Soccer looks to take it all
After finishing the conference season undefeated, the Aggie soccer squad enters the WAC Soccer Tournament as the No. 2 seed in Reno, Nevada, Nov. 2-5.
This marks the second year in a row the Aggies have made it to postseason play. Last season USU fell in the first round to Fresno State who went on to the NCAA tournament. This year the Aggies enter the tournament with their best-ever conference record and look to claim their first conference title. What makes this accomplishment even sweeter is how the Aggies exceeded preseason expectations as they were ranked fifth.
Commenting on what her team needs to do to compete in the tournament, Head Coach Heather Cairns said, “We have to make sure each of us have appropriate individual goals that help us as a team. It’s just continuing to build upon the foundation that we built.”
Since the Aggies are the No. 2 seed, they receive a first-round-bye and automatically advance to the conference semifinals on Friday, Nov. 3 at 6:30 p.m. The winner of the third-seed Nevada and sixth-seed Hawaii match on Thursday, Nov. 2 will play the Aggies on Friday.
Meanwhile, No. 4 seed San Jose State will take on fifth-seeded Boise State on Thursday. The winner of this match plays the regular-season champion, Fresno State on Friday. The winner of this match will play the winner of the USU match on Sunday, Nov. 5 at 2 p.m. in the championship match, the winner of which advances to the NCAA tournament.
The Aggies have the advantage of remaining unbeaten in conference play. The only two WAC teams the Aggies did not beat in the regular season were San Jose State and Fresno State, as these matches ended in a tie. Even though the Aggies may have tided each challenge in the regular season, everything is a fresh start in the tournament.
“The tournament is an entirely different ball game,” Cairns said. “If you win you keep playing, if you lose you go home.”
Whoever wins the Nevada/ Hawaii game will prove a challenge for the Aggies. Even though USU beat both teams this season, both teams have considerable talent. Hawaii was the WAC champion last year and has the capability of taking it again. Their top scorers are quick and effective. Nevada boasts a fast squad with a strong offensive attack. However, the Aggies handled both teams, including delivering a 2-0 blow to the Wolf Pack and beating Hawaii on the road.
The two biggest challenges for the Aggies will likely by San Jose State and Fresno State – the two teams USU tied in regular season play. Both teams the Aggies have the potential to beat though. In the overtime minutes of both matches, the opposing teams looked to concentrate more on outlasting the Aggies than beating them. They will not have that luxury in tournament play.
The Aggies have a good shot at winning the tournament but it will take a full-team effort and concentration, Cairns said.
“We cannot win a WAC Tournament championship playing only 11 players. We need the players that come off the bench for us to be productive, to add a spark and really help lift our play. That has been happening the last few matches, and I have been very pleased with that. Lacey Christenson worked her way into the starting lineup, and Erin Salmon, Charlsie Harris, Candice Clark, Andra Hansen, Ashley Shurtleff, those five in particular, have really made a big impact coming off the bench for us and have immensely contributed to our success.”
Defensively the Aggies will be protected by sophomore goalkeeper Ali Griffin, who is one of the top goalkeepers in the conference. Ranked third in the WAC in saves and save percentage (.838), Griffin will be an obstacle for other teams. She also boasts 0.80 goals against average.
Offensively the Aggies are led by senior forward Charity Weston and freshman forward Erin Salmon. Neither player has scored a goal recently but both have the capability to change the pace of the game and score on quick opportunities.
Weston and Salmon are joined by junior Dana Peart, who scored consecutive game-winning goals against Nevada and Hawaii earlier this season. But the greatest advantage for the Aggies is the scoring depth in the team, as multiple bench players have contributed to scoring.
“Knowing that we have had success against all of our possible opponents gives us some confidence,” Cairns said, “but at the same time we cannot be satisfied with just our regular-season results. We want to push it. We want to be one of the 64 teams still training on Monday.”
-sethhawkins@cc.usu.edu