Departing seniors leave their mark on soccer records
It was sweet revenge for the USU women’s soccer team as they more than exceeded their preseason placement prediction, finishing second in the Western Athletic Conference regular season with an undefeated conference season.
In her fourth year as head coach of the USU soccer team, Heather Cairns led the Aggie soccer squad to a 10-8-2 season record and a 5-0-2 WAC record. The 10 wins tie for the most-ever wins in USU soccer history and the five conference wins set a new USU record for the most conference wins in a season.
The Aggies were placed fifth in the preseason rankings but with a strong season led by senior forward Charity Weston, the Aggies made a strong finish, just behind the Fresno State Bulldogs, the regular season champions.
Weston finished her career at USU as No. 3 on the Aggie career matches played list, as she started 64 of 72 matches. She finished the 2006 season with 11 points and was named to the first team All-WAC for the second straight year. Losing Weston will be a heavy loss to the team as she played a considerable amount of minutes and led the team in scoring.
Weston wasn’t the only standout for the year though. Sophomore goalkeeper Ali Griffin ranked 41st in the nation in save percentage, posting a .838 save percentage. She made 86 saves on the season, placing her in second place on the USU single-season saves list. She played every minute of the season in the goal, and at one point in the season had prevented the checkered ball from entering the net for 364 scoreless minutes.
Also on the defensive end, freshman defender Lindsey Smart was named WAC Freshman of the Year and was named to the second-team All-WAC, making her the first USU soccer player to receive a player of the year award. Smart had five points on the season off one goal and two assists and was tied for first on the team in assists. She was a key contributor to the Aggies’ eight shutouts this season.
Losing three key seniors in Weston, Charlsie Harris and Sierra Smith – a recipient of the Joe E. Whiteside Award – will be difficult for the team as the three formed much of the offensive attack of the team. But, freshman standout and high-scorer Erin Salmon will return along with junior midfielder Dana Peart, who provided three game-winning goals this season.
Overall, the Aggie soccer team played a quality season, preventing any conference losses and sustaining the majority of their losses to nationally ranked teams. The soccer team should be strong next year with many seasoned starters returning as well as four new recruits.
-sethhawkins@cc.usu.edu