Box Score Cedar City, Utah - The Thunderbird soccer team picked up their Big Sky Conference victory of the season Sunday afternoon, defeating the University of Northern Colorado Bears 1–0.
The match was a physical one, with the two teams combining for 29 fouls and five cards. SUU's Haley Adams was given two yellow cards, getting her second with roughly 20 minutes to play, forcing the Thunderbirds to play down a player for the remainder of the match.
Neither team had scored when SUU lined up for a free kick in the 86th minute, when defender Jessica French played a ball into the box which forward Ally Thimsen was able to knock into the back of the net to score for the Thunderbirds.
“I just knew I had to get my head on it,” Thimsen said about her fifth goal of the season. “I knew in that moment that was the most important thing and I had to be tough and had to beat my opponent and get something on that because we had to win this game.”
With just five minutes left the Bears couldn't respond, resulting in a victory for SUU.
With the win, SUU moves to 6–6–1 on the season, with a 1–3–1 mark in the Big Sky. Northern Colorado came into the match with one of the best records in the Big Sky, and will leave Cedar City with a 4–2 conference record.
SUU head coach Becky Hogan said she was impressed with how the team handled the match from a mental perspective.
“I think it shows really nice mental resolve,” she said. “Because when the game feels like it's against you for various reasons, it's easy to get locked up into that, but we just persevered and focused on our stuff and kept plugging away and just like the game on Friday we get a goal out of it.”
French said the win will do more for the team's confidence than anyone could really understand.
“With the losses we've been having it's so great to win and I think that just boosts a lot of confidence for everyone,” she said.
Hogan said French has been huge for the defense since she has come back from injury.
UNC outshot SUU 10–6 in the first half, but the Thunderbirds did the same to the Bears in the second outshooting them 10–6.
SUU goalkeeper Taylor Bolding had five saves for the Thunderbirds, and Kaitlin Ruff had four for UNC and one goal allowed.
Next up for the Thunderbirds will be their last road trip of the regular season, as they will travel to Idaho and Eastern Washington to continue the Big Sky slate.
