CEDAR CITY, Utah–  After opening up conference play Friday with a dramatic come-from-behind win, the Southern Utah University women's soccer team is set to battle the Stephen F Austin Lumberjacks Sunday afternoon. 

Game Info 

Southern Utah vs Stephen F Austin

Date: September 17, 2022  

Kickoff: Noon MT 

Location: Cedar City 

Venue: Thunderbird Soccer Field

Stream: ESPN + 

Live Stream Live Stats 

Preview

 Southern Utah (6-1, 1-0) comes into this matchup riding high off a dominant second-half performance that saw two Kate Schirmer goals lift the Thunderbirds over the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros 2-1. 

The win over UTRGV continues the Thunderbird's historic start to the season while also representing the fifth time in SUU soccer history that a team has won their conference opener.

"Anytime you accomplish history it's amazing," Head Coach Kai Edwards said. " To do something that has only been done five times is amazing, especially at a school with so many years of history. It's not something we looked forward to, but it's something when we hear it afterward we should feel proud of." 

The Thunderbirds will now look to become the second SUU team to ever start conference play 2-0, facing a tough and battle-tested Stephen F Austin program on Sunday afternoon. 

Stephen F Austin (1-6-1, 0-1) has gone through a gauntlet so far this year. They have faced several perennial powerhouse teams in their non-conference schedule, dropping games to Oklahoma State, LSU, Texas A&M, and the 15th-ranked SMU Mustangs, before falling 2-0  in their conference opener at Utah Tech.

Sophomore forward Lily Hargrove leads the charge offensively for the Lumberjacks with two goals this season. They have also received a solid contribution from midfielder Reganne Crane who scored one while recording two assists. The Lumberjacks have struggled defensively this season, allowing nearly three goals per game and 24 goals this season, forcing goalkeeper Lydia Sattler to make a WAC-leading 31 saves through eight games. 

That backline will have to find a way to silence an explosive Southern Utah attack that leads the nation in scoring offense, recording nearly four goals per game. 

Freshman Sammie Sofonia still leads the Thunderbirds with six goals this season, which is the most in the Western Athletic Conference. Junior Kate Schirmer is red hot, scoring three goals in SUU's last two games while also compiling two assists this year. Not far behind are Whitney Wansguard and Hailey Hamataka, who both have an impressive stat line of three goals and three assists this year. 

Notable Stats: 

• Kate Schirmer's second-half brace against UTRGV moved her into fifth all-time for SUU in career goals (13). 

• Megan Short is 23rd in the nation's save percentage of .885. Also, she is at the top of the WAC in goals against average with a 0.57. 

• The Thunderbirds are second in the nation in total points and 16th in total goals.

HISTORY

Sunday's matchup will be the first-ever matchup between these teams. 

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