Playing in their final non-conference match, the T-birds secured a scoreless draw in Flagstaff on Sunday afternoon.
Despite playing without four regular starters – including leading goalscorer Whitney Gardner – SUU was able to keep Northern Arizona scoreless while securing a draw in the match.
The Thunderbirds did not create many offensive chances in the game, registering five total shots (four on target).
But the bigger story of the match was the defense, as Southern Utah kept last season’s Big Sky finalist off the scoresheet.
The T-birds played perhaps their best game of the season defensively while absorbing 19 NAU shot attempts – including 10 on goal – to secure yet another positive result against a former conference foe. Goalkeeper Darya Mosallaei played her best game in a Southern Utah kit, saving nine shots in the game.
“Today is our first point on a Sunday this season. The team competed together, and many players stepped up. We had four starters out today down the spine and others stepped up to earn a point on the road at a hard place to play,” SUU head coach Kai Edwards said.
“Being undefeated in four games vs. the Big Sky in non-conference was good to see from the team. It is also good to have a four-point weekend. Two shutouts in our last four games and only two losses in our last seven is a good stat. We turn towards conference play, and everyone is 0-0-0,” he added.
Thunderbird football defeated at Idaho State, conference play next
Time for conference play
SUU now begins conference play after securing five results out of 10 matches in non-conference action.
With eight teams in the Western Athletic Conference, the T-birds will face seven league opponents. They will need to finish in the top six if they are to qualify for this season’s WAC Tournament, something they did last year for the first time in 15 years.
The Thunderbirds will travel for three conference matches, battling the likes of Cal Baptist, Abilene Chrisitan, and Tarleton State. SUU will host the other four league matches at home, taking on Seattle U, Utah Valley, Grand Canyon, and Utah Tech.
This season, the conference tournament will be held at Abilene Christian University and start on Sunday, November 3.
Up next
Southern Utah (2-5-3) now begins the WAC portion of the season’s schedule.
The T-birds will travel to face Cal Baptist on Saturday, September 28, with kickoff slated for 7 p.m. MT. The match can be seen on ESPN+.
Photo credit: Instagram @margauxxpics
