CEDAR CITY, Utah - The 2017 season is officially underway for the Southern Utah University soccer team and the Thunderbirds will look to keep the season rolling this weekend as they take on two more Mountain West opponents on the road.
Previously on Thunderbird Soccer
Last weekend the Thunderbirds opened their 2017 season with matches against UC Riverside and Boise State. They were defeated in both matches but head coach Fred Thompson knows that his team will be able to make the adjustments they need to make.
"The thing about soccer is that there aren't any secrets in it. There are only so many things the other team can do and there are only so many things you can do," Thompson said. "It's all about going out there and getting those things done. The fixes we'll be looking to make are relatively easy and we just need to work on adjusting when things change."
Payton Wells was the leading scorer for the Thunderbirds in week one, scoring a quick goal in just the third minute of action against the Broncos last Sunday. Kaitlyn Caldera allowed just one goal and made five saves in goal against the Highlanders on Friday.
Scouting Report: Wyoming Cowgirls
The Wyoming Cowgirls opened their 2017 season with just one game last weekend: a 2-1 overtime loss to the Baylor Bears in Waco, Texas. Junior Brittney Stark scored the lone goal for the Cowgirls. Stark's younger sister Michaela was the leading goalscorer for Wyoming last season, scoring six goals in her freshman season.
This will be the first meeting between the Thunderbirds and the Cowgirls in the history of the two programs.
Scouting Report: UNLV Rebels
The reigning Mountain West champions are off to a hot start in 2017, having won both of their matches last weekend as they hosted the UNLV Invitational. The Rebels defeated both Drake University and Wright State, outscoring the two teams by a combined score of 8-1. Junior Amanda Galbraith led the attack for the Rebels scoring two goals and dishing out two assists between the two games. She was named the Mountain West's Offensive Player of the Week and as a member of Top Drawer Soccer's National Team of the Week and for her performance.
The Thunderbirds and the Rebels matched up last season for their first regular-season contest since 2009. The T-Birds struck first in that one, but back-to-back goals for the Rebels led to a 2-1 win for UNLV. The Thunderbirds are 0-6-0 all-time when playing the Rebels.
Coach's Corner
On the team's tough road schedule:
"There is no other team in the country that is challenging their players with the type of schedule that we have. We're in a unique situation and we are learning as we go. We'll make some adjustments to our travel and our recovery based on what we learned last weekend, but ultimately we will use this challenge as a way to prepare for conference play when our schedule balances out with more home games."
On making adjustments during games:
"Right now we are at the point where we can do the things we need to do fairly well, but we just haven't been able to adjust very well yet. I believe that is something that is changing and once we are able to adjust quickly and smoothly we will be okay."
Match Info
Kickoff for Friday's match with the Cowgirls is set for 4:30 p.m. Mountain time. Sunday's match in Las Vegas is set for 2:00 p.m. Mountain time. Both games will be streamed live on the Mountain West network and links to live stats will be available at suutbirds.com.
Follow Us
Stay up to date during the 2017 Thunderbird Soccer season by following @SUUSoccer on Twitter and Instagram and liking the Southern Utah Soccer page on Facebook.
