Soccer wins a pair, downing Hawaii and San Jose State
The Utah State women’s soccer team came away with two big conference wins on Friday and Sunday at the Chuck and Gloria Bell Soccer Field, improving to 8-10-0 on the season and 4-2-0 in conference play.
The first win came against the University of Hawaii (10-4-2, 3-1-0), the Western Athletic Conference powerhouse who was previously undefeated in conference play. Although favored to win, the Rainbow Wahine had lost two straight previous games to the Aggies and were hoping to put that streak to an end.
Abby Hunt and the Aggies had other plans.
Hunt recorded two goals for Utah State, one of which was the game-winner coming late in the second half to keep USU undefeated in the series against Hawaii since the teams started playing in 2005.
The game was gridlocked early on as both defenses shined and both teams played aggressive soccer, exchanging shots periodically. But 12 minutes into the first half, that all changed.
Junior Candice Clark played a ball deep into Wahine territory but was taken down from behind inside the goalie box before she could get a shot off. A foul was called, setting up a penalty kick for Hunt.
“We had practiced PKs a lot this week,” Hunt said. “I put it more towards the middle than I usually do, but it worked.”
In the wake of Hunt’s goal, it didn’t take long for Clark to step into the spotlight again.
In the 39th minute, Clark made a dash on the ball near the Hawaii goalie box. UH’s goalkeeper Kori Lu did the same. The two met at the ball simultaneously, but the ball took an Aggie bounce behind Lu and nearby defenders. Clark rushed to the ball just before it rolled out of bounds and placed it perfectly into the corner of the unprotected net.
“I honestly didn’t think it was going to make it,” Clark said. “That ball must have had some wicked spin on it.”
Heading into halftime with a comfortable 2-0 lead, the Aggies (and the 300 or more fans watching them) felt good about their chances of pulling off an upset.
Too good.
Unfortunately for the Aggies, the Rainbow Wahine came out in the second half looking like an entirely different team. After only four minutes of play, sophomore Ambree Ako blew past Aggie defenders and notched Hawaii’s first goal in a face-off against junior goalkeeper Ali Griffin, who had shutout Hawaii’s offense in the first half with two saves. Eight minutes later, Tehane Higa put another one past Griffin after heading in a corner kick from teammate Koren Takeyama.
With the score tied and the momentum now obviously working against the Aggies, things were looking grim.
The Aggies caught a break late in the game, however, after shaking off the unpleasant first 15 minutes of the second half.
With both teams playing physically tough in an evenly matched half, knocking on each other’s door several times, a foul was called against the Rainbow Wahine to give the Aggies a free kick from near midfield. Sophomore Sydne Porter launched the ball high into Wahine territory near the goal. The long shot was met by a herd of jerseys, with necks and legs stretching for the loose ball.
But it was Hunt who was in the right place at the right time, knocking the ball past goalkeeper Nicole McClure and into the Wahine net to put the Aggies up 3-2 for good.
“It feels good to beat the No. 1 team,” Head Coach Heather Cairns said. “We had a challenge ahead of us, and the girls responded to that challenge.
“We’re a very flexible team,” she added. “That’s one of our strengths.”
That flexibility would soon be put to the test against a team that the Aggies had never beaten – until now.
Two days after their win, the Aggies hosted San Jose State, and for the first time in the short history of the teams playing, the Aggies came out on top, pounding the Spartans 4-0.
Unlike Friday’s game, where Hunt and Clark stole the show, Sunday’s game against San Jose had only one standout: the team.
Each of the four goals were recorded by different Aggies, while Griffin recorded her sixth shutout of the season. The Aggie defenders not only held the Spartans at bay but also recorded two of the four assists.
Freshman Lauren Hansen scored early to get the Aggies on the board when she rebounded and put the ball back into the net from a deflected shot by Hunt.
It wasn’t long afterward that freshman Heather Pond recorded the first goal of her collegiate career by knocking a shot past goalkeeper Nina Butera to put the Aggies up 2-0.
The Aggies continued to dominate into the second half. Clark scored her third goal of the season in the 84th minute of play on a breakaway from 15 yards out. One minute later, junior midfielder Lacey Christensen netted a goal of her own after the ball deflected across, setting up the Christensen shot from 16 yards out, driving the nail in the coffin of San Jose State.
“We’re so well-rounded,” Cairns said. “Everybody can contribute to the win, and that’s the hallmark of our team.”
The Aggies now head into their final week of the regular season with hopes of a high seed in the conference tournament, starting Nov. 8 in Boise. But Cairns is more concerned about winning this Saturday’s game against the winless, but physical, Bulldogs of Louisiana Tech.
“Records can be deceiving,” she said.
-jackson.olsen@aggiemail.usu.edu