COLUMN: Another soccer trophy
They have achieved a 13-4-2 record in this year’s regular season. Thirteen wins is a school record for wins in a regular season. Four losses is the fewest number of losses USU has had in seven seasons in the WAC. Two of those hose losses came to No. 2 Oklahoma State University and in-state rival Brigham Young University, No. 4 in the western region. The Aggies are No. 7 in the western region.
Utah State clinched its second-straight regular season WAC title this past weekend — its third in four years. That success is due in large part to the five seniors on the team.
To quote head coach Heather Cairns: “Molli Merrill. Holy Cow.”
Merrill is a senior from Bountiful, Utah, and has started at goalkeeper for the Aggies for the past three years. Merrill leads the WAC in multiple statistical categories, including goals against average and save percentage. Merrill is also in the top five in three different areas in Utah State history. She ranks fifth in career saves, second in minutes played and first in goals against percentage.
Goalkeepers get a fair amount of recognition in their sport, though outside the sport I believe they are greatly under-appreciated and lack respect.
Many people feel all they do is stand there for most of the game and have a relatively easy job.
Clearly the individuals who think this way have never seen Molli Merrill play.
Forward Shantel Flanary is a senior from Highland, Utah, and has started 75 matches in her four-year career. Flanary is on the threshold of multiple records, which she will break with her next assist or her next goal.
With 83 career points, Flanary needs just one point to tie Aggie great Lauren Hansen. Flanary is tied for most career assists and ranks third in career goals, with 34. She only trails Hansen by three goals, heading into the WAC Tournament.
Three other Aggies have set team records this season including senior midfielder Chandra Salmon-Christensen for career starts and games played; senior defender Summer Tillotson for games played and sophomore midfielder Kendra Pemberton for single-season assists.
The team tied the school record of eight straight wins to start the season and also had two streaks of five or more wins this season.
Cairns holds the best conference-winning percentage among active WAC coaches and is first in career wins at Utah State.
Having coached 8 of the 11 years the program has been around, Cairns led the Aggies to a school record 10 wins in her first season at the helm. The Aggies have reached the 10-win plateau in 6 of the 8 years Cairns has been coach and have suffered only one losing season, which was during Cairns’ second year.
Aggie women’s soccer is a force to be reckoned with and deserves more respect and attention than it’s getting. Congrats on being back-to-back WAC Champions and best of luck in the WAC tournament this weekend.
– Curtis is a junior majoring in physical education. His life goal is to bowl a perfect game and work as an NCAA basketball referee. Send any comments to curtis.lundstrom@aggiemail.usu.edu.