Soccer faces tough PAC-10 competion
Coming off a two-win streak and breaking last season’s overtime losing curse, the soccer team looks to continue their success this weekend at the University of Utah Fall Classic.
The Aggies will face two Pac-10 teams, Arizona and Washington State, this weekend during the Classic held at the University of Utah. USU will play the Arizona Wildcats Friday at 5 p.m. and the Washington State Cougars Sunday at 11 a.m.
The USU soccer squad boasts 18 letterwinners, including six starters from last season. The team is led in scoring by senior forward Charity Weston and junior midfielder Dana Peart. Last season Weston and Peart scored slightly fewer than half the team’s goals and racked up a fourth of the assists. They’re joined by two other seniors and six other juniors. The experience of the team will be needed in taking on a ranked team.
“I have high expectations for all the kids,” Head Coach Heather Cairns said. “Charity and Dana have been successful the last couple games. Anybody who plays in the attack is expected to be dangerous. We’re going to need other people to step up like Sierra Smith and Abby Hunt.”
Arizona is ranked No. 17 in the NSCAA/Adidas Top 25 poll. Arizona boasts a strong team with 13 returning players from last year. Last season the Wildcats tied for fifth in the Pac-10 with a conference record of 4-4-1 and made their first appearance in the NCAA Sweet 16. They beat the University of Utah and Weber State, two local teams on USU’s schedule this year. The Wildcats were defeated in the tournament by Portland, who went on to win the national championship.
The Wildcats are led by sophomore forward Gianna DeSaverio, who is tied as the leading goal-scoring returner. She claimed three goals last season and one assist.
Arizona is a good team in one of the toughest soccer conferences in the country, Cairns said. But she said she’s not worried about playing them.
“Playing a ranked team isn’t a new thing to us,” Cairns said. “It’s kind of a new team on the schedule. For sure, we respect them. They’re solid all around. They play a good, thoughtful game of soccer. They have a bit of hardness to them. They’re going to play a classic game.”
Washington State tied for fifth in the WAC last year with Arizona but did not participate in the NCAA tournament. The Cougars are full of experience as they staff 14 letterwinners, including five starters from last season. The Cougars moved up to No. 13 this week in the Soccer Buzz Magazine West Regional Rankings.
“We’re going to have to be prepared to be flexible against Washington State,” Cairns said. “It’s a team that’s very new to us. We don’t know all their players like the back of our hand.”
The USU soccer squad heads into the tournament with a 2-0-0 record, placing them in third place currently in the WAC. The Aggies beat Weber State on Tuesday in a thrilling double -overtime match when Peart kicked the only goal of the game. The fan attendance at that game was 540, the highest number of soccer fans to attend a game since a 2001 game against the Utes.
“We’re learning to win, which is a good thing,” Cairns said. “But we definitely needed to sharpen some areas of our game.”
During Thursday’s practice, Cairns addressed issues of concern to prepare for the matches this weekend. She focused on using a tight, compact defense to prevent offensive penetrations and attacks by opponents. She also went over variations of how to be more predictable in the attack.
The Aggies should feature some new faces this weekend that have previously sat out because of injuries.
“We finally have everybody healthy,” Cairns said. “You’re going to see some new people in the lineup. I think our depth is going to be a key factor in us pulling off some wins.”
“We’re definitely on a high and proud of ourselves,” Cairns said. “It’s a good focus because although we’ve had the successes, I feel really good about our team’s mindset in what matters the most. It’s a period of growth for us. I feel really good that that’s where they know we’re at.”