Ags look forward to three-game homestand
If Dorothy and Auntie Em were right, the Aggie soccer team has nothing to worry about going into its three-game homestand to wrap up the regular season.
But even if there really is “no place like home,” the Ags still have a tall order to face in Hawaii on Friday, San Jose State on Sunday and Louisiana Tech on Nov. 3. But perhaps home-field advantage does mean something.
Hawaii, which leads the Western Athletic Conference with a 3-0-0 conference record and 10-3-2 overall, is deadly on the islands, not losing any games on their home field. On the road, the Rainbow Wahine have struggled this season, with a 1-3-1 record.
USU Head Coach Heather Cairns said while she’s not sure the home-field advantage will play much of a factor in the performance of the other teams, she is grateful her team has a chance to recuperate from the road-weary season.
“I’m not sure what it’s going to do to our opponents, I’m just excited about what it’s going to do for our team,” Cairns said. “It’s been a hard week in school for the girls with midterms. Being in town and being able to devote a lot of time to that is great.”
Recuperation is also important with team captain and top scorer Dana Peart still battling to recover from a knee injury she sustained against Boise State on Oct. 14. Since sustaining the injury, she has played fewer minutes and hasn’t been able to be as dangerous as she was when she was healthy, Cairns said.
“Dana is day by day. She’s not 100 percent,” Cairns said. “Luckily we have good depth. We have some players who can step up and fill those roles. Adjusting without Dana means we need other people to step up.”
Cairns said tandem forwards Lauren Hansen and Candice Clark have filled that role and are playing well individually and as a duo. Hansen is tied for first on the team in scoring with Peart with five goals. Clark has two goals and two assists on the season.
USU will need power in the attack against Hawaii’s high-power, direct offense. The Rainbow Wahine are led by Taryn Fukuroku, who has eight goals and six assists on the season, tying her for second in the WAC in points at 22. Not too far behind her is another offensive threat in Ambree Ako, who boasts eight goals and four assists.
“Hawaii is a great test for us because they are leading the league right now,” Cairns said. “We’ve also played Boise and Fresno, who are tied for second. Hawaii is that other team that is above us in the rankings. It’ s going to be a good test to see how we shake out against the best in the league.”
San Jose State’s record is deceiving at 1-2-0 in the WAC and 3-11-1 overall, Cairns said. While the losing record may not show much of a challenge, the Spartans boast dangerous shooters, including Jessica Scott who leads San Jose State in scoring with five goals and leads the WAC in shots with 50.
“I think we’re going to have two tough games,” Cairns said. “San Jose is definitely going to be another tough game. They are another important team for us because they’re just underneath us in the rankings.”
-seth.h@aggiemail.usu.edu