Thunderbirds Drop 1-0 Contest to Eastern Washington

CEDAR CITY, Utah, 10/21/12 – Southern Utah fell by the final score of 1-0 for the second time this weekend as the Thunderbirds dropped their final Big Sky contest of the season to visiting Eastern Washington on Sunday. The Eagles were able to take the lead on a goal from junior midfielder Torri Stitzman 15 minutes into the match and then eventually hold on for the win.

“I felt like we were unlucky today. We outplayed the other team but made some costly mistakes,” explained SUU head coach Becky Hogan. “This result was disappointing but I'm still full of optimism about this program.”

Southern Utah looked to establish itself as the aggressor from the get go as the Thunderbirds put their first shot on goal less than a minute into the match and went on to outshoot the Eagles by a 8-4 margin in the opening period.

It was Eastern Washington who was able to convert one of those shots into a score however as they broke through for a goal in the fifteenth minute of play. The Eagles used a corner kick to get the ball into the box Southern Utah was unable to get it cleared before Stitzman blasted a shot from just inside the 18-yard line. The ball carried over the SUU goalkeeper to give EWU what would prove to be the game-winning goal.

“Clearance on corner kicks is something that we work on,” stated Hogan. “Play can be physical in those situations but you have to be willing to sacrifice to make an impact. That is why we don't score goals sometimes and give up goals on others.”

The Thunderbirds made the most of the remaining 75 minutes as they went on to outshoot their opponents by a final tally of 12-6 in the match, but were unable to come up with a goal for the eighth time this season and eventually fell by a final score of 1-0.

Senior midfielder Missy Lazcano led Southern Utah with four shots on the day while Stacey Brinkman chipped in three more for the T-Birds. Eastern Washington goalkeeper Jamie Walker recorded six saves in the match and Charly Booth made four stops for SUU. Both teams attempted four corner kicks in the contest.

“I believe this team is very close to becoming a force in the Big Sky,” commented Hogan. “There are just a few things missing that we will work on and I expect us to contend for a conference championship next season.”

Southern Utah ends its first season in the Big Sky with a conference mark of 1-7-1 and is currently 2-11-2 overall. Eastern Washington improves to 3-3-3 in league play and 6-7-4 on the year. The Thunderbirds will close out the season this week as they prepare to host Cal State Bakersfield next Sunday at 12 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

#1 Charly Booth: GK; 5' 8"; Senior

#7 Stacey Brinkman: F; 5' 8"; Senior

#6 Missy Lazcano: F/MF; 5' 6"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#1 Charly Booth
: 5' 8"; Senior
: GK

#7 Stacey Brinkman
: 5' 8"; Senior
: F

#6 Missy Lazcano
: 5' 6"; Senior
: F/MF

Players Mentioned

#1 Charly Booth

#7 Stacey Brinkman

#6 Missy Lazcano

Players Mentioned

#1 Charly Booth

#7 Stacey Brinkman

#6 Missy Lazcano