CEDAR CITY, Utah - After picking up their first win of the season at home last weekend, the Southern Utah soccer team is back on the road this weekend, playing CSU Bakersfield on Friday August 31 and Boise State on Sunday September 2.
Previously On Thunderbird Soccer
The Thunderbirds picked up their first win of the season last Thursday, knocking off the UNLV Rebels 2-0 at home. Taylor Harris and MaKenzie Lawrence both scored their first goals of the season in the match and Brianna Aldridge recorded her first career shutout. The victory was the first over the Rebels in the history of the Thunderbird soccer program.
SUU also hosted the Nevada Wolf Pack on Sunday for a game in which they fell to the Pack 2-1 on a penalty kick in the 82nd minute. Devri Hartle scored the lone goal for the Thunderbirds on a penalty kick of her own. She now leads SUU in points with five total on the season (two goals, one assist).
Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Week
Southern Utah goalkeeper Brianna Aldridge has been named Defensive Player of the Week for her performances against UNLV and Nevada.
Aldridge earned her first career win and shutout in Southern Utah's win over UNLV last Thursday. After a two and a half hour weather delay due to rain and lightning in the area, the Thunderbirds beat the Rebels 2-0. Aldridge made 10 saves in the game, stopping everything that came her way.
Aldridge was also nominated for HERO Sports' "HERO of the Week" for women's soccer. You can vote for her to win the award here.
The redshirt freshman now leads the Big Sky Conference in saves after two weeks with 30 saves so far on the season. She is also tied for second in the conference in save percentage with a .789.
Scouting Report: CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners (0-3)
The Roadrunners of CSU Bakersfield will come into Friday's match with an 0-3 record after two weeks of competition. The Roadrunners opened the season against Eastern Washington, losing in overtime 1-0, and have since dropped matches to UC Riverside and Loyola Chicago.
Redshirt junior Aryana Harvey has the lone goal on the season for the Roadrunners, scoring in a 3-1 loss to Loyola Chicago. Junior Jordan Bertram has started all three games in goal for CSUB, giving up just five goals in three games for a Goals Against Average of 1.64.
The Thunderbirds and the Roadrunners last matched up in 2014 in Cedar City. Southern Utah won that match 5-0.
Scouting Report: Boise State Broncos (2-1)
The Broncos of Boise State come into the weekend with a 2-1 overall record after picking up wins over Idaho and Cal Poly. Their only loss came last Friday to UC Santa Barbara.
Juniors McKenna Kynett and Raimee Sherle lead the Broncos in scoring with two goals apiece. They both scored goals in the wins over the Vandals and the Mustangs. Senior Tara Fisher has started all three games in goal for the Broncos, allowing four goals and racking up 16 saves in that time.
The Broncos will travel to Eastern Washington for a match on Friday before hosting the Thunderbirds on Sunday.
Match Info
Friday's match in Bakersfield is set to begin at 6:00 p.m. Mountain time at Main Soccer Field. The match will be streamed on the WAC Digital Network and live stats will be available at suutbirds.com.
Sunday's match in Boise is set to begin at 1:00 p.m. Mountain time Boas Soccer Complex. The match will be streamed on the Mountain West Network and live stats will be available at suutbirds.com.
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.
