Oct. 17, 2008

Box Score | Photo Gallery

LOGAN, Utah - It may not have been pretty, but the result was beautiful as the Utah State soccer team defeated Nevada 4-3 on Friday at Chuck and Gloria Bell Soccer Field to improve to 3-0 in Western Athletic Conference play. For the first time this season, Utah State is above .500 with an 8-7-1 overall record. The tough Wolfpack fell to 1-11-2 this season and 1-2 in WAC play.

This is the first time that the Aggies have started 3-0 in conference play. This includes Utah State's three previous seasons in the WAC and nine seasons in the Big West Conference.

"I feel really fortunate," Aggie head coach Heather Cairns said. "This was one of those games where individually we didn't play so well, but what we did show was a lot of character and a lot of fight. We were fortunate that the clock ran out when it did. We were the aggressors in every score, and every time we let them back in, and they had an answer."

Utah State got on the board first in the 23rd minute when Marissa Sanchez scored her second goal of the season unassisted from four yards out. Sanchez was one of five different Aggies to earn a point in the back and forth win.

Nevada would tie the score at 1-1 in the 35th minute, when Karen Zmirak scored her first goal of the season. Zmirak blasted a deep shot from 20-yards out and slipped the ball past senior goalkeeper Ali Griffin.

The Aggies once again took the lead in the 41st minute when freshman sensation Shantel Flanary scored her fifth goal of the season. Flanary is second on the team in goals (5) and points (11). Flanary took the pass from sophomore midfielder Heather Pond and took the shot from eight yards out to the lower right corner of the goal. The assist was Pond's second assist of the season.

Once again the Wolfpack tied the scored a 2-2 with under a minute remaining in the first half. Ellie Scott was the second Nevada player to score their first goal of the season when she took Zmirak's corner kick and deposited the ball in the back of the net.

In the 49th minute sophomore Lauren Hansen gave the Aggies a 3-2 lead. Hansen scored her sixth goal of the season by beating the defender and scoring from 10 yards out. Hansen took the pass from junior Sydne Porter who scored her third assist in as many matches. Hansen leads the team in goals (6) and points (14).

Nevada tied the scored for the third and final time in the 60th minute off of Cristen Drummond's second goal of the season. Drummond beat the Aggie defender and shot from six yards out.

The game-winning goal was scored by Porter in the 82nd minute of the match. Porter scored her first-ever game-winning goal off of a free kick. Porter has now scored five points in the last three matches.

"I think in conference games you have to expect the unexpected," Porter said. "We knew it was going to be a battle; we knew that they were going to come out hard. Everyone is coming after us since we are first in the WAC right now. We are the target, so we expected them to play well and go at us hard straight from the beginning."

USU will now play its final home match against Fresno State on Sunday, Oct. 19 at 1 p.m. at Chuck and Gloria Bell Field. The Aggies will honor their seven seniors on Sunday prior to the match. Admission to Utah State soccer matches is free.

Live stats are available for all USU home matches through the women's soccer page on www.utahstateaggies.com, by clicking on GameTracker in the current events box.

SCORING SUMMARYGoal    Time    Team    Goal Scorer         Assists             Description1.  22:10   USU     Sanchez, Marissa (2)  (unassisted)        from four yards out off defender2.  34:40   NEV     Zmirak, Karen (1)   (unassisted)        deep shot from 20 yards out past GK3.  40:31   USU     Flanary, Shantel (5)  Pond, Heather             from eight yards out to the lower rt corner4.  44:33   NEV     Stott, Ellie (1)    Zmirak, Karen       off the CK5.  48:33   USU     Hansen, Lauren (6)   Porter, Sydne         beat defender from 10 yards6.  59:49   NEV     Drummond, Cristen (2) (unassisted)      beat defender from six yards to lower rt CK7.  81:02   USU     Porter, Sydne (1)     (unassisted)        off free kick
Shots by period      1   2   TotalNevada              5   9   14Utah State      5   5   10
Corner kicks         1   2   TotalNevada              2   1   3Utah State      3   1   4
Saves by period      1   2   TotalNevada              1   0   1Utah State      1   2   3
Fouls            1   2   TotalNevada              6   5   11Utah State      3   5   8