Aggies triumph over Gonzaga and shut out Sam Houston State at home

The Utah State University women’s soccer team grabbed back-to-back victories over Gonzaga and Sam Houston State this weekend as part of a five-match homestand.

In the last ten seconds of the first half against Gonzaga on Friday, senior midfielder Jayne Robison-Merrill, with assistance from senior forward Jessica Brooksby, tied the game 1-1 to proceed into overtime.

Although no red or yellow cards were given, the two teams totaled 11 fouls combined before heading into overtime.

The Aggies then fought to triumph over Gonzaga 2-1 with the game-winning goal clutched from junior midfielder Wesley Hambin with assistance from Brooksby.

“We battled through and it was a total team win,” Hamblin said. “We’re just so excited to get this first win at home.”

Additionally, sophomore goalkeeper Grace McGuire met her career high of eight saves.

“We knew that going in, that they’d be really physical and play a lot of direct balls,” McGuire said.

Two days later, the Aggies shut out Sam Houston State 8-0 — the third most scored goals in a Utah State match in program history.

All of the Aggies’ eight goals were scored in the first half of the match.

“We threw down the gauntlet to see if we could become a first half team,” said head coach Heather Cairns. “We feel like our second halves have been better than our firsts.”

The star of the day, freshman forward Alecia Robinson, scored her first Aggie goal in the 37th minute and then proceeded to score two more times— becoming the latest freshman in USU history since 1999 to score a hat trick all in one half.

“I wanted a goal really badly and I’ve had some chances for a goal in previous games,” Robinson said. “But it happened today.”

“She has a really good soccer I.Q. — she thinks that game through really well and can solve problems,” Cairns said in response to Robison’s success.

The scoring stopped at 8-0 as the Aggies used the second half to practice on their possession in their offensive half — preparation for the match against Brigham Young University next Friday, according to Cairns.

The Aggies passed the .500 mark on the season and they are now 4-3-0. Conference play begins Sept. 23 when Utah State hosts Colorado State.