Ags show offensive fire in victory
They may not have annihilated Weber State like they planned, but the USU women’s soccer team did pound in a 4-3 victory over the Wildcats, Wednesday in Ogden.
After losing two consecutive scoreless games, the Aggies unleashed their stockpile of goals on WSU and increased their record to 2-3 on the season, in what USU Head Coach Heather Cairns called a “big humdinger of a game.”
Statistically the Wildcats owned the game, firing off 21 shots, compared to USU’s 12, owning the corner kick game and only committing seven fouls in a rivalry match that traditionally lends itself to fouls. Add to this the seven saves by WSU goalkeeper Rebecca Ritchie, and the Wildcats had everything in their favor – except the winning shot.
Cairns said one of the biggest weaknesses her team has had in the first games of this season was executing the ball well enough to win the game. Against WSU, Cairns said she felt her team pulled the execution game together.
“I think our execution in the attack was much better,” Cairns said. “We’ve been creating a lot of chances and not capitalizing on those chances. Today we capitalized on them. That was the big difference.”
The game was tale of two halves. The first half was dominated by the Aggies as three of the four goals were scored and junior goalkeeper Ali Griffin snagged six saves, denying a single Wildcat score.
“I think we felt really strong and knew what we needed to do to win this game,” Cairns said. “The team turned this into playing an attacking game. We were very successful at executing, which helped. It was really just a defensive battle from there.”
Coming into the game as the only player on the USU squad to score a goal on the season, senior forward Dana Peart scored her third season goal in the 11th minute of play. Peart made a cross from the left and redirected off the right post after the ball bounced off a WSU defender.
The second goal was a combined effort as Peart and Lacey Christenson fed the ball forward to senior midfielder Abby Hunt, who drilled the ball in from the six yard box in the 19th minute.
Continuing the scoring trend, sophomore forward Alysa Adams showed persistence and focus as she scored with 11 seconds remaining in the half. The goal was her first career goal.
“We went into halftime with a 3-0 lead,” Cairns said. “The first half we played really solid and finished our chances and really just controlled the game. At halftime Weber made a bit of a push.”
Giving Griffin a break, fellow goalkeeper Lisa Willardson took over the net and tallied four saves but also let three slide by as WSU notched up the intensity in the second half to turn a potential landslide victory into a high-scoring close game.
“I think we lost our rhythm a little bit,” Cairns said of her team’s second-half performance. “I think we might have come out a little flat.”
Cairns said Weber’s successful second half was largely aided by WSU midfielder Kelsie Ehler, who could flip ball accurately into the box, placing the ball in perfect position for a Wildcat score. Combining this with an adjustment to playing long ball, Cairns said WSU’s stronger attack made it hard for her team to “settle down and play.”
In the 51st minute of play, WSU’s Whitney Smith one-touched the ball off a throw-in from Ehler for the first Wildcat score.
USU responded eight minutes later with a chip shot by freshman forward Lauren Hansen off an assist by junior forward Kiersten Nilsson, who was instrumental in setting up the first goal of the game for the Aggies. Hansen’s goal was her first career goal.
But the Aggies’ 4-1 lead was short-lived as WSU scored its second goal in the 75th minute. That goal was followed up by another Wildcat goal to the far post, off a free kick.
“We’re giving away too many goals but it’s not necessarily the goalkeeper’s fault,” Cairns said of WSU’s second-half comeback. “We have to get better at that.”
Despite letting Weber State back in the game, Cairns said she was pleased with her team’s performance.
“I’m really excited that so many people got on the board for us,” she said. “That was really important. It’s really important that our attack is diverse and that we have a lot of people stepping up and taking accountability for what happens in the attack. I was really thrilled with that.”
COMING UP
After a five-game road trip, the Aggies return home Friday to face the Oregon Ducks for the first time ever in the home opener at the Chuck and Gloria Bell Soccer Field, located north of Romney Stadium, next to the Stan Laub Center.
Last season the Ducks were nationally ranked and were one of the last teams left out of the NCAA tournament. This season, the Ducks were picked to finish fifth in the Pac-10. Oregon is 3-1-0, coming off a shutout loss to Montana, a Big Sky team USU will face later in the season.
The Ducks return a defensive squad that allowed only 17 goals last season. Offensively, Oregon is led by Danielle Sweeney, who has three goals and one assist on the season.
“This is probably the toughest team we face this year,” Cairns said. “They’re good all around. They can defend, they can attack. The Pac-10 is an extremely talented conference. They’re used to playing at a really high level. We’re going to have to be really disciplined.”
-seth.h@aggiemail.usu.edu