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Show Monday, Aug. 3/, 2009 Page 6 Monday Utah State University • Logan, Utah • www.aggietownsquare.com Ags win tourney I Touc/iBase AggzeSchedules Volleyball TUESDAY SEPT. 1 USU vs. BYU, 7 p.m. in Spectrum Women's Soccer : FRIDAY SEPT. 4 ByLANDON HEMSLEY staff writer The USU women's soccer team won a landmark game on the road when they downed the Texas Tech Red Raiders 3-2 Friday night and continued their undefeated streak Sunday when they defeated Stephen F. Austin by the same score. The wins came as four teams combined for a three day tournament in El Paso, Texas. Utah State (3-0-0) came out as the undisputed winner. The two games contrasted greatly in the style of play and the way Utah State won each game. Utah State head coach Heather Cairns said she came out of Stephen F. Austin very concerned about the team's current defensive ability to communicate and adjust to a dynamic offensive attack. She said she was pleased with the wins, as coaches always are, but also said that allowing such a high number of goals in two matches was humbling. "We played well enough to win," Cairns said, "and we were extremely efficient in converting our chances on the offensive end, but we can't get used to giving up four goals in two games." Despite the relative disorganization on defense, Utah State still managed to rally to defeat both of this weekend's quality opponents. Even more remarkable than the fact that USU beat the first Big XII soccer opponent they had ever faced, Texas Tech, was the way they did it. Tech took an early lead, and shortly thereafter, the Aggies railed off three goals in eight minutes to put them up for good. The Aggie defense held for over 60 minutes, and USU pulled off win. That match didn't start well though as Tech came out fighting. In the second minute of the match, USU trailed l-(Wter the Red Ralde're\;apif8IIzed on^a very fast counterattack. Taylor Lytle of Texas Tech was on the receiving end of a ball senfacross bylled Raider Brittney Harrison, stuck a boo| on it, and put it past USU keeper Molli Merrill. "We didn't expect them to put us under such pressure," Cairns said of the first Tech goal. "Welcome to the Big XII. It was a great lesson for our team to come out and play from the start of the match." Lauren Hansen, who scored twice in the Tech match, said the first Red Raider goal woke the Aggies "It was a shocker," Hansen said. "It's the first minute, and we're already on our heels. It really woke us up and made us more angry than anything." Hansen said USU became that much more motivated to come back against the Red Raiders because of that goal. The equalizer came before long. In the 19th minute, Heather Pond threw the ball in to an open Hansen who maneuvered around to the edge of the box and put a rocket above the goalie's head and into the back of the net. "It was a perfect throw-in," Hansen said. "I just took a couple of touches and took the shot. It was such a great relief, it really cleaned the slate and got us back into the match." Hansen wasn't finished. In the 22nd minute, Allie Maduell brought the ball up the side and played it low to Hansen, who beat the offside trap. Hansen gathered the ball along the baseline and snuck in a sweet shot past the Tech keeper to put the Aggies ahead 2-1 with 68 minutes to play against the larger more physical USU vs Oklahoma Stale, 4 p.m. SUNDAY SEPT. 6 USU vs. Wyoming, 1 p.m. Cross Country SATURDAY SEPT. 5 USU al Utah State Open, all day in Logan, Utah Football THURSDAY SEPT. 3 USU @ Utah, 7:00 p.m., Rice Eccles Stadium . *mm^^ SENIOR MIDFIELDER LINDSEY SMART, 9, splits a pair of NAU defenders during the Ags season opening win. USU stayed undefeated with a pair of victories over the weekend. PATRICK 0DEN photo Texas Tech squad. Hansen said the members of the team stayed determined to bring their A game, and USU continued to score. In the 27th minute, Shantel Flanary applied the pressure on a Tech defender. The defender was unable to handle Flanary and she broke for the goal with the ball. Shortly thereafter, Utah State led 3-1. It was Flanary's second goal in as many matches. Cairns said although USU managed to get up by two goals, she did not alter the style of play to be more defensive. She said the team was confident in its game plan, and wasn't looking to lock up the back line after taking the twogoal lead. Only one substitution was made in the back, and it was simply made to replenish the team and to put some fresh legs on defense. In particular, Cairns said she was pleased with Natalie Morris, a freshman who has taken on a starting role replacing a four-year starter that graduated last year. "She was marked with their best forward for the majority of the match," Cairns said of Morris. "She shut her down." Cairns also said this year's starting keeper, Merrill, a sophomore who managed to get her first collegiate shutout last week against Northern Arizona, did well, despite Tech's final goal that came in the 73rd minute. Merrill bobbled a save and Red Raider Dawn Ward slipped right in to take advantage and punch in the rebound. "It's the worst lead you can have, to be up by two goals," Hansen said. "It's easy to find yourself thinking, 'Oh, we've got this,' and then before you know it, they can be right back in it. It's only two goals to tie it." "For those last 20 minutes, all of us had heartburn," Cairns said. "It was intense. They put us under a lot of pressure." Cairns said the Red Raiders really fought against Utah State for the last 20 minutes of the match, trying to work their way back into it. In one particular play, only Candice Salmon's alert mind and fast foot staved off the equalizer and kept the Aggies ahead. Tech sent a ball to the far post where two running Raiders were awaiting a cross that could have been easily poked into the back of a wide open goal. Salmon threw herself at the ball and managed to divert it enough with the end of her foot to break the play up and allow Merrill time to recover. That, along with several other defensive plays, proved to be enough to put Utah State over the top. In Sunday's match, USU turned the tables and scored on Stephen F. Austin in the first minute. Erin Salmon collected a ball about 25 yards from the goal and sent in a rocket that shot past the Ladyjack keeper, Courtney Baulder. It was the only goal scored in the first half by either team. Despite holding the halftime lead, the Aggies were not in control of the ball during the first half. Utah State was outshot 9-3 in the first period. "They threw eight players up the field, and that really limited what we were able to do at all," Cairns said. "We passed the ball to the purple team just as much as the white team." Inefficiency on defense reared its head when Stephen F. Austin scored again. Cairns said in the 67th minute the second goal was due to a miscommunication when Merrill and another defender misplayed a ball that fell to Ladyjack Megan Cash, who put the ball into an empty net. Despite the miscue, Utah State never trailed, and led again in the 75th minute when Natalie Norris, freshman fullback, scored for the first time in her collegiate career. Norris successfully redirected midfielder Stefani Shiozaki's corner kick off her head and into the goal. The offensive spurt held. In the 81st minute, Utah State put in what Cairns called a "brilliant and fun to watch" goal. Lauren Hansen sent a long ball up the side of the field and into the corner. Chantel Flanary ran the ball down and controlled it near the flagstick. She then sent the ball across the box to Hansen, who made a 40-yard run to the far post. Hansen and Flanary connected perfectly, and Hansen put the ball into the back of the net. The Ladyjacks pulled within one when they scored in the 87th minute, but it was too little, too late as the Aggies held on for the win. Utah State comes home from this road trip with its best record to begin a season in Utah State soccer history. USU will continue its very difficult non-conference schedule when it faces No. 21 Oklahoma State Friday in Logan. Oklahoma State, in addition to the national ranking, boasts the 13th best RPI in the nation. The game will start at 4 p.m. at the USU soccer field, located just North of Romney Stadium. -!a.hem@aggiemail. usu. edu "For those last twenty minutes, all of us had * heartburn. It was intense, they pus under a lot of pressure" Heather Cairns, USU head coach Snelgro on her way to Finland After Danyelle Snelgro finished her senior season at Utah State, a season in which she helped lead the Aggies to their first ever WAC Tournament victory, her playing career wasn't over. The former Utah State women's basketball star is now preparing to play professionally in Jyvalsklya, Finland for the upcoming basketball season. "What a great opportunity for Danny to continue playing the sport she loves. I have no question that she is prepared to be successful on and off the court in Finland," USU head coach Raegan Pebley said. "She i will continue to develop as a player, contribute to her team's success and have a ' unique experience living overseas." Snelgro is happy for the opportunity to play in Finland. "I just got a call a few days ago. I was working in Rhode Island, and I came back to Logan to visit for a week or so and got this great news," Snelgro said. She said her agent got in contact with the coaches in Finland. The coaches were able to look at game tape and previous stats from her Aggie career before they made the decision to sign her. The Altadena, Calif, native will definitely be in an unfamiliar place this season. "I've never been out of the states " Snelgro said. "I have no idea what to expect but they (the coaches) told me it's a pretty good transition from college to international basketball. They said they speak a lot of English over there so that should be good," she said with a laugh. FREE U!iU TATOO PACKET BKGGffi Hoodies, Hats, T-Shirts Polos, Beanies, Kids Apparel, Blankets Back Packs, and more! |