Comeback minded: USU stays undefeated at home
Utah State Soccer came back from a two-goal deficit to beat Idaho State 5-3 Sunday at Chuck & Gloria Bell Field.
Utah State junior midfielder Jayne Robison helped the Aggies score four unanswered goals, as she tied a Utah State single-game record with three assists.
“It was really important for us to get in our groove, and to stay with the style of soccer we like to play,” Robison said. “It was really important for people to step up and make individual performances and really go hard.”
Utah State sophomore midfielder Bailee Hammond started off the scoring for the Aggies, when she received a cross from Robison to make the score 2-1 in favor of the Bengals.
“It was definitely an exciting game with a lot of goals scored,” said USU head coach Heather Cairns. “We feel pretty good about being able to grind out the win. We’re definitely not pleased with the first half, but we stepped it up and had a better overall mentality in the second half.”
After another Idaho State goal, sophomore midfielder Wesely Hamblin received a pass from Robison and took the goalie one-on-one and put the ball away to set the score at 3-2.
“It’s not very often that you score that many goals coming from behind,” Cairns said. “It was a total shift in mentality, as we became a totally different team in the second half.”
Utah State junior forward Jessica Brooksby would then score three unanswered goals of her own to complete her first career hat trick, and clinch the 5-3 win over the Bengals.
“We had great individual efforts on the assists,” Brooksby said. “Wesley getting around the corner, Jayne with the through ball, and Katie and Mikayla combining to get the through ball. I was just lucky enough to get on the end of it.”
USU got off 19 shots, putting nine on goal. The Bengals had 24 shots in the game. USU goalkeeper, Jeanie Woller, made eight saves and helped the Aggies retain the lead to win the game.
With the win, Utah State improves to 4-3-1 on the year. USU is has an undefeated 4-0-0 record at home. Idaho State falls to 1-6-1 overall. The Bengals’ three goals are the first goals the Aggies have allowed in home matches this season.
Utah State will finish off their non-conference play, as they face in-state rival Utah in Salt Lake City on Friday.
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Twitter: @joefish_2