Aggies receive bye, will face Idaho in semi-final
The WAC women’s soccer tournament started Thursday, Nov. 4, and if the tournament goes anything like the regular season, there’s no telling who will come out on top.
The top four teams leading the league — USU, Fresno State, San Jose State and Hawaii — were separated by three total points — the equivalent of one game.
Those four teams, plus Idaho and New Mexico State, will clash for the right to go to the NCAA Tournament.
The University of Idaho Vandals and the San Jose State Spartans kicked the tournament off in the first of five total matches in the tournament, just two-and-a-half hours from San Jose.
When these teams met at the start of the regular season, San Jose walked away with a 2-1 victory at home. When the two teams met again Thursday, the Vandals exacted revenge.
The Spartans struck first in the 21st minute, when freshman midfielder Catherine Ruder took a cross from junior forward Kelsey Lord and found the back of the net against Vandal goalkeeper Meghan Maiwald.
Idaho answered 20 seconds later, when junior midfielder Amber Pimley put back a rebound on a shot by junior midfielder Megan Lopez. Pimely netted her second goal of the game in the 41st minute and earned her first career game-winning goal in Idaho’s first-ever conference tournament victory.
The Vandals move on to face Utah State on Friday with the victory.
The University of Hawaii Wahine faced the New Mexico State Aggies in the second match of the tournament and lost 2-1. The Aggies also triumphed over Hawaii 1-0 in the regular season match in Las Cruces, N.M., Oct. 28 to clinch the sixth seed, while Hawaii earned the third seed with a 4-2-1 record in conference play.
Thursday the Wahine took the lead in the 19th minute, when freshman midfielder Krystal Pascua hit a 25-yard strike off a pass from junior forward Skye Shimabukuro. Hawaii was unable to hold the lead, and Aggie freshman forward Jennae Cambra knotted the score at 1-1 in the 42nd minute.
The Aggies scored the go-ahead goal in the 63rd minute, after freshman midfielder Bree Luhrsen put the ball in the back of the net. A shot from junior forward Yolanda McMillion hit the post, and Luhrsen put the rebound in for her fourth goal of the season — the game winner.
Like Idaho, New Mexico State came away with its first-ever win in the WAC Tournament. Hawaii’s time in the WAC comes to an end as the Wahine will join the Big West in non-football sports next season.
The top-seeded USU Aggies face Idaho Friday at 1 p.m. USU was victorious over the Vandals 3-0 in the regular season, as sophomore midfielder Jennifer Flynn struck twice in under three minutes, followed by freshman Taryn Rose, who tallied the third goal.
USU is led by senior forward Shantel Flanary, who ranks second in the WAC in goals scored with nine goals this season. Utah State Goalkeeper Molli Merrill leads the WAC in goals against average this season and is ranked second overall in her career.
The 5-foot-9 Bountiful native is one shutout away from a school record and has not conceded a goal in more than 200 minutes — the last goal she gave up was against Hawaii on Sept 30.
Utah State led the WAC in points this season, with 44 total points, and also finished tied with Hawaii for No. 1 in total goals scored, with 14.
Fresno State University is hosting the tournament and also received a bye to take on New Mexico State in match four Friday at 3:30.
New Mexico State and Fresno battled to a 2-2 tie Oct. 23 in Fresno, Calif. Junior forward Callie Hancock leads the Aggies this season with 11 goals, including three game winners and three assists.
Fresno State outscored its opponents 32-22 during the regular season and racked up 103 corner kicks, compared to 53 for its opponents. Fresno head coach Brian Zwaschka holds a 2-1-1 record in the WAC tournament, and the Bulldogs have never missed a WAC tournament in 13 years as a member of the conference.
The winners of the USU vs. Idaho and NMSU vs. Fresno State matches will meet in the championship game Sunday at 2 p.m., to duke it out for the WAC title and a berth in the NCAA tournament later this season.
Prior to the start of the tournament, the All-WAC teams were announced at the annual end-of-season banquet. Utah State swept the four major awards and head coach Heather Cairns was presented with WAC Coach of the Year.
Flanary took home WAC Offensive Player of the Year, junior Natalie Norris won WAC Defensive Player of the Year, and freshman defender Taryn Rose was named Freshman of the Year.
USU had five first-team all-WAC members in Flanary, Norris, sophomore midfielder Kendra Pemberton, senior defender Summer Tillotson and goalkeeper Molli Merrill. Rose and senior midfielder Chandra-Salmon Christensen were second team all-WAC selections.
– curtis.lundstrom@aggiemail.usu.edu
(Not sure if we’re going to put this in or not, but I’m just storing it here for convenience…)
First Team all-WAC
Callie Hancock, F, Jr., Fresno State
Chelsea Small, F, Jr., Idaho
Shantel Flanary, F, Sr., Utah State
Molly Nizzoli, MF, Sr., Fresno State
Jill Flockhart, MF, Jr., Idaho
Kendra Pemberton, MF, So., Utah State
Lauren Lindstom, D, So., Fresno State
Kendall VanDine, D, Sr., Fresno State
Summer Tillotson, D, Sr., Utah State
Natalie Norris, D, So., Utah State
Molli Merrill, GK, Sr., Utah State
Second Team all-WAC
Skye Shimabukuro, F, Hawai’i
Yolanda McMillion, F, Jr., New Mexico State
Kelsey Lord, F, Jr., San Jose State
Vanessa Gonzalez, MF, Jr., Fresno State
Laura Dodd, MF, Sr., Fresno State
Lauren Sanchez, MF, Sr., San Jose State
Chandra Salmon-Christensen, D, Sr., Utah State
Brittani Lum, D, Sr., Hawai’i
Jessica Ingram, D, Sr., San Jose State
Taryn Rose, D, Fr., Utah State
Meghan Maiwald, GK, Sr., San Jose State
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Offensive Player of the Year: Shantel Flanary, F, Sr., Utah State
Defensive Player of the Year: Natalie Norris, D, Jr., Utah State
Freshman of the Year: Taryn Rose, D, Fr., Utah State
Coach of the Year: Heather Cairns, Utah State
SOPHOMORE MIDFIELDER JENNIFER FLYNN fights off a Fresno State tackler in the 0-0 draw Oct. 30. Flynn helped the Aggies to a 14-4-2 record and a WAC regular season championship. CURTIS RIPPLINGER photo