CEDAR CITY, Utah - Ashlyn O'Malley scored her fourth goal of the season as Southern Utah women's soccer earned a 1–1 draw against Northern Arizona on Thursday, Oct. 15, at Thunderbird Soccer Field.
The Thunderbirds moved to 4–7–3 overall and 1–2–2 in Big Sky Conference play, collecting a point against a Northern Arizona team that entered the afternoon with three consecutive victories.
O'Malley and Clark Connect Early
O'Malley put Southern Utah on the scoreboard at 12:56, finishing with an assist from Sicily Clark to give the Thunderbirds a 1–0 advantage.
The goal followed an early opportunity from Gracen Blieschke, whose shot on target forced a save in the 10th minute. Clark added another shot on goal in the 24th minute as SUU carried its one-goal lead into halftime.
O'Malley finished with a team-high three shots, while Clark contributed two shots, including one on frame, alongside her assist.
Defense Keeps SUU in Position
Tatum Trout made three first-half saves to help preserve the halftime advantage and finished with five individual saves across 90 minutes. Southern Utah also received three team saves, bringing its combined total to eight.
Ashlyn Woodbury, Nao Yasuda and Rylan Tebbs each played the full 90 minutes alongside Trout. The Thunderbirds held Northern Arizona without a goal from open play, with the visitors drawing level on a Valerie Llamas penalty kick at 63:41.
Thunderbirds Create Second-Half Chances
Southern Utah generated eight of its 11 shots after halftime, continuing to pursue a second goal following the equalizer.
Suika Shibutani put a shot on target in the 70th minute, and Kayleigh Acree tested the goalkeeper again at 85:17. Both players finished with two shots and one shot on goal.
Blieschke, Clark, O'Malley, Shibutani and Acree each supplied one of SUU's five shots on frame.
Tide Turning Against NAU
While NAU owns a huge advantage in terms of the history between these two programs, SUU is starting to turn the tide with three draws in the last four meetings between the squads. It's just a matter of time before the Thunderbirds pick up an elusive victory against the squad from Arizona.
Next Up
Southern Utah hosts Northern Colorado on Sunday, Oct. 18, at Thunderbird Soccer Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. MT.
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