ITTA BENA, Miss. - The Southern Utah University women's soccer team had another impressive performance Friday night, beating Mississippi Valley State 10-0 to begin the season 2-0. SUU made history for the second consecutive night, as tonight's victory proved to be the first time in program history that the T-Birds secured back-to-back victories in true road contests against non-conference Division I programs. The win also marked the first time in Southern Utah women's soccer history that the team has started out a season with two consecutive victories.

"We started some new players today, and they kept the level of intensity high. We got off to an early start, and that was very important," said SUU Head Coach Kai Edwards. 

Whitney Wangsgard got things started for SUU six minutes into the match, finding the back of the net for her first career goal off a pass from Kate Schirmer, giving the T-Birds an early 1-0 lead. Southern Utah maintained the early offensive pressure, as Victoria Caucci played a ball into Rachael Hunt, who was able to slide a shot past the MVSU goalkeeper, giving SUU a 2-0 lead seven minutes in.

At the 12-minute mark, Sammie Sofonia scored her fourth goal of the season, lacing a shot from near midfield that found the back of the net. Six minutes later, Ashley Rivera got on the board, with Caucci picking up her second assist of the evening. 

Sofonia then went on to score back-to-back goals at the 19 and 23-minute marks to record her second consecutive hat trick in her first two collegiate games, and extend the lead to 6-0. Camryn Kennedy and Berlyn Dibble tallied their first career assists on Sofonia's second and third goals, respectively.

Kate Schirmer added another goal at the 28-minute mark, and Annie Haycock scored her first career goal 39 minutes in off an assist from Morgan Christensen, giving Southern Utah an 8-0 lead going into the half. 

Two and a half minutes into the second period, Caucci scored her second goal of the season to make it 9-0, with Aubrey Murray picking up her first career assist on the play. SUU tacked on one more goal late in the second half, as Whitney Wangsgard found the back of the net for the second time in the contest, and Caucci recorded her third assist of the night.

Notable Stats:

• Southern Utah recorded 34 shots to MVSU's five.

• Megan Short and Naomi Kehl tallied 45 minutes in the net apiece for SUU, recording their second straight combined shutout.

• Victoria Caucci tied the program record for most assists in a single game with three on the night. 

• Sammie Sofonia has scored six goals in Southern Utah's first two games, the most goals scored by an individual player over a two-game stretch in program history.

• SUU maintained possession for 68 percent of the match.

• Tonight's victory marked the first time that Southern Utah soccer has ever started a season 2-0.

Up Next

The Thunderbirds have another quick turnaround, heading to Jackson, Mississippi for their toughest challenge yet, as they will face off against Jackson State Sunday morning at 11 AM MT.

Coach Edwards Postgame Interview

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