GREELEY, Colo. – Taking on a future conference foe in the first of a two-match road trip, the SUU soccer team secured a 1-1 draw at Northern Colorado Thursday night.
The opening minutes saw the Bears control much of the game, despite the T-birds recording the first two shots of the contest.
It wouldn’t take long for UNC to make its mark during its solid start to the match.
In the 13th minute, the Bears would take a 1-0 lead thanks to a goal from Lexi Tuite.
Now trailing, SUU would find its way into the game over the remainder of the first half. The visitors would tally four shots and earn a pair of corner kicks over the final 30-plus minutes of the opening period, including three shots that forced the Bears’ goalkeeper to make a save.
Despite the shots on target, the score remained 1-0 heading into the halftime break.
Second half
The Thunderbirds continued to push for an equalizer in the second half, with their first shot attempt coming just 14 seconds into the frame.
Then, just under 10 minutes into the half, SUU found its chance for an equalizer.
The T-birds drew a foul in the box, setting up a penalty kick opportunity. Up stepped graduate transfer Aubrie Labno, who sent the ball past the dive of the UNC keeper to make it 1-1 in the 54th minute.
The goal was Labno’s first for Southern Utah, and her first at the NCAA Division I level following a four-year run and an All-American selection at NAIA program Embry-Riddle.
Just a minute after scoring a penalty, the T-birds committed a foul in the box on the other end of the pitch. Northern Colorado had a chance to retake the lead, but the attempt was saved by the reigning WAC Goalkeeper of the Week, Jazmyn Brass.
SUU created a handful of scoring chances over the remainder of the match, but were unable to find the back of the net from open play.
Instead, the match ended in a 1-1 draw, as the T-birds earned their second consecutive result of the young season, including the first away from home.
Southern Utah recorded 12 shots in the game, including three each from Labno and Whitney Gardner. Brass made four saves in goal while facing 16 total attempts from the Bears, highlighted by the penalty kick save that kept the score level.
With the draw, the Thunderbirds improve to 0-2-2 on the year.
“Gritty performance on the road. Our first 10 minutes were lackluster, and they were all over us. The second half, we got after it,” SUU head coach Kai Edwards said.
“With this result, it’s the first result vs. the Bears since 2015 and the first at UNC since 2012. Good performance for the last 70 minutes,” he added.
Up next
Southern Utah (0-2-2) faces Summit League member Denver on Sunday to finish a two-match trip to the Centennial State.
The Thunderbirds and Pioneers will square off at 12 p.m. MT, and the match can be streamed on the Summit League Network via the MidCo Sports Plus platform (subscription required).
Photo courtesy of SUU Athletics.
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