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Show Monday, Oct. 24, 2011 Page 10 MondayS110 Utah State University • Logan, Utah • www.utahstatesman.com TouchBase Soccer shuts out Vandals, extends winning streak WACStandings staff writer Football Nevada Hawaii La. Tech SJSU Fresno State NMSU Utah State Idaho WAC 2-0 2-1 2-1 2-1 2-1 1-2 0-2 0-3 OVERALL 4-3 4-3 3-4 3-4 3-5 3-4 2-5 1-6 RECENT RESULTS SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22 Nevada 45, Fresno State 38 La. Tech 24, Utah State 17 Hawaii 45, NMSU 38 AP Top 25 Record 1.LSU (49) 8-0 8-0 2. Alabama (10) 3. Oklahoma St. 7-0 7-0 4. Stanford 5. Boise St. (1) 7-0 6. Clemson 8-0 7.Oregon 6-1 8. Arkansas 6-1 9. Michigan St. 6-1 10.Kansas St. 7-0 11.Oklahoma 6-1 12.Wisconsin 6-1 13.Nebraska 6-1 14.South Carolina 6-1 15.Virginia Tech 7-1 5-2 16.Texas A&M 17.Michigan 6-1 18.Houston 7-0 19.Texas Tech 5-2 20. Southern Cal 6-1 21.Penn St. 7-1 22.Georgia 5-2 23.Arizona St. 5-2 24.Cincinnati 6-1 25.West Virginia 5-2 Pts Pv 1,489 1 1,448 2 1,326 6 1,318 7 1,269 5 1,225 8 1,136 9 1,003 10 964 15 945 12 912 3 887 4 756 13 675 14 673 16 614 17 508 18 400 21 350 NR 340 NR 312 NR 290 24 239 24 71 NR 64 11 BY CURTIS LUNDSTROM Sophomore forward Jennifer Flynn led the Utah State women's soccer team to a 3-0 victory over Idaho University Friday. Flynn tallied two goals for the Aggies, as they proved too tough for the Vandals on the road. Senior goalkeeper Molli Merrill was credited with the shutout for the Aggies. "Jen was great," head coach Heather Cairns said. "She was pulling the trigger and was finding her shot. Molli was solid — our entire back line was solid. When we keep a clean sheet, the back five take a lot of pride in that." The Vandals out-shot the Aggies in the first half, but neither team was able to find the back of the net. Idaho was unable to capitalize on three different occasions in the first 15 minutes of play. Junior midfielder Megan Lopez forced some early defense from the Aggie back line just eight minutes in, and Lopez had two other chances in the second half. USU senior forward Shantel Flanary kept the Vandal defense busy early, with one chance glancing off an Idaho defender in the 13th minute and then missing wide-left on a strike in the 29th minute. "We didn't take many shots in the first half, but the second half we came out and solved that rather quickly," Cairns said. "The girls definitely came out on fire." It took Flynn and the Aggies roughly three minutes to pull ahead in the second half. Flynn took a ball from senior MIDFIELDER JENNIFER FLYNN dribbles past a New Mexico State defender earlier in the season. The sophomore from Sandy scored two goals in USU's 3-0 victory over Idaho. CODY GOCHNOUR photo ourth quarter bollie See SOCCER, Page 11 USU gives up fifth fourthquarter lead BY TAVIN STUCKI sports editor USU sweeps Bengals in twin bill BY MEGAN BODILY staff writer The USU baseball club swept Idaho State in a doubleheader at home Saturday afternoon. The two teams split a twin bill in a previous meeting. USU edged out Idaho State in the first game, 6-5, before rolling 14-3 in the second game at Max L. Johnson Memorial Field in Providence. The Aggies played solid defense early in the game. Jake Bartholomew and Garret Schiffman executed a great double play in the top half of the second inning to keep pressure on Idaho State. USU offense struck first in the top half of the third inning to break the 0-0 tie. An RBI double from Brett Jensen and a botched ground ball by Idaho State put USU up, 1-0. ISU scored its first run of the game in the fourth inning, but USU responded quickly in the bottom half of that inning. Kyle Anderson cracked a grandslam home run, over the fence, for USU to give the Aggies a 5-1 lead. After Anderson's blast, Idaho State's frustration became apparent as the team was issued a warning when its pitcher plunked Bartholomew. The Bengals made a pitching change, but Anderson made it home to add an insurance run. ISU pulled out four more runs over the next two innings, but the comeback effort fell short. "We were never concerned," USU head coach Norm Doyle said. "We have good enough talent that we can pound out some runs whenever we need to. It is just one of the things where the ball wasn't going in the right direction for us." In the second game of See AGGIE, Page 11 FRESHMAN RUNNING BACK HUNTER LEE gives Louisana Tech the lead with an eight-yard touchdown run Saturday on Merlin Olsen Field at Romney Stadium. The Aggies fell to the Bulldogs, 24-17. KIMBERLY SHORTS photo There goes another fourthquarter lead. Utah State lost to Louisiana Tech, 24-17, despite having a three-point lead going into the final 15 minutes of Saturday's game. "We found a way to lose another game," said USU head coach Gary Andersen. "Defensive battle — don't know what else to say other than that." After forcing a USU punt, Louisiana Tech scored on its first possession of the game. Wide receiver Richie Casey took a lateral pass from freshman quarterback Nick Isham and tossed the ball down field, to junior receiver David Gru, for a 45-yard pass to the Aggie 7-yard line. Senior running back Lennon Creer eventually punched the ball in from the three, to go up 7-0, with 8:22 to go in the first quarter. Creer finished with 62 yards *See USU, Page 11 Aggies let opportunities slip away BY TYLER HUSKINSON assistant sports editor The Utah State football team has held the lead over its opponents in the fourth quarter of every game it has played this season, and for the fifth time the Aggies have given up that lead. An all too familiar scenario played out for USU in its Western Athletic Conference home opener Saturday afternoon against the Louisana Tech Bulldogs. USU held a slim lead heading into the fourth quarter and eventually surrendered the lead after the offense sputtered and completely stopped. The Aggies failed to score at all in the fourth quarter and only moved the ball a total of 28 yards. "We found a way to lose another game," USU head coach Gary Andersen said. "We knew exactly the fight we were in for, and the fight did not change a bit from film. We obviously did not react in a positive enough way." Andersen said he expected a defensive battle and the Bulldogs won the turnover battle. "They get an interception for a touchdown, and we get our hands on three and can't pick them off," he said. "In a defensive game, you've got to find a way to make those plays. Obviously both offenses were a non-factor for the most part." Louisiana Tech senior cornerback Terry Carter ripped the ball away from Aggie wide receiver Eric Moats and returned it 22 yards for a touchdown, to give the Bulldogs a 14-10 lead, with just under 12 minutes to play in the third quarter. McKade Brady, Jumanne Robertson and Kyle Gallagher all got in on pass breakups that could have been interceptions. Brady dropped a ball that landed right in his arms, as did Robertson. Andersen has said all year that USU needs to force turnovers on defense to be a good team, and the Aggies were not able to do that against the Bulldogs. "At this point there is something and we need to be tougher mentally," Andersen said. "We need to be tougher apparently as coaches and players find a way to turn around and make a play. We may not even be in that position if we are an opportunistic football team. You've got to be opportunistic at times to have a chance to be able to win." Andersen said he was disappointed that his team was not opportunistic on either side of the ball against Louisiana Tech, including special teams. "We drop a punt at the one-yard line, and we're fortunate to fall on it," he said. "You get a chop block again in the red zone. For the second week, we got a chop block or a hold in the red zone." LINEBACKERS WILL DAVIS (NO. 17) and Kyle Gallagher (No. 43) drop a would-be interception against the Bulldogs. The Aggie defense had three passes sent its way that could have been interceptions but failed to hold on. CURTIS RIPPLINGER photo That chop block Andersen referred "You've got to coach them, and to negated a six-yard touchdown run by you've got to put kids in a position to be able to be successful," he said. "We're Kerwynn Williams, midway through the second quarter, and the Aggies were where we are at for a reason. We're not coaching well enough to win football forced to attempt a field goal. games." Andersen, as he has in past losses, Senior linebacker Bobby Wagner, said he and his coaching staff need to do a better job. See FOOTBALL, Page 11 |