a road trip to University of Idaho, a new beginning Head Coach Heather Cairns said she is looking forward to.
“The nice thing about starting conference is it’s a fresh start. We’re 0-0,” Cairns said.
A fresh start couldn’t come at a better time for the Aggies as they have lost four of their last five games, dropping to 4-8-0 on the season. The conference season marks a departure from the road-heavy nonconference schedule where USU played eight away games and only four at home, though the record does not correlate to the home-away ratio. Including Friday’s match against Idaho, USU only has three more road games. The last three matches of the season for the Aggies are at home, providing an appreciated home-field advantage.
“Being on the road, it’s tough and you’ve got to win on the road when it gets to conference time,” Cairns said. “Just being able to play in front of friends, family and great Aggie fans, it just gives you a lift. So just being home is great.”
But a home-field advantage and a fresh start won’t win USU any easy games. The WAC, traditionally a competitive and challenging conference, boasts teams comparable to the skilled teams the Ags have faced earlier in the season. Hawaii, the clear leader in the conference at 7-3-2, is deft at scoring and shooting. The Rainbow Wahine have fired off 194 shots this season, averaging 16.17 a game. Not only can Hawaii fire off a barrage of shots, those shots are accurate, as the Rainbow Wahine have scored 32 goals on the season and average 2.67 goals per game. The players aren’t selfish either, leading the WAC with 31 assists. But Hawaii’s success seems limited to being at home, where the team is 7-0-1, but on the road Hawaii is 0-3-1. Hawaii will play the Aggies on the road, Oct. 26.
Boise State and Nevada, last season’s conference champions, are also top contenders in the conference. Boise State (4-5-2) has 23 goals on the season while Nevada (4-5-1) has 18. Fresno State (5-5-0) is currently ranked second in the WAC.
Utah State and Idaho are in the mid-range in the conference in just about every area, leaving San Jose State (2-8-2) and Louisiana Tech (2-8-0) at the bottom of the conference.
Last season, the Aggies finished second in the regular season behind Fresno State. USU didn’t lose to a single WAC opponent but tied against San Jose State and Fresno State at home. After a successful conference season, the Aggies were knocked out of the semifinals of the conference tournament by Nevada, who went on to become the league champion.
This conference looks similar to last season in many regards, but with shakeups common throughout the season, the Aggies will have to stay focused and be more consistent than they were in the nonconference season to land a comfortable spot in the WAC tournament, Cairns said.
“Our goal is always to qualify for the conference tournament, then worry about getting a bye, then worry about winning,” she said. “But conference regular season, you build on that. It’s a fresh start and hopefully we’ll relish that fresh start and we’ll take some of these ups and downs from the season and be able to be more consistent. In order for us to finish well in conference, we’re going to have to be more consistent in play. That’s for sure.
“We switch gears when it hits WAC, and we’ve just got to hope that all these lumps that we’re taking are going to pay off and they’re going to learn from it. It’s been a little bit rocky. That’s the beauty of conference, it’s brand new.”
The first step in switching gears is against Idaho.
The Vandals have a mirror record to USU at 4-7-0, having played one less game than the Aggies. In fact, the Vandals look similar to the Aggies in other categories too. Both are low-scoring teams, with 12 goals on the season, and struggle to finish off shots. The Aggies have shot almost double what the Vandals have on the season, but the end result has been even for the teams. The key for the Aggies to beat Idaho and compete at a high level in conference play will be to be more consistent in finishing scoring opportunities, Cairns said. The Aggies will especially need to finish in scoring against Idaho’s Anna Sandman, who leads the WAC in save percentage at .800, in saves with 68 and shutouts at four. But USU can hold out hope that while Sandman posts a high save percentage, she is near the bottom of the WAC in goals allowed, letting 17 slip by.
USU’s goalkeeper Ali Griffin is no less of a threat in the net, tied for third in shutouts with three and posting a .754 save average.
Offensively, the match-up will be a battle between a veteran Aggie attack and the freshman-led Vandal forwards. Idaho is led in scoring by freshman forward Jennifer Hull, who has five goals and one assist and is tied with five WAC players, including USU’s Dana Peart, in goals on the season. She is joined in the attack by fellow freshman Anna Edmonds, who has four goals and one assist.
The Aggies have a talented freshman forward of their own in Lauren Hansen, who is tied for second in scoring on the team with Abby Hunt with two goals. Candice Clark, who has been a vital part of the Aggie offense since her return from an injury, will be another threat for the Aggies.
Defensively the Aggies are strengthened by Cairns’ back four: sophomores Lindsey Smart and Sydne Porter and juniors Alyssa Lowry and Jessie Malaska. Smart said she feels her team is ready to move on to conference play and move past the bumps of the nonconference season.
“When we played BYU, like we’re capable of, we should take that into conference and we need to step it up all together,” Smart said. “Conference is here and we need to show them what we can do.”
-seth.h@aggiemail.usu.edu