CEDAR CITY – Two rivals faced off on Sunday afternoon, with the Utah Tech women’s soccer team edging Southern Utah 2-1 in the WAC opener for both teams.
The Trailblazers would register the game’s first shot in the fourth minute, but it would be the T-birds who nearly found the back of the net first.
In the tenth minute, Sicily Clark dialed up a long-range shot that clanked off the post, keeping the match scoreless for the moment.
Lataya Brost would notch her second shot of the match in the 12th minute for Utah Tech, and just minutes later, the Trailblazers would break through.
In the 17th minute, Kyah Le would collect a ball in the final third and launch a long shot that just snuck under the crossbar and over SUU goalkeeper Jazmyn Brass for the 1-0 lead.
Around 20 minutes later, the Trailblazers would add to their lead. Jocelyn Wright would fire a long-distance shot that Brass was unable to handle, which rolled its way into the net for a 2-0 advantage.
Brass would make a final save right before halftime, as the visitors took the two-goal lead into the break.
Second half
Southern Utah came out firing in the second period and in the 47th minute, cut the deficit in half.
Whitney Gardner would release a pass into the path of Kayleigh Acree, which forced Utah Tech goalkeeper Brianna Frey to come out. Frey would make the initial stop, but the ball fell right back to Acree, who fired it into the back of the net to make it 2-1.
The Thunderbirds continued the onslaught, and in the 54th minute, nearly found the equalizer.
A ball sent into the box found the head of Sarah Assumma, who sent it off the woodwork that narrowly kept the Trailblazers in front.
SUU would continue to control the second half, tallying multiple scoring chances.
In the end, however, they were unable to find a tying goal, and Utah Tech would record the 2-1 win.
The match was tightly contested, as both teams totaled an even number of shot attempts (9) and shots on goal (5). SUU would edge the Trailblazers in corner kick chances (5-3), while Utah Tech’s Brianna Frey recorded 4 saves in net to 3 for Southern Utah’s Jazmyn Brass.
With the win, the Trailblazers improve to 5-3-2 on the season and 1-0-0 in WAC play.
The defeat sends the T-birds to 1-6-2, 0-1-0 in the WAC.
SUU head coach Kai Edwards post-match:
Utah Tech head coach Lexi Brown post-match:
Up next: Southern Utah
SUU (1-6-2, 0-1-0 WAC) heads to the Lone Star State for two games, first battling Abilene Christian on Thursday, Oct. 2
The match between the Thunderbirds and Wildcats is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. MT and can be watched on the ESPN+ platform.
Up next: Utah Tech
Utah Tech (5-3-2, 1-0-0 WAC) travels to Texas for a pair of matches, beginning with Abilene Christian on Thursday, Oct. 2.
Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. MT and can be seen on ESPN+.
Photo credit: Ava Garritano, Utah Tech Athletics.
