Playing its first conference tournament match in 15 years, the SUU soccer team lost a close battle against Seattle U, 2-1.
After losing 4-0 to the Redhawks just 10 days ago, the T-birds came out ready to play against the WAC Tournament’s No. 3 seed in Riverside, California.
While the last time the two sides met included a goal within the opening moments, the SUU defense ensured that would not be the case this time around.
Seattle recorded the game’s first two shots, but the T-birds responded with a pair of attempts just moments apart in the 18th minute. Whitney Gardner and Chiaki Takase registered shots a mere eight seconds apart, but both were saved by the Redhawks’ keeper.
Both teams had very few chances for around the next 20 minutes, as the SUU defense and tactical setup did well to keep the high-powered offense of Seattle off the scoresheet.
The Redhawks finally broke through in the 36th minute, taking a 1-0 lead that would endure until the halftime whistle.
Second half
With their season on the line, the T-birds continued to fight in the second half.
Following a save from Julia Ortega in the 46th minute, Whitney Gardner leveled the score with a world-class strike in the 49th minute. Dribbling from just outside the 18-yard box on the left side over to the right, Gardner unleashed a rocket with her right foot that chipped over the Seattle keeper into the top corner to make it 1-1.
โฝ๏ธ#๐ช๐๐๐๐๐ผ๐ฐ ๐ง๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ป๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ | The @SUUSoccer Thunderbirds answer back as Whitney Gardner drills a goal to the upper corner of the net to tie the game at 1-1!
๐ฅ: https://t.co/WdFkEj5FGD pic.twitter.com/Bw8Mk7QBlu
— The Western Athletic Conference (@WACsports) October 30, 2023
The two sides continued to battle from there, both keeping each other from gaining an advantage in the match for more than half an hour.
It wasn’t until the 83rd minute that another goal was scored. Using their eighth corner kick of the match, the Redhawks broke through to take the 2-1 lead.
The T-birds pushed and fought for an equalizer over the final few minutes, but the final whistle blew to put a heartbreaking end to their season.
“We emptied the tank today, Emotionally, tactically, and competitively,” SUU head coach Kai Edwards said.
“Unbelievably proud of the performance of this team. We will be back,” he added.
The loss drops SUU’s final record to 3-11-5 during the 2023 season.
Senior shoutout
Sundayโs tilt was the final match in the careers of senior forward Ashley Rivera, redshirt junior defender Kiki Stewart, and junior midfielder Alison Keller.
A St. George, Utah native, Rivera appeared in 51 games in her T-bird career, notching 7 goals and 4 assists.
Stewart, another St. George product, made 35 appearances and recorded 3 assists in two seasons after transferring from Arizona State.
Alison Keller appeared in 60 matches during her four seasons at SUU, scoring 3 goals. Keller is a native of Chino Hills, California.
All three were part of the winningest season in T-birds soccer history in 2022 and the first conference tournament appearance in 15 years during the 2023 campaign.
Stay tuned for the 2023 SUU soccer season recap, coming soon.
