CEDAR CITY, Utah - The SUU soccer team (1-5-1) earned its first win of the season Saturday with a 3-2 win over in-state rival Dixie State (2-4-0).

“I'm really proud of the girls. Overall, it was one of our uglier soccer games won on the grit of a couple kids that scored some really nice goals. I'm happy we won, but there are other games in the past that we didn't win that I felt better about,” head coach Becky Hogan said after the win.

The first half of the match looked like it was going to end scoreless after 40 minutes of play went by without a goal from either team.

13 seconds into the 41st minute junior forward Ally Thimsen would score her second goal of the season when she shot a ball from the left side of the field into the right end of the goal to put the Thunderbirds up 1-0.

34 seconds later DSU would answer back when midfielder Megan Spencer would score her first goal of the season to tie the game up at 1-1. Neither team would be able to score again before the end of the first half.

The Trailblazers would score first in the second half when a header from forward Darian McCloy found its way past second half goalkeeper Kaitlyn Caldera in the 50th minute of the game.

Dixie would hold a 2-1 lead for about 20 minutes of play before sophomore midfielder Meghan DeHerrera tied the game with the first goal of her college career in the 76th minute.

“I knew we were down 2-1 and at that point in the game I had to get a shot on frame and thought I struck it pretty well. It's a good feeling and I know it's a good feeling for the team too,” DeHerrera said of her goal.

With under three minutes left in the game, senior forward Logan Harker would give SUU the lead, and ultimately the win, when she put her first goal of the season in the back of the net off a pass from Ally Thimsen.

After the game, Harker explained what the win means for the team as they head into conference play, “Now that we have been able to get that first win it gives us really good momentum going into conference. It gives us things to improve upon, but it also gives us positive motivation for the week.”

The Thunderbirds will be back in action next weekend as they open up conference play against Sacramento State on Friday September 23rd at 4 p.m.