Women’s soccer earns split on WAC road trip

Almost a year later, the USU soccer team found itself face to face with Nevada, the Western Athletic Conference foe that knocked the Aggies out of the WAC Tournament, ending hopes for a successful postseason. Friday’s away game was more than a conference game, it was about respect and a chance to give a little bit of payback on their opponent’s home turf.

“It was a really emotional game,” Head Coach Heather Cairns said. “The team poured their heart and soul into that game. It was about respect.”

And respect is what the Aggies walked away from Nevada with, after blanking the Wolf Pack 2-0 to improve their conference record to 2-1 and 6-9-0 overall.

Just six minutes into the game, the Wolf Pack discovered their coveted home-field advantage would not be enough to pull them through the game as the Aggies took an early 1-0 lead, despite playing against winds up to 25 mph, Cairns said. The tag-team striking duo of forwards Candice Clark and Lauren Hansen caused the damage after Clark fed the ball through to Hansen who pounded the ball in for the score.

“(Hansen) and (Clark) have been really good in the forward positions,” Cairns said. “They feel comfortable playing with each other and can read what each other are doing. To have two strikers that are playing like that is great.”

Though a freshman and subject to the occasional rookie errors, USU forward Lauren Hansen is contributing to the Aggie soccer team in a big way, tying for first with senior forward Dana Peart in goals scored this season at five.

“Even though Lauren’s a freshman, regardless of her age, it’s great to have her,” Cairns said. “(Hansen) was just nice and composed and played the ball well and put it away for us. It was a big turning point in the game for us because it let us sit back and destroy their attack a little bit.”

Clark was no less impressive, getting her chance to score in the 85th minute of play. Sophomore forward Alysa Adams kicked the ball to Clark, who nailed the ball for the Aggies’ celebratory score. The goal marks Clark’s second of the season. Though injured for the first half of the season, Clark has been a crucial part of the Aggie offense, Cairns said.

The Wolf Pack didn’t just roll over, forcing the Aggies to play a physical game that removed sophomore defender Lindsey Smart, who received 10 stitches after a collision. Peart played minimal time due to a knee injury sustained against Boise State earlier this season.

“They came out and took it to us in the first 15, 20 minutes,” Cairns said of Nevada. “We held on and stayed organized and kept them off the board and gave us a chance to win. This time of year you have to keep your opponents off the board as long as possible.”

Keeping the opponent off the boards is something the Aggies almost managed to do in their second game of the weekend against Fresno State, Sunday in Fresno, Calif., but a call by a referee and a free kick later, it was the Bulldogs who tallied a point on the board and claimed the 1-0 victory.

“For it to be a free kick to decide (the game), it’s disappointing,” Cairns said. “It was really a back and forth game. In the run of play neither team had a lot of great chances. I think we did a solid job. It’s one of those where you play pretty well but you can’t quite get the win. We did a lot of good things but just didn’t get the win. You have some games like that.”

The first half showed a Bulldog team eager for an early goal, but USU goaltender Ali Griffin recorded five saves, eliminating any early scoring opportunities. The Aggies struggled in the first half to land shots on frame, but the second half was a different story, with the Bulldogs not landing a single shot on goal and USU putting three on frame.

“I think it was very back and forth,” Cairns said. “In the first half they were a little bit better and the second half we were a bit better.”

After playing such a tight game, Cairns said, “I think we would have a good shot at beating them in the WAC tournament.”

With the loss, the Ags fell to 2-2-0 in WAC play and 6-10-0 overall. Only three games remain in the regular season and all of them are at home.

“It’s nice to get the road games finished with,” Cairns said. “In the WAC, there are a lot of home-field advantages, so we’re looking forward to being at home. To be able to steal one from Reno on the road, we like that as well.”

-seth.h@aggiemail.usu.edu