Two Southern Utah rivals battled on Saturday afternoon with a spot in the WAC Tournament on the line, with the Trailblazers securing a 4-0 win.
In the final match of the campaign, Utah Tech came out firing early as they looked to notch a rivalry victory and punch its ticket to the conference tournament.
The Trailblazers took an early lead in the seventh minute. The early goal put the visitors on a path to victory, and the T-birds were unable to respond with the season on the line.
Utah Tech took a 2-0 lead in the 33rd minute courtesy of a Kyah Le goal. They added a third of the half just five minutes later, taking a 3-0 advantage into the halftime break.
SUU played much better in the second frame, creating more chances on goal and ending the match with more overall shot attempts (11-9) and shots on target (8-6).
The Thunderbirds weren’t able to get a goal back though, and several saves from Utah Tech’s Brianna Frey kept the shutout intact for the visitors.
The Trailblazers added a fourth goal in the 60th minute, securing a 4-0 win and the sixth and final spot in the WAC Women’s Soccer Tournament.
With the defeat, the season comes to an end for SUU. The T-birds just missed out on a conference tournament bid, finishing with an overall record of 2-10-5 (0-5-2 WAC).
Coach Edwards post-match
Following the match, I spoke with SUU head coach Kai Edwards, who gave his thoughts on the team’s performance and the season.
Question: What were your thoughts on the match? It was a win-and-in scenario (to the conference tournament), but that didn’t happen.
Edwards: The better team performed better today. Credit to (Utah) Tech, third straight conference tournament, so credit to them. They played like the team that should be in the tournament.
Question: You fell into a (3-0) hole that was hard to get out of in the first half, but the second half had a lot more chances. But like a lot of matches this season, there were chances that weren’t converted despite taking more shots than the opponent. So, I guess what are your thoughts on the overall finishing quality?
Edwards: That side (offense) is definitely on me, right? So, I think it’s demanding the most out of them. In the spring, we’ll play another tough schedule. We’re working on (playing) some Big Ten schools in California and stuff like that, so we’ll continue to put them in competitive environments so that when we’re in the situation next year, they’re comfortable in them.
Question: You just missed out on the conference tournament on the last day of the season. I know it just ended, but what are your thoughts on the season overall? Are you disappointed?
Edwards: Yeah, we definitely grew, but yeah our goal is to make the conference tournament, so it’s definitely disappointing, there’s no silver lining in that. We had a group of incredible seniors who gave absolutely everything while they were here, so it was especially disappointing for them. But I think also for them, and what I just told them the team was is especially the seniors that have been here for four years, they came during COVID without anyone being able to see them live, to a program they didn’t know, and they left the uniform in a more competitive environment and with higher expectations than they took it over with. The reason why it hurts so badly is that the senior group put the program in a position where they should expect to work, compete for conference tournaments (berths), and have winning seasons every year. That’s the standard they raised us to, so for that, I’m blessed.
Question: Any final thoughts as your season comes to an end?
Edwards: I mean, you can’t help but say it’s disappointing, there’s no silver lining. Obviously, that’s soccer. You know, today we win and we’re probably in the conference tournament and feeling great. Instead, we lose and we’re not. That’s the pressure of mid-major Division I soccer is being competitive. You can’t just enjoy the winning, you have to be able to perform when times are hardest. Sometimes we did that this year and sometimes we didn’t, and that lies solely on me. We have 10 months to get it right for next year.
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