Aggies clinch spot in tournament
Utah State women’s soccer played its final home game of the season Sunday against the University of Nevada at Chuck and Gloria Bell field. The Aggies improved to 10-6-2 for the season and a 6-3-1 conference record. Utah State University is currently tied for fourth in the Mountain West, and has clinched a spot in the conference tournament.
This was the last home game for seniors Taryn Rose, Lauren Roundy, Brooke Larsen-Leavitt, Lexie Morgan, Kylie Dibb and Ambryn McCallson.
The match was a must-win for the Aggies to secure a spot in tournament after a 1-0 loss to UNLV Friday.
The Aggies wasted no time in putting themselves on the board during the game. The first goal of the match came in the 12th minute when senior Lexie Morgan crossed a ball to the center where it was found by senior Lauren Roundy, who hit it high into the net for her second goal of the season.
Just over a minute later, Utah State struck again. Sophomore forward Jessica Brooksby dribbled the ball down the middle of the field, crossing it to the edge of the box were she found freshman Wesley Hamblin. Hamblin found a clear spot through the box and netted her second goal of the season.
The Aggies lead the Wolf Pack 2-0 at half time.
With the second half underway, the Aggies added a third goal in the 59th minute of the game. Brooksby continued her assist streak by completing a give-and-go with sophomore midfielder Katie Flynn who found the back of the net. It was Flynn’s second goal of the season.
Another goal opportunity was set up from sophomore defender Karlee Campbell who took full control of the ball in the back, finding Junior midfielder Maris Hamblin in the center of the field. A one-touch possession, Hamblin turned and found Senior midfielder Kylie Dibb who shot just outside the 18-yard box into the right upper 90 of the goal. Fittingly, this was Dibb’s second goal of the season.
Utah State ended senior night with a 4-0 win and a guaranteed tournament berth.
The Aggies out-shot Nevada 17-7 with nine shots on goal, while the Wolf Pack was stifled by the Aggie defense and had no shots on goal.
The foul count was nearly even with Nevada 10 fouls to USU’s 11. The Wolf Pack also had three yellow card cautions on their team.
Senior Lauren Roundy was pleased with the Aggies’ final home effort.
“It felt really good,” Roundy said. “I couldn’t ask for a better game to say farewell to my home field. Great game, it just felt good.”
Roundy added her excitement after her second goal of the year.
“My goal, I saw it bounce a little and I was almost as shocked as everyone else and it was probably the happiest face I’ve ever had,” Roundy said. “It felt so good and Lexie played me a perfect ball so it was worked up all the way from the defense and I was the last one to put it away.”
Morgan also showed enthusiasm with ending her senior season at home with a win.
“We really needed this win,” she said. “After Friday’s loss we were a little disappointed with how we played, so it was important for us to come out and get this win. We qualified for the conference tournament with this win which was big. That’s always the first step so that was huge. To score four goals, we had two seniors score on senior day so it was a great day.”
Morgan added that playing in front of the home crowd made the win particularly touching.
“It was really special day,” she said. “A lot of us had all of our families and friends here, it was really emotional at first when we were doing all the senior stuff. It was important for us after all of that to get down to business and we did that well. Hopefully next week we can finish out the season strong and were looking forward to going to San Diego. I’m so happy and so sad that this is over but it has been an amazing experience and I have loved every second of it.”
USU head coach Heather Cairns was pleased with the game and the win for her seniors.
“This was a great way to bounce back from Friday,” Cairns said. “It was great to end on a high note and send the seniors out of their last home game with a win. We’re not done with them yet though, because this win got us into the conference tournament. We’re going to keep plugging away and extend the season as along as we can.”
Utah State women’s soccer will conclude their regular season as they travel to Boise, Idaho to play Boise State. The Aggies and the Broncos are scheduled to play at 3 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31.