Aggies seek fifth straight win over U.
Temperatures approached 90 degrees on the Chuck and Gloria Bell soccer field, Tuesday. Despite the heat waves rolling off the grass, the Utah State soccer team held their most difficult practice of the week.
As the practice came to an end, the girls lined up on the endline without any complaints. After each sprint they pushed harder. After each whistle, Head Coach Heather Cairns said, loudly, “This is for Utah.”
The undefeated Aggies will play in front of a home crowd Friday afternoon when in-state rivals, the University of Utah, travel to Logan. The USU players agreed, they couldn’t be more excited to face the Utes on the Aggies home pitch.
“I’m so excited. This is our year to beat them,” Aggie forward Kendra Pemberton said.
If recent history repeats itself, Pemberton may be right. The Aggies are only 2-10 against Utah all time but have split wins the past two years. Last year the meeting between the two ended with a 2-1 Utah victory.
Last season’s match up found the Aggies playing catch-up after a first half largely controlled by the Utes. Utah struck first on their home pitch in the 45th minute. Utah State didn’t give up easily though. They tied the game with a goal off the foot of Aggie all-time goal leader, Lauren Hanson.
The game winning goal came in the 78th minute when U. striker Morgan Skeen scored her first goal of the season. Skeen deflected the ball off of an Aggie player and into the net for the game winning score.
The 2010 game was a heartbreaking loss for the Aggies, but this year the women have shaken it off and are feeling much more optimistic about the match up at home.
“We’re excited to have them on our home field, and have our home crowd behind us,” Cairns said.
Players like striker Shantel Flanary have grown up playing youth soccer in Utah. There are only three Aggies on the roster who didn’t attend high school in Utah.
“I love it,” Cairns said. “It’s an in-state rivalry. Our kids have grown up playing with their kids. It’s a great rivalry.”
Utah is currently looking for it’s first win of the season. The Utes are 0-2-1 in 2011, drawing with Cal State Fullerton and losing to BYU and Nevada.
The U. is battling both injuries and suspensions to many starters. With their depleted depth, the Utes are looking for younger players to step up. In the University of Utah’s loss to the University of Nevada, Aug. 28, all 10 of the starting field players were underclassmen, including five true freshmen.
The Utes return defender Lauren Dudley to the back line against the Aggies. The senior was suspended for receiving a pair of yellow cards in Utah’s 4-0 loss to a BYU team ranked 8th in the West region Aug. 23. Dudley will provide a threat to Flanary who has scored in all four of USU’s games this season.
In goal for the Aggies will be senior Molli Merrill. Merill has a .75 goals against average (GAA) and nine saves on the season.
Merrill’s biggest threat might have been Lauren Porter, but the senior center back is out with a knee injury suffered during the BYU game. Look for Jen Ericson who has taken a team-high 5 shots to step up in Porter’s absence.
Leading the defense for the Utes is senior goalkeeper Hannah Turpin. Turpin has a 2.00 GAA but has nine saves on the season.
The University of Utah has not scored a goal this season, but have hit the crossbar five times in their first three games.
Utah State looks to extend their winning streak to 5 games at the Chuck and Gloria Bell field at 4 p.m., Friday, Sept. 2.
— meredith.kinney@aggiemail.usu.edu