CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Southern Utah soccer team will be playing for the opportunity to extend their season this weekend as they host Idaho on Friday October 19 and Eastern Washington on Sunday October 21, needing two wins to have a shot at making it into the 2018 Big Sky Conference Soccer Championship Tournament.
Last Time Out
The Thunderbirds played their final road games of the regular season last weekend playing to a 1-1 draw with Montana and losing 1-3 to Northern Colorado.
MaKenzie Lawrence scored both goals for the Thunderbirds, bringing her season total to seven. She will head into the final week of the season tied for the Big Sky lead in goal scoring and in the hunt for the 2018 Golden Boot Award. The senior is also one goal shy of the Southern Utah single-season goal scoring record of eight goals set by Brooklyn Phillips in 2006.
As she has for most of the season, Brianna Aldridge continues to lead the Big Sky in saves and saves per game. Her 93 saves on the season have her 13 saves short of the Southern Utah single-season saves record of 106 set by Megan Flowers in 2002.
State of the Big Sky
With just one week left in the regular season there are still two spots up for grabs in the Big Sky Conference Soccer Championship Tournament. Weber State, Northern Arizona, Idaho, and Northern Colorado have all secured their spots in the tournament with Portland State, Montana, Eastern Washington, Sacramento State and Southern Utah all needing wins this weekend to seal a postseason berth.
The Thunderbirds can reach a possible 10 points in the Big Sky standings with wins over Eastern Washington and Idaho this weekend, but with most of the other teams in the hunt ahead of them they will need key losses to clinch a spot in the tournament.
Scouting Report: Idaho Vandals (8-6-2, 5-1-1 BSC)
The Vandals will come into the weekend looking to claim at least a portion of the Big Sky regular season title with two more wins.
Myah Merino is the leading scorer for the Vandals with four goals and an assist to her name on the season. Nine other Vandals have scored goals for Idaho in 2018. Makayla Presgrave is the main goalkeeper for the Vandals, having played in all 16 matches, and is currently averaging just one goal allowed per game. She has seven shutouts, including three in her last three matches.
The Thunderbirds were able to beat the Vandals 3-1 last year in Cedar City. MaKenzie Lawrence scored two goals in the match in the first 30 minutes of play.
Scouting Report: Eastern Washington Eagles (6-7-3, 2-4-1 BSC)
The reigning Big Sky champions will be playing for a chance to defend their title this weekend as they sit in sixth place with just seven points.
Jenny Chavez is the leading scorer for the Eagles with three goals on the season. Allison Raniere has eight points with two goals and four assists. Kelsee Winston has been the main goalkeeper for the Eagles, putting together a .82 goals against average with just 12 goals allowed in 14 matches.
The Thunderbirds traveled to Cheney last year and lost to the Eagles 0-4.
Match Info
Friday's match against the Vandals is set to begin at 4:00 p.m. and Sunday's match against the Eagles is set to begin at 1:00 p.m. at Thunderbird Soccer Field. Both matches will be streamed live on PlutoTV channel 236. Live stats will be available at tbirdstats.com.
Sunday's match will be Senior Day as the team will recognize six seniors who have had a big impact on the program. Brielle Bourgeois, Kaitlyn Caldera, Devri Hartle, MaKenzie Lawrence, Summer Soriano, and Saki Watanabe will all be honored in a pregame ceremony prior to kickoff.
Follow Us
Stay up to date during the 2018 Thunderbird soccer season by following @SUUSoccer on Twitter and Instagram and liking the Southern Utah Soccer page on Facebook.
