Soccer off to best start ever
The USU women’s soccer team has gone undefeated through the first four games to start the 2011 season and make history with a program best 4-0 start. Checked off on the Aggies’ hit list are Weber State, Portland State, Colorado College and Northern Colorado.
Utah State 1, Weber State 0
The Aggie women’s soccer team opened their regular season on Friday, Aug. 19, with a 1-0 win over Weber State University at Rio Tinto Stadium in Salt Lake City. This is the third year the team has opened their season in the professional arena, each time against an in-state rival, and each time earning a win.
“I am really excited to come away with a win,” said USU head coach Heather Cairns.
In the 33rd minute, senior forward Shantel Flanary scored the sole goal of the match. Keeping with tradition, Flanary has scored all three times at Rio Tinto, twice with the game-winning goal.
“It feels unreal, I guess,” she said. “I don’t score the goals alone, my teammates obviously have to get assists from somewhere. It is always a team effort.”
Because it is so early in the season, Cairns said the team is still working to find their flow and rhythm in the game.
“The first couple of games it is really hard to get your attack clicking,” Cairns said. “I think you saw that neither team had great chances in front of the goal.”
After Flanary’s goal, Weber State pushed forward with a continued attack, but the Aggies held on for the win, 1-0.
Utah State 2, Portland State 1
Playing at home at Chuck and Gloria Bell Field for the first time this season, Utah State came from behind to beat Portland State 2-1 on Sunday, Aug. 21.
Portland State scored first in the 36th minute with a goal from sophomore Ariel Snyder. USU goalkeeper Molli Merrill deflected a save away from the net, but the 5-foot-5 forward out of Newberg, Oregon, headed the ball back in for the score to go up 1-0.
The Aggies struck back in the 53rd minute when sophomore forward Mari Miyashiro crossed a ball in from the left side which actually found the goal to tie the match at 1-1.
“Let’s just say I kicked it and it went into the net,” the 5-foot-1 Hawaii native said with a smile.
Flanary added another score just minutes later in the 56th. Defender Summer Tillotson sent a long ball in from the USU end of the pitch which bounced and found the 5-foot-3 forward to score the eventual game winner at 2-1.
“It was like a 50-50 ball,” Flanary said. “Me, the keeper and the other defender all just went up and somehow, I don’t know, I got above the two of them and just got a flick on it and luckily it went in.”
Utah State 2, Colorado College 1
The Utah State soccer team started off their two game road trip with a 2-1 win over the Colorado College Tigers Friday afternoon. The win marks the second time in the past three years the Aggies have started off the season with a 3-0-0 record.
USU held strong against a tough CC team throughout the entire 90 minutes, stopping 17 corner kicks and preventing 21 shots in the game.
“We beat a really good team,” Cairns said. “They are really impressive with their speed of play.”
Utah State came out of halftime with an offensive mindset, scoring twice in three minutes. The first Aggie goal came in the 59th minute when sophomore Jennifer Flynn put the ball past the CC keeper Hanna Berglund into the right side of the net.
Flynn’s goal was the first of her collegiate career and was sparked by an assist from Flanary. Her assist was the 12th of her career, putting her three away from the all-time record at Utah State.
Three minutes later in the 62nd, Flanary netted a goal to put the Aggies up 2-0. The goal gives her three on the season, one in each game.
The Tigers kept the pressure on in the second half, pushing into the final minutes when CC’s junior forward Brittney Lyman booted the ball past Merrill.
“They made us work,” Cairns said. “They made us work really, really hard.”
Utah State’s one goal lead prevailed as the time ran out, ending the game 2-1.
Utah State 2, Northern Colorado 1
Utah State won its fourth straight game over the Northern Colorado Bears, 2-1, on Sunday. The victory secures the best start ever for Utah State soccer, winning each of their first four matches.
Flanary came up big again for the Aggies by netting both Utah State goals and scoring in her fourth consecutive game.
The first goal came just four minutes into the match when Flanary booted a pass from Kendra Pemberton into the back of the net to go up 1-0.
The next scoring opportunity for USU came an hour later when Flanary scored from 17 yards out to give the Aggies a two-goal lead.
Despite promising chances in the second half, the Aggies were unable to capitalize. USU’s defense held off the Bears until the 80th minute when junior midfielder JJ Wykstra scored the only goal for UNC.
– meredith.kinney@aggiemail.usu.edu
Assistant news editor Megan Allen and sports editor Tavin Stucki contributed to this report.