Tough WAC competition continues for soccer
The USU women’s soccer schedule doesn’t get any easier as the team faces the defending WAC champion and the current WAC leader this weekend.
Returning home with a 1-0 WAC record after defeating Louisiana Tech, the Aggies will tackle the San Jose State Spartans Friday, Oct. 13 at 3 p.m. at the Chuck and Gloria Bell Soccer Field.
The Spartans are ranked first in the WAC after shutting out Boise State 3-0 and Idaho 1-0. With a 5-8-1 overall record, the Spartans had a rough stretch before the beginning of WAC season, losing four straight games to California teams. The 2-0 start in WAC play this season marks the best start for SJSU since they joined the WAC in 1996.
“They’re coming in with some confidence,” USU Head Coach Heather Cairns said of the Spartans. “Traditionally they’re a pretty technical team. I expect them to come in and compete really well.”
The Aggies lost 4-2 to the Spartans in 2005 at San Jose. They look to turn that around while playing at home.
“They beat us last year 4-2,” Cairns said. “We’re looking forward to being at home. Our field size is bigger than theirs and we like the fact that we have great fans. We hope those things will give us a bit of a start.”
The Spartans have plenty of options in the attack as they have four players who have scored at least three goals each this season. Scoring three of SJSU’s goals in the last two games, junior midfielder Nicole Irwin leads the Spartans with 10 points coming off four goals and two assists. She is tied for fifth in the WAC in goals and was named WAC Offensive Player of the Week after her play against the Broncos and Vandals.
She is aided in the attack by fellow midfielders Jessica Scott, Jennifer Guadagnolo and forward Nicole Martinez, who each have eight points off three goals and two assists. Add to this midfielder Cristin Murphy’s WAC-leading five assists, and the Spartans pose a dangerous offense.
“I think certainly you have to be aware and have to play good individually as well as a team defensively,” Cairns said about defending the Spartan attack. “They have some good kids that can put some shots on frame from 20 yards out.”
In the net for the Spartans, freshman Marissa Dayton ranks second in the WAC in saves per game with 5.33, and posts a .696 save percentage.
The Aggies will look to senior forward Charity Weston and freshman forward Erin Salmon to lead the attack. Both Weston and Salmon have three goals on the season. The forwards aren’t the only scoring units of the team, as the midfielders will substantially assist in setting up scoring drives, Cairns said.
“We’ve done a lot of finishing stuff,” Cairns said of her team’s preparation for the Spartans. “This time of year a lot of it is just keeping your edge.”
One of the greatest assets for the Aggies will be sophomore goalkeeper Ali Griffin, who is ranked second in the WAC for shutouts and saves. Griffin has 52 saves on the season and boasts a save percentage of .788. Having played every minute of the season, Griffin will look to keep the Spartans scoreless.
USU @ Hawaii
After the short home stint, the Aggies return to the road, or more accurately, the shores of Hawaii, to tangle with the defending WAC champions. The Rainbow Wahine dropped a close game to Boise State on Sunday 3-2 to make them 1-1 in WAC play this season and 7-6-2 overall.
Hawaii will prove no small challenge for the Aggies, who have to travel to Hawaii to play, where Hawaii enjoys a tremendous home field advantage, Cairns said.
“This week we talked about not overlooking San Jose State,” Cairns said. “We’ve got to treat the Hawaii trip like a business trip. We have to remain focused. Their environment is an exciting one to play [in] because they get a lot of fans. We just have to remain focused with what our goal is.”
The Rainbow Wahine are led by sophomore midfielder Taryn Fukuroku, who leads the WAC in goals with eight, and is tied for fifth in the league in assists with five. Combined, Fukuroku is first in the WAC in points with 21. She will be an element the Aggies will have to contain to prevent Hawaii from running up quick points.
Midfielder Kelli-Anne Change and forward Ambree Ako have 12 points each, which creates additional scoring threats for the Rainbow Wahine.
“Hawaii traditionally is a technical team,” Cairns said. “They like to dribble out to you. They keep the ball on the ground.”
About competing with Hawaii, Cairns said, “I think it’s going back to some basic things that we’ve been working on – scoring in the first half. I think that’s going to be a big determining factor, if we can score first.”
-sethhawkins@cc.usu.edu