Soccer ties BSU, beats Idaho to stay unbeaten in WAC
Utah State moved into sole possession of first place in the Western Athletic Conference after two games this weekend, improving to a 4-0-1 conference mark with a 2-0 win over Idaho on Sunday.
USU’s successful weekend began on Friday, when the Aggies tied Boise State 0-0.
Against Boise, Utah State had several opportunities to put the game away but was unable to. With just 30 seconds remaining, Kendra Pemberton swung a corner kick into the box, where Bronco goalkeeper Liz Ruiz miraculously withstood a barrage of three-yard shots from the USU attack.
“We had our chances to finish,” said USU head coach Heather Cairns. “We weren’t as clinical or hungry in the box.”
Utah State’s defense played valiantly in the match, with Aggie centerback Katie Crosland and the rest of the defense holding Boise State to 12 shots, and just two shots on goal. Goalkeeper Molli Merrill had two saves to keep the Broncos off of the scoreboard.
“We were all really solid on the back line,” Crosland said.
While the tie wasn’t the win the Aggies were expecting, Cairns and her team came out strong during Sunday’s action against Idaho. Junior forward Shantel Flanary led the way for USU on offense – scoring both Aggie goals – while junior goalkeeper Molli Merrill recorded her seventh shutout of the year. It was USU’s eighth shutout of the season, a mark just two shy of the program’s single season record of 10 shutouts, set in 2003.
The first half of the match came to a close with neither team gaining the upper hand. According to Cairns, USU’s stout defensive play didn’t go unnoticed by the offense, which felt like it was only a matter of time until they broke through the drought.
“We knew that we were going to have to do a couple things with this game, including limit their potent attack,” Cairns said. “At half time we told our team that we felt like it was coming. We felt that we created enough possession in the attacking third that the goal was going to come, we had to just stay with it.”
Flanary found the net in the 50th minute to give USU a 1-0 lead, and connected again in the 78th minute for her eighth goal of the year. The performance was the perfect cap to the weekend for the Utah state junior, especially after the team failed to score Friday.
“It was nice to bounce back after the tie against Boise State, where we though that we were unlucky not finishing anything. It is nice to come out and win today,” Flanary said.
With the win, USU improves to 8-5-4 on the year, and continues to be among the hottest teams in the West, having won five of their last six matches and tying Boise State in the other.
The Aggies will travel to California for the next two conference matches, where they will face Fresno State on Friday before playing at San Jose State on Sunday, Oct. 24 at 2 p.m.
– tavin.stucki@aggiemail.usu.edu
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