CEDAR CITY, Utah-- The Southern Utah University women's soccer team heads on the road this week to close out the regular season against Portland State and Sacramento State.
Game Info
Game 16
Southern Utah @ Portland State
Friday, October 22nd (2:00 p.m. MT)
Portland, Oregon (Hillsboro Stadium)
Watch Live Stats
Game 17
Southern Utah @ Sacramento State
Sunday, October 24th (2:00 p.m. MT)
Sacramento, California ( Hornet Soccer field)
Watch Live Stats
ABOUT PORTLAND STATE (4-9-1): Portland State comes into Friday with a (2-4-1) Big Sky conference record after losing their last two games to Idaho State and Weber State. The Vikings have been led by Midfielders Abi Hoffman and Ani Jensen, who have both recorded three goals and one assist on the year. Jensen sits in second place in the Big Sky in game-winning goals with two. Standing in goal for the Vikings is Sophomore Sidney O'billovich. O'billovich has recorded 67 saves this year with a .770 save percentage. Portland State is coached by Kate Burton.
OTHER VIKINGS TO WATCH:
Junior Midfielder Sienna Higinbotham: Goals: 3 Shots:17 Shots On Goal: 10
Sophomore Forward Raniyah Burton: Goals: 2 Assists: 2 Shots: 27 Shots On Goal: 13
Senior Defender Sofi Papastamos: Assists: 3 Shots On Goal Percentage: .800
LAST TIME AGAINST VIKINGS:
The Thunderbirds last faced the Vikings on October 4th, 2019, in Portland. SUU started the game fast when forward Makenzie Lawerence received a cross and smashed a shot past the PSU goalkeeper. The Vikings immediately fired back scoring goals in the 34th, 49th, and 59th minutes of the match. SUU cut into the lead in the 84th-minute when Lawrence scored her second goal of the match. In the end, it was too much to overcome.
ABOUT SACRAMENTO STATE(4-9-2):
Sac State enters Sunday's matchup with a (3-4-0) record in the Big Sky after winning three of their last four matches against Idaho State, Eastern Washington, and Idaho. The Hornets have been led by midfielder Abigail Lopez who has recorded four goals and two assists this season. Standing between the pipes for Sac State is Senior Kate Price. Price has started in nine games for the Hornets and recording a .766 save percentage.
OTHER HORNETS TO WATCH:
Senior Midfielder Samantha Craig: Goals: 3 Shots: 11 Shots On Goal: 7
Senior Forward Ele Avery: Goals: 3 Shots: 20 Shots On Goal: 8
Senior Midfielder Julia Herrera: Assists: 4 Shots: 21 Shots On Goal: 8
LAST TIME AGAINST SAC STATE:
The Thunderbirds last saw the Hornets on October 6th, 2019, in Cedar City. Both teams battled hard, with neither side allowing an inch sending the game into half scoreless. Sac State cranked up the intensity coming out of half and got on the scoreboard in the 55th, 61st, and 87th minutes of the game. The T-Birds continued to fight, but in the end, it was not enough.
NOTES AND QUOTES
LAST TIME ON THE PITCH: SUU last took the pitch on Sunday, October 17th, at Lumberjack Stadium against the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks. Both teams struggled to find offensive production in the first 15 minutes as we saw only NAU shot, but the home side started to control the ball and create chances. The Lumberjacks got the scoring started in the 32nd-minute when Forward Josie Novak collected a throw-in inside the box. Novak turned and fired across to a group of Lumberjacks inside the box, but a Thunderbird defender intercepted her pass and cleared it towards the Midfielder Madison Montgomery, who ran onto the ball and smashed into the back of the net, giving NAU the lead going into the half. SUU's attack came out of the half strong and began to make deep runs inside NAU'S final third. The Thunderbirds nearly found the equalizing goal in the 51st minute when Rachael Hunt earned a free-kick just outside the Lumberjack's box. Forward Ashley Rivera pummeled the set-piece towards the top right corner of the net, but her shot ricocheted off the woodwork and rolled out of bounds. Northern Arizona continued to surge forward and found the back of the net again in the 62nd minute. The T-Birds attack fired five second-half shots at the NAU goalkeeper, but they could not find the back of the net.
Edwards on his teams' outing against Weber State: "We created lots of chances and outshot our opponent for the fourth game in a row. Weber is a very good team, but we played very well. We had our chances, but conference play comes down to set-pieces and attention to detail. We lost focus and that was the difference in the game."
Edwards on his teams' performance against Northern Arizona: "We created very good chances today. They saved a breakaway and Ashley [Rivera] crushed a free-kick off the crossbar. We have been working on defending set plays better and today we did very well. We gifted them two goals. We have two more games to improve as a group and we look forward to seeing progress next week to close out the season."
-The Thunderbirds average 10.6 shots per game.
- Ashley Rivera is third in Big Sky in shots on goal with 24.
- Kamryn Farro and Julia Hunt combined for seven shots against Northern Arizona.
For all the latest on Southern Utah soccer, follow @SUUSoccer on Twitter and Instagram, and like the Southern Utah Soccer Facebook page.
