Women’s soccer eliminated from the NCAA tournament in a nailbiter

The women’s soccer team’s season came to a heartbreaking end on Friday in a shootout loss to the Washington Huskies.

The loss occurred in the first round of the NCAA tournament in front of a sellout crowd at the Chuck & Gloria Bell Soccer Field. It was the first home match the Aggies have ever hosted in tournament play.

“We fell short…but really proud of the team’s performance and the season overall,” head coach Manny Martins said.

Coach Martins’ pride could stem from the fact that this past season was perhaps the most decorated in the women’s soccer program’s history.

The Aggies were ranked in the United Coaches Top 25 poll for a school-record eight weeks this season and were ranked as the seventh-best team in the country at one point. The team also broke school records in six statistical categories and had the third-best goal differential in the nation. 

Their .870 winning percentage (18-1-4 record) was the best in the NCAA coming into this match.

With all these accolades came great expectations, but unfortunately, the Aggies would come up short.

Early in the first half, Utah State seized control of the possession battle, pushing their attack and getting multiple shots on goal. 

But the Washington defense held firm, trapping the Aggies along the sidelines and containing cross attempts. Utah State attempted to turn defense into offense with some deep lob passes quickly, but these passes often either baited players offside or sailed out of play.

By halftime, neither team had scored, and both offenses were searching for answers. Going into the second half, the Aggies’ determination intensified, and their shots on goal quickly rose from two to eight.

“I thought we stepped it up in the second half,” Coach Martins said. “We really turned up the volume and skimmed the crossbar a couple times.”

A critical factor in Utah State’s near-misses on offense was the Huskies’ swarming defense and strong goalkeeping. Entering the match, Washington held a .884 save percentage, the second-highest in the nation, and their defenders cleared multiple balls that came within mere feet of crossing the goal line.

The score remained 0-0 at the end of regulation, and after two overtime periods with no breakthrough, the match had to be decided by penalty kicks.

The penalty shootout proved disastrous for the Aggies. Midfielder Rine Yohana missed Utah State’s first attempt with a shot off the crossbar, goalkeeper Cora Brendle guessed wrong on three consecutive Washington goals, and the final two Aggie players missed badly, sealing a 3-1 victory for the Huskies.

“Emotions are always high when there’s PK’s,” midfielder Summer Diamond said. “We have a lot of great leaders that are willing to step up and do it. It’s just unfortunate with some of the misses.”

Emotions ran high on the field when Utah State realized their magical run had ended. Coach Martins described the postgame huddle as a blend of sadness and gratitude, especially for the ten senior players whose college careers were over.

“I’m really, really grateful for them,” Coach Martins said. “Everything we’ve done to this point, literally, they have been the foundation. “I’m going to miss them, but I’m also excited for what the future holds.” 

Ten players will have graduated by next season, but 20 underclassmen on the roster could return to the team. Many of them, like Diamond, have already logged significant minutes at the highest level, ensuring the Aggies retain experience and confidence moving forward.

“It gives us a lot of excitement for these upcoming years,” Diamond said. 

“We’re losing the senior class and a lot of leadership roles, but I think each person will step up in the ways that they can. With the help of our coaching staff, I think we’ll be in a really good place.”

To add to the optimism, Utah State’s Athletics Department recently announced a contract extension to keep Coach Martins with the program through the 2027 season. 

Just hours before their match against Washington kicked off, the team announced the signing of eight recruits from the Class of 2024, all top players in their respective states.

Things are looking up for a Utah State program that is rapidly emerging as one of the top women’s soccer teams in the region.