Oct. 15, 2010

Box Score | Photo Gallery

LOGAN, Utah - In another hard-fought battle between Utah State and Boise State, the Aggie soccer team earned a 0-0 tie with the Broncos in double overtime Friday and Chuck and Gloria Bell Soccer Field.

The Aggies have now set a record for most ties in a season with their 7-4-5 record. Utah State remains undefeated in Western Athletic Conference action with a 3-0-1 mark. The previous record for ties in a season was four in 2005 when USU was 7-9-4. The Aggies are 4-0-1 in their last five matches. Boise State is now 5-8-2 overall and 2-1-1 in league play.

"When you look at the stats, we had 17 shots. We created some good opportunities. We are hungry in the box as we needed to be. We thought at the end of the second half we were giving their midfield to much space, and I think we came back and really tightened that up well. I think we definitely earned that shutout. It was a typical match against Boise State; it was a hard fought match," USU head coach Heather Cairns said.

Senior forward Lauren Hansen still stands on the cusp of history. Hansen stands alone in second place in career goals scored with 34. She is one goal away from tying Jayme Gordy (1997-2000) for first place in career goals. She still has 77 career points, tying her with Gordy's career total.

The match was very evenly played with Utah State out-shooting Boise State 5-4 in the first half. Both Merrill and BSU goalkeeper Liz Ruiz earned one first-half save. There were only two shots on goal in the first 45 minutes coming off the feet of USU junior forward Shantel Flanary and BSU junior midfielder Chelsea Robinson.

In the second half, it was Boise State who out-shot Utah State 6-5. The Aggies threatened twice at the end of regulation. Junior defender Summer Tillotson's free kick had to be corralled by Ruiz with less than five minutes remaining in regulation. In the 87th minute, a Flanary shot sailed just wide.

The Aggies controlled the first overtime, but were not able to put the ball in the back of the net. Flanary and Hansen took the only two shots of the first overtime.

In the second overtime, Boise State controlled possession much of the final 10 minutes. With less than a minute remaining in the match, the Aggies made one final push. After a Kendra Pemberton corner kick, Hansen had two shots and Flanary had one, but Ruiz came up big for the Broncos and prevented a golden goal.

The Aggies ended the match out-shooting the Broncos 17-12. USU also had a corner kick advantage, 5-3. Boise State and Ruiz ended the 110-minute match with five saves, compared to two by USU's Merrill. The shutout was the seventh this season by the Aggies.

Utah State will conclude its four-match homestand against Idaho on Sunday, Oct. 17 at 12:15 p.m. The Aggies are currently 2-0-1 on this current homestand.

Fans can follow USU soccer at http://twitter.com/USUsoccer and Utah State athletics at http://twitter.com/USUAthletics.