POCATELLO, Idaho, 9/28/12 – After falling behind early at Idaho State on Friday, Southern Utah used a late score from freshman Sydney Cook goal to pull the game even at a goal apiece. It appeared that the two teams were headed to overtime until Bengal forward Rachel Strawn recorded her second goal of the day in the match's final seconds to lift her team to a 2-1 victory.
The Bengals got on the board early as Strawn took a pass from teammate Lauren Bermudez and bent the ball into the net for her Big Sky Conference leading ninth goal of the season. The score by the senior forward put her team out in front 1-0 in just the twelfth minute.
Idaho State kept the pressure on SUU throughout the half and held a 10-4 advantage in shots at the break. Senior goalkeeper Charly Booth recorded six saves in the period to keep the Thunderbirds within striking distance.
Booth was outstanding early on, first leaping to make a stop on a shot by Lia Margolis in the thirty-second minute and later using a sliding takeaway to spoil a one-on-one opportunity for the Bengals' Ka'imi Morreira. She was back at it the second half stopping another shot with a diving save less than two minutes into the period. Booth went on to finish the game with six saves.
"Charlie was again exceptional in goal today. Several of the saves she made were highlight reel quality. I couldn't be prouder of the leadership she displays and how hard she works to keep us in games," commented SUU head coach Becky Hogan. "Our entire backline today was outstanding. The are often the unsung heroes of the match"
The Thunderbirds continued to trail ISU until late in the second half. Then with less than eleven minutes left on the clock Cook flew into the box to take the ball from a Bengal defender and snuck the ball into the bottom left corner of the net. Cook's first goal as a Thunderbird would level the contest at 1-1.
An Idaho State penalty in the closing minutes gave Southern Utah a free kick in front of the box, and one more shot at a goal. SUU sent a pass into the box but Bengal goalkeeper Sheridan Hapsic jumped on the loose ball to keep the score tied.
It appeared that the game was headed into overtime as the clock wound down in regulation, but with just two seconds remaining Strawn sent a shot from the right side across the goal and into the net for her second score of the day. The goal upped Strawn's season mark to 10 and gave Idaho State a 2-1 win.
The Thunderbird offense took seven shots in the game. Strawn had five shots for ISU who finished with 17 tries as a team. The Bengals also held a 4-0 advantage on corner kicks.
"This game again illustrates how close the competition is in our conference, and I don't think anybody is counting us out," stated Hogan. "We still have a long ways to go and our team is going to continue to march down the path towards being the best team possible. I have the upmost confidence in our players, our staff, and the auxiliary personnel who assist us."
The loss drops SUU to 1-6-1 on the year as well as 0-2 in the Big Sky. Idaho State improves to 1-1-1 in conference play and 6-4-1 overall. Up next for Southern Utah is its first inter-conference meeting with rival Weber State. The T-Birds and Wildcats will square off in Ogden this Sunday at 12 p.m.
