Facing another former conference foe, the T-birds recorded a 2-1 come-from-behind victory in a physical match on Thursday afternoon.
It did not take long for the action to start in the game, as Sacramento State registered its first shot attempt in just under a minute.
SUU nearly notched an early goal on its first shot attempt of the match in the eighth minute, but Steph Roper’s attempt was just wide left.
The T-birds had another chance with their first free-kick attempt in the 12th minute, but Whitney Gardner’s shot fell into the hands of the Hornets goalie.
While Southern Utah had the better chances early, it was Sacramento State that would find the match’s first goal. When an all-out scramble in the box occurred in the 16th minute, the Hornets took the 1-0 lead on an open net score.
Despite trailing early, SUU dug in and continued to push the ball forward and create scoring chances. They nearly leveled the score in the 27th minute, when a free kick by Chelsea Loeser went over the defensive wall but hit the crossbar.
The T-birds continued to pressure the Hornets, and just two minutes after nearly getting a goal, they evened the score at 1-1. In the 29th minute, Whitney Gardner took a shot from just beyond the 18-yard box, curling the ball over the keeper and into the corner of the net for her third goal of the campaign.
WHITNEY FROM WAYYYYY OUTSIDE 🤯
All tied at 1️⃣ apiece 👀 pic.twitter.com/NYhXDQLwQB
— SUU Soccer (@SUUSoccer) September 19, 2024
The score would remain the same for the final 15 minutes of the first half, and the two sides went to the break both looking for a win in the second period.
Second half
Southern Utah came out in the second half determined to find a winning goal, and it took just 14 seconds for their first shot attempt.
The T-birds once again nearly went ahead in the 48th minute, when Chelsea Loeser lined up for another free kick attempt. The ball was perfectly placed but somehow bounced off both goalposts and away from the net.
SUU continued to dominate the opening minutes of the second half, and it looked like they would have another chance to score a go-ahead goal in the 50th minute. With possession and inside the box, it appeared that Sacramento State committed a handball, which would have been a penalty and a shot for the home team. The call was not made, however, and no penalty kick was awarded, and the match remained deadlocked.
Despite the hard luck, the T-birds pushed for more chances. After controlling the opening 15 minutes of the period, they finally broke through at the hour mark. Sarah Assumma laid the ball into the path of Whitney Gardner, who placed a perfect lob shot over the Hornets goalie for the 2-1 lead.
Make that 2️⃣ goals for Whitney 🤑
Thunderbirds take the lead 🔥 pic.twitter.com/GxGUgtQbST
— SUU Soccer (@SUUSoccer) September 19, 2024
After taking the lead, Southern Utah locked down defensively as they attempted to secure the victory. Two Sacramento State shots hit the woodwork, but the T-birds were able to keep the visitors off the scoreboard in the second half to pick up their second win of the season.
Coach Edwards post-match
Following the match, I spoke with SUU head coach Kai Edwards, who gave his thoughts on the team’s win.
Question: What are your thoughts on the come-from-behind win today?
Edwards: Yeah, I forgot we came from behind. Yeah, we scored two goals and allowed no goals in the run of play, so we’ve got to solve the problem on set pieces. We played a lot of players and got chances. I thought it was a complete team game and it was good, you know, after Boise and the long trip to come home and get the victory.
Question: You’ve got one more non-conference game, at NAU on Sunday. As you wrap up non-conference play, what are your thoughts on the season so far?
Edwards: We’re getting more organized, creating a lot of chances. They’re doing it together, and more people are stepping up, right? Lucia (Rivas) hasn’t gotten many minutes and played very well today. Sharky (Addison Larsen) got in and played very well. Games like this are the stuff people don’t see in college. You’ve got a couple of kids sick who are very limited on minutes, a couple of kids hurt who didn’t play, and the group played well and hard together, so you’ve got to love it.
Question: You mentioned the chances created. What did you think overall of the team’s creativity and the chances they had in the match?
Edwards: We had two free kicks that hit the bar, we created chances in the six-yard box, and we had breakaways. I think, again we talk about it all year, if you keep creating chances things are going to go in. Yeah, we could’ve scored eight today, but I’m not greedy. Two goals and a win is big time.
Question: What did you think about the physicality of today’s game? It seemed like there was a lot of physical play, but not a lot of whistles blown, or fouls called.
Edwards: Yeah, that’s the Big Sky. The Big Sky is a very physical and combative conference. We have to be able to adjust and right now, we’ve played a Big Sky team in three games with all three positive results. So, you’ve got to deal with and manage it to be successful when you play Big Sky teams that are very physical.
Question: You have another Big Sky matchup on Sunday when you travel to Northern Arizona. What are your thoughts on them and what do you have to do to get a win?
Edwards: Yeah, they’re battle-tested. They played Arizona State, Grand Canyon, played some Power 5’s. They’re very battle-tested and they’re very prideful at home, so I think for us it’s rest. We played a lot of players today which is good, and then getting a goal early and scoring two goals.
Garnder continues to climb in record books
Scoring a brace in today’s win, SUU’s Whitney Gardner has now tallied 15 career goals and sits fifth on the all-time chart.
Gardner has also racked up 42 points, which puts her in a tie for third place in the record books.
Today’s #RaiseTheHammer athlete from our win over Sac State!#TBirdNation ⚡️ #RaiseTheHammer pic.twitter.com/25qkjGFv17
— SUU Soccer (@SUUSoccer) September 19, 2024
Up next
Southern Utah (2-5-2) heads south for its final non-conference match, traveling to Flagstaff to battle Northern Arizona.
The matchup between former Big Sky Conference foes occurs on Sunday, September 22, and will kick off at 1 p.m. MT. The game can be seen on ESPN+.
Photo credit: Instagram @margauxxpics
