Women’s soccer earns three all-conference honors

Three players on the Utah State University women’s soccer team were named to the 2019 Mountain West All-Conference teams on Monday.

Freshman goalkeeper Diera Walton was named to the 2019 Mountain West Women’s Soccer All-Newcomer team. Junior midfielders Ashley Cardozo and Amber Marshall were named to the 2019 Mountain West women’s soccer All-Conference second team.

As a freshman, Walton recorded 88 total saves and six clean sheets. She had the third-most shutouts of any goalie in the Mountain West this season. In the 18 games she played, Walton only allowed 17 goals.

At the beginning of the season, Walton had no idea she would get so much playing time. The freshman said she had only hoped to start “a few times.” She started in all but one of Utah State’s matches.

“As the season went on I was like ‘okay this is my spot’ like I’m going to start every game,” Walton said.

Photo by Iain Laurence

Marshall started each of the Aggies 19 matches this season. She finished the season with three points, including one goal against Illinois State and one assist against Colorado College. The junior recorded a total of 14 shots with 7 on goal. However, her biggest impact came in possession and buildup play from her holding midfielder role. This is Marshall’s first time being named to an all-conference team.

Cardozo finished the season with 9 points, coming from her goal against Marquette and the seven assists she recorded this season. She is tied for third-most assists in school history. Cardozo also lead the team in total shots, recording 47 with 25 of those on goal. After her freshman season in 2017, Cardozo was named to the First-Team All-Mountain West and Mountain West All-Newcomer teams.

The Aggies finished the 2019 season last Friday with a win against Boise State and with a record of 8-10-1, scoring a total of 21 goals and having won more than twice the amount of matches it did last season.

Photo by Iain Laurence