CEDAR CITY – Hosting in-state foe and first-place Utah Valley, SUU soccer fell in a 3-0 contest on Sunday afternoon.
The Wolverines began the match pressing for early chances, and in the first 90 seconds would record two shots on goal.
Southern Utah goalie Esme Barnes would make the stops, but a third UVU shot in the third minute found its way into the back of the net for the 1-0 lead.
SUU would have its first chance in the 14th minute, but a Kayleigh Acree shot was stopped to keep the Wolverines in front.
Utah Valley would outshoot the Thunderbirds for the final 30 minutes of the first half, 5-1, but the score remained the same heading to the break.
Second half
The opening 20 minutes of the second half were a defensive stalemate, as the Wolverines notched the only two shots.
Southern Utah was unable to counter, and in the 68th minute, UVU would take a 2-0 lead via a Josie Shepherd goal.
The T-birds would not register a second-half shot until the 71st minute, and just over a minute later, the Wolverines would make it 3-0.
That scoreline would hold until the final whistle, giving Utah Valley the rivalry win and keeping them at the top of the WAC standings.
Offensively, UVU outpaced the Thunderbirds in shots (14-4) and shots on goal (10-2).
Stepping in for the suspended Jazmyn Brass, Esme Barnes made seven saves in net for Southern Utah.
With the loss, SUU has dropped three straight and sits at the bottom of the table. Despite this, they still find themselves just two points out of fourth place for a WAC Tournament berth.
“We competed hard together. I would have loved a goal, but their goalkeeper (Leah Wolf) made a great save. Esme (Barnes) did well stepping in goal today. We turn to Abilene—time to get organized and ready to score the goals. This (upcoming) weekend has a de facto playoff atmosphere for us.”
Up next
Southern Utah (2-9-2, 1-4-0 WAC) plays a third of a four-match homestand, hosting Abilene Christian on Thursday, Oct. 16.
The game will begin at 3 p.m. MT and can be seen on ESPN+.
Photo courtesy of SUU Athletics.
