Women’s soccer falls to Utes on late goal
LOGAN- Utah State women’s soccer took their second loss of the season today in a heated home match against familiar opponent University of Utah.
On a clear, sunny day in Cache Valley with a large crowd on hand, the Aggies just couldn’t find the back of the net. They would eventually concede a fateful 79th-minute goal by Utah forward Taliana Kaufusi that would be the only goal for either team in the 1-0 loss.
The Utes, no strangers in Logan, are the most faced opponent in Utah State program history. They came into today’s match with a record of 1-0-1, having dispatched the College of Charleston 2-0 and tied a road bout with North Carolina State. Today’s win marked their seventh straight over the Aggies.
The Aggies had their fair share of chances, registering 9 shots. Similar to Sunday’s match, they came out of halftime with a burst of energy. They were able to possess the ball for longer periods and put together stronger attack sequences.
Arguably, their best chance came in the 53rd minute when a cross by midfielder Summer Diamond drew Utah goalkeeper Kasey Wardle. After being bounced around, the ensuing shot came at point-blank range but was blocked by the foot of a Utah defender.
Diamond, who was named the Mountain West freshman of the week, registered 2 shots and continued to be a catalyst for the Aggies despite her limited time on the pitch.
“Summer was fantastic, I wish she could have played more. She could only play a few minutes today, but she gave us everything,” head coach Manny Martins said.
Coach Martins expressed some frustration with the way the game was called at times but was pleased with his team’s effort.
“I’m really proud of the performance by our girls, they created some good chances,” he said. “Utah did a pretty good job of diffusing some of those chances, but our girls kept their heads up, they battled, and I couldn’t be more proud of their performance. Their performance deserved more than what we got today.”
In the 48th minute, graduate keeper Diera Walton recorded her 274th career save, passing Molli Merrill as Utah State’s all-time saves leader.
“Honestly I didn’t even know it happened, I was just playing my game,” Walton said postgame. “Credit to my coaches, they’re the ones that helped me build up to this moment” she added.
“Obviously it’s unfortunate,” Walton said of the conceded goal. “But the only thing we can control is just getting back in practice and just [continuing to] practice and practice, minimizing those mistakes and getting better.”
Today’s game marks the end of a three-game homestand to open the season for the Aggies. They will hit the road as they travel to Lubbock, Texas to face Texas Tech on Sunday. The Red Raiders (3-0-1) are yet another strong opponent that Coach Martins has lined up for his squad before the start of Mountain West Conference play. The next home game for the Aggies will be Friday, September 5th against South Dakota State.