USU Soccer draws with No. 25 BYU 1-1
LOGAN — Utah State Soccer equalized late to draw with No. 25 Brigham Young 1-1 on Thursday night.
In the 83rd minute, defender and forward hybrid Kelsey Salvesen-Harmer smashed a cross into the box that met the head of midfielder Whitney Lopez to squeak past BYU goalkeeper Taygan Sill and tie the game at 1-1.
GOALLLLLLLLL!!!!@whitney_lopez80 with the equalizer! pic.twitter.com/d0r3jNMyA5
— USU Soccer (@USUsoccer) September 15, 2022
“(Salvesen-Harmer) has a strong leg, obviously, and I think I just timed it well,” Lopez said. “I normally don’t put goals in with my head, but I guess it’s my lucky day.”
For the Aggies, it was a satisfying finish against their rival.
“This match is different because, I mean, they hate us, but we beat them last year, so we knew they were coming for our throats,” Lopez said. “It was nice that we got what we deserved.”
For head coach Manny Martins, it was a good performance against the 2021 College Cup runners-up.
“We scheduled these games to give our team a little bit of an experience of what it’s like to play top-25 teams,” Martins said. “When we get to the NCAA Tournament at some point, these are the kind of games we got to be ready to play.”
But during the first half, it was all Cougars.
They doubled the Aggies’ shot total with 10, four of which were on target.
In the 19th minute, BYU forward Brecken Mozingo turned around and launched a shot across the box to the upper-left corner to give the Cougars the lead 1-0.
BYU had several other chances to score in the first half, but they couldn’t convert two shots that hit the post in the 32nd and 33rd minutes or a free kick that deflected off the wall and out of play just before halftime.
In the second half, the Aggies switched up their game plan and started seeing more success.
“As soon as we started putting pressure, we were winning the ball back, and it worked in our favor,” Lopez said.
Utah State was much more effective at pressuring the Cougars in the second half. It was a return to form for a USU team that is often characterized by intercepting passes and launching counter-attacks.
Martins said the game plan in the beginning was to try new things.
“We’re still a work in progress, as a team that’s layering things in. Being able to play a little direct and transition well is part of our identity,” Martins said. “We’re looking to add layers to it so we don’t become a one-trick pony.”
For the Aggies, the tie is another positive result against a tough team. In the two seasons that Martins has been head coach, USU is undefeated against BYU.
The competitiveness of the match adds to what Martins sees as an exciting matchup. The game drew over 1,500 fans to Chuck and Gloria Bell Field.
“I think this will be a game that, at least for the time being, is going to be an attractive game for fans, and I think it was a fun, entertaining game,” Martins said.
Utah State has one more non-conference game at Northern Colorado on Sunday before they head to Reno, Nevada on Thursday to open Mountain West play against the Wolf Pack.
“It’s a tough conference, and by no way, shape or form are we the favorites,” Martins said. “We’re going to have a lot of work to do to even earn the opportunity to be (in the NCAA Tournament).”