FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. - Oct. 31 – Southern Utah's season and hopes for its first appearance at the Big Sky Tournament came to an end Friday night following a 1-0 loss at Northern Arizona. The Lumberjacks (8-6-3, 5-2-3 BSC) took the lead just before the break, and held off the Thunderbirds (7-7-3, 4-4-2 BSC) in the second half to come out on top.
“Several players left it all on the line tonight and I would have loved to see that kind of effort all year,” stated SUU head coach Becky Hogan. “What this says to me is that we need to find ways to create this urgency in every conference game because at the end of the day they are all this critical. We can't wait for a "win-and-in" situation to produce our best efforts.”
The lone goal of the night came in the 40th minute when NAU junior forward Demi Schmeider was able to fire a shot into the lower corner of the net to put the home team in front.
“The game winner again comes from a free kick and we have some serious evaluation to be done as a staff on how to improve in this area,” explained Hogan.
The Thunderbirds pressed in the second half but were unable to come up with an equalizer as the match concluded at 1-0. Southern Utah was held scoreless by a conference opponent for just the second time this season.
“The seniors are sent off with one of the best cumulative performances in SUU history and although an obviously less desirable result than a conference berth, it is something to be proud of,” commented Hogan. “With a core of young freshmen and sophomores leading the charge I know that the future is very, very bright for SUU soccer. We have received so many compliments along the way about how much our program has improved and I believe that this trajectory will continue for years to come.”
The Thunderbirds set new single-season team records with 29 goals, 26 assists and 84 points. SUU all matched the highest win total in program history with a total of seven victories.
Southern Utah finishes the year in the seventh spot among the Big Sky standings, just one point out of the tournament. The championship will be hosted by Montana next week with a field that also includes Portland State, Northern Arizona, Northern Colorado, Idaho State and Eastern Washington.
