The T-birds kicked off the 2023 season with a three-match road trip, earning a scoreless draw in the second match alongside a pair of defeats.
Southern Utah (0-2-1) will now look to open the home schedule with a win on Friday when they face Nevada at 4 p.m.
Here is a recap of the first three matches of the season.
Match 1
Facing off with the defending Summit League champions Nebraska Omaha, SUU fell 4-0 in the season opener on Thursday, August 17.
The Mavericks (1-0-0) took the lead just three minutes in and never looked back. They added three goals in the second half, finding the back of the net in the 52nd, 77th, and 84th minutes.
Southern Utah did make eight saves in the match but were outshot 21-14 on the offensive side, including 12-3 in shots on goal.
Match 2
The T-birds battled to a scoreless draw in their second match of the season against South Dakota (0-1-1) on Saturday.
The match was even throughout, with SUU amassing 16 total shots, including eight on target. The Coyotes countered with 17 shots, with seven on goal.
Goalkeeper Julia Ortega made seven saves as the defense kept its first clean sheet of the new campaign.
Match 3
Facing Northern Iowa on Tuesday, the T-birds fell 3-2 after taking a 2-0 first-half lead.
Sophomore forward Sammie Sofonia notched the first goal of 2023 for SUU in the 16th minute as the visitors went in front early. Whitney Gardner provided the assist on the goal.
First goal of the season is a beauty!
1-0 Thunderbirds lead Northern Iowa! pic.twitter.com/dEuh8RKCwP— SUU Soccer (@SUUSoccer) August 22, 2023
Southern Utah doubled its lead just before halftime when Skylar Cano fired it past the left side of the UNI goalie for the 2-0 advantage in the 44th minute.
MAKE THAT 2-0 THUNDERBIRDS!
RIGHT BEFORE HALFTIME! pic.twitter.com/rZHH5Z8Fvk— SUU Soccer (@SUUSoccer) August 22, 2023
The Panthers weren’t about to let the T-birds have an easy victory, however, as the home team battled back in half number two.
Macy Smith cut the SUU deficit in half with a 77th-minute goal, while Lauren Heinsch notched the equalizer in the 88th minute.
Northern Iowa completed the comeback just moments later, scoring the winner in the 90th minute as Macy Smith secured a brace for a 3-2 victory.
UNI (3-0-0) outshot SUU 30-11 in the match, including 15-4 in shots on target.
Up next
SUU (0-2-1) now turns its attention to Friday, as they play their first home match.
The T-birds will battle Mountain West Conference foe Nevada (0-1-1) at 4 p.m. The game can be seen on ESPN+.
SUU then finishes out the month of August with a road match at Big West Conference member Cal State Fullerton on Thursday, August 31. The match against the Titans (0-1-1) can be streamed on ESPN+ and kicks off at 7 p.m. MT.
