Men’s soccer undefeated after weekend
“After last year’s great season that we had, it put a big target on our backs,” said the Aggies new head coach Shawn Casey. “So, I was approaching this season knowing that we had a target on our back and everybody was going to be coming at us hardcore.”
The Utah State men’s soccer team held up to its new fame and started out the season undefeated.
On Friday night USU defeated Boise State 1-0 on the Legacy Fields in Logan. The next day brought similar results for the Aggies, they posted a 1-0 win over Weber State.
Friday night against Boise State, Utah State had possession for the majority of the game.
“We came out a little slow,” Casey said. “We dominated that game. We just couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net.”
Oscar Zammudio scored the only goal of the match late in the second half.
Weber State proved to be a more difficult match for the Aggies on Saturday.
“We know that Weber is a great team,” Casey said. “They are very, very good. We needed to come in with a game plan to be tenacious and disrupt them, and I think we executed it pretty well.”
The Aggies really put the pressure on Weber State. Utah State attacked the Weber defense and caused it to wear down in the second half.
Matt Cannon scored the deciding goal for the Aggies. He broke away from the defenders and gave himself a one-on-one opportunity against the goalie. Cannon chipped the ball over the goalie’s head for the game-winning goal.
In stoppage time, Weber had a last minute chance of scoring. The Wildcats had an open look on goal and took it but Utah State’s keeper Landon Howard made a diving save to keep the Aggies in the lead and secure the win.
“We have starting working pretty well together,” Casey said. “We still have some things we could work on, such as finishing but overall we have come together pretty well.”
The Aggies will next face Westminster on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. Coach Casey recognizes that the team must make a few changes to get the win next week.
“I need to get my subs to come and be able to keep the game at the same level that my starters are keeping it at,” Casey said. “They need to either come in and pick up the momentum but not go backwards. I think with the new team being formed, my starters are pretty strong but I have got to get my subs in the same mind-set and the same link with each other.”
— gardnerbrandon91@gmail.com
Twitter: @gardnerbrandon5