Nov. 3, 2013

WATCH LIVE:

MW Tournament Central | Live Stats | Watch Live In New Window

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - - KICKING OFF - Utah State soccer (9-6-4, 5-3-2 MW) travels to Albuquerque, N.M. for its first Mountain West Tournament. The fifth-seeded Aggies will take on the eighth-seeded Wolf Pack of Nevada on Monday, Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. at UNM Soccer Complex.

MW Tournament Notes

Sixth-seeded UNLV (10-8-2, 5-5-0 MW) will take on seventh-seeded Wyoming (7-10-3, 4-4-2) to open the tournament at 4 p.m. on Monday. On Tuesday, Nov. 5, third-seeded Boise State (11-6-3, 6-3-1 MW) will take on the winner of the match between the Rebels and the Cowgirls at 4 p.m. Fourth-seeded New Mexico (8-10-2, 6-3-1 MW) will take on the winner of the match between the Aggies and the Wolf Pack at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

On Thursday, Nov. 7, second-seeded Fresno State (10-7-2, 7-2-1 MW) will be in action at 4 p.m. Top-seeded and regular-season champion San Diego State (11-6-2, 9-1-0 MW) will finally take the pitch at 7 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams earned byes into the semifinal round.

The championship match will be at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 9 with the winner earning the MW's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.

SERIES HISTORY VS. NEVADA - Utah State holds an 8-4 all-time record against Nevada (5-10-4, 3-6-1). On Sept. 27, the Wolf Pack used two second-half goals to defeat the Aggies, 2-0, at Mackay Stadium in the MW opener. Sophomore goalkeeper Jeannie Woller started in goal against the Wolf Pack.

This is the first time that Utah State and Nevada have met in a conference tournament since the Wolf Pack stopped Utah State, 2-0, in the first round of the 2006 WAC Tournament in Reno.

This season, the Wolf Pack have been led by Bobby Reilly who has five goals and one assist for 11 points. Kori Disarufino is second in scoring with four goals and one assist for nine points.

MAKING HISTORY - After the matches last week, two Aggies chiseled their names in the Utah State record book. Senior defender Jessica Hoskin-Killpack is now tied for sixth all-time in matches played with 84. She is just two matches away from tying four different Aggies for first place with 86 matches played. Fellow senior forward Mari Miyashiro has also entered the record book, as she is tied for eighth in matches played with 78. Miyashiro is also 10th in matches started with 69. Hoskin-Killpack is on the brink of breaking into the to 10 in matches started with 67.

AGGIE TOURNAMENT HISTORY - This will be Utah State's first Mountain West Tournament after eight Western Athletic Conference Tournaments. Last season, USU became the first back-to-back WAC champion since SMU won in 2004. The Aggies won both of their WAC titles with 1-0 wins in the final match.

USU IN THE WAC TOURNAMENT2005: L, Fresno State (First Round), 1-22006: L, Nevada (First Round), 0-22007: W, San Jose State (First Round), 4-0; L, Hawai`i (2OT-Semifinals), 0-12008: W, Boise State (Semifinals), 1-0; L, Fresno State (2OT- Finals), 1-22009: L, Boise State (Semifinals), 0-12010: L, Fresno State (Semifinals), 0-12011: W, Idaho (Semifinals), 1-0; W, Fresno State (Finals), 1-02012: W, Seattle (Semifinals), 2-1; vs. Denver (Finals), 1-0

STOPPING THE COMPETITION - Goalkeepers sophomore Jeannie Woller and redshirt-freshman Natalie Stoven have been solid all season. Woller has five shutouts in her six wins this season, while Stoven has earned shutouts in four of her starts. Seven of the Aggies' nine wins this season have come off of shutouts. USU's only wins that weren't a shutout was the 3-2 come-from-behind win on the road against Idaho State on Sept. 7 and a 2-1 win against UNLV on Sept. 29. Woller also earned a shutout in a 0-0 double overtime tie against Cal State Fullerton on Sept. 15, while Stoven has shutout in a 0-0 tie against New Mexico on Oct. 25.

LOGGING IN THE MINUTES - Once again junior defender Taryn Rose is among the leader in minutes played. Rose has played 1,756 minutes in 19 matches this season. Fellow junior defender Brooke Larsen-Leavitt is second on the team in minutes played with 1,586 minutes. Nine different Aggies have played over 1,000 minutes this season. Utah State has played 1,794.35 minutes this season, so Rose has missed only 38 minutes all season.

BY THE NUMBERS - Utah State is nearing the top five in saves in a season in USU history. With 91 saves through the first 19 matches, the Aggies are nine away from matching the 2012 team for fifth all-time with 100 saves. The Aggies nine shutouts this year are tied for fourth. The 2011 team leads the way with 11 shutouts.

Offensively, the Aggies 23 goals this season are the fewest since 2006 when USU found the back of the net 18 times. Last season, Utah State ended the season with 33 goals.

FINDING THE STARTING 11 - Seventeen people have started at least one match this season for the Aggies. Only five players have started all 19 matches in senior Mari Miyashiro and Jessica Hoskin-Killpack and juniors Lexie Morgan and Taryn Rose and Brooke Larsen-Leavitt. There are 10 different players who have played in all 19 matches so far this season. Senior Jennifer Flynn has started only nine games this season due to various injuries.

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS - Utah State has been the heart attack kids this season with eight one-goal matches. USU is 5-3 in one-goal matches. The Aggies have had five 1-0 matches and are 3-2 in those matches. The only losses came against Weber State on Sept. 22 and Fresno State on Oct. 13.

KEEPING TRACK OF THE AGGIES - Free video streaming and live stats for the Aggies' MW Tournament matches will be available by clicking on the "Watch Live" and "Live Stats" links at www.UtahStateAggies.com. Mountain West Tournament and free streaming information can also be found at MW Soccer Tournament Central at http://www.themwc.com/#!/page/championship_w-soccer.

AGGIES IN OPENERS - Utah State soccer entered its third conference since the program started in 1996 against Nevada on Sept. 27. The Aggies were 3-6-0 in Big West openers from 1996-2004. USU was also 5-2-1 in eight Western Athletic Conference openers. Overall, the Aggies are now 8-9-1 in conference openers. Utah State opened Mountain West action, taking on Nevada in its inaugural MW match, falling 2-0. The Aggies and the Wolf Pack have met twice in a league openers with Nevada winning both. The Wolf Pack also defeated Utah State, 1-0, in Reno in 2009. The Aggies are 3-6-1 on the road in conference openers since 1996.

AGGIES IN MOUNTAIN WEST OPENERS2013 -- at Nevada, L, 0-2Total: 0-1-0
AGGIES IN WAC OPENERS2005 -- Louisiana Tech, W, 2-02006 -- at Louisiana Tech, W, 2-12007 -- at Idaho W, 4-02008 -- Idaho W, 4-02009 -- at Nevada L, 0-12010 -- Louisiana Tech, W, 1-02011 -- at Hawai`i, L, 1-22012 -- at New Mexico State, T, 0-0Total: 5-2-1
AGGIES IN BIG WEST OPENERS1996 -- at North Texas, L, 0-11997 -- at Pacific, L, 1-61998 -- Cal State Fullerton, L, 1-41999 -- Cal Poly, W, 4-32000 -- at Idaho, W, 1-02001 -- at Long Beach State, L, 1-32002 -- Long Beach State, L, 1-32003 -- Cal State Northridge, W, 3-02004 -- Cal State Northridge, L, 0-1Total: 3-6-0

AROUND THE LEAGUE - Sophomore goalkeeper Jeannie Woller is tied for fourth in the Mountain West in saves (65). She is also tied for fourth in shutouts (5) and second in saves per game (5.00). She is also fourth in the MW in goals against average (1.11). Senior forward Jennifer Flynn is tied for ninth in points with nine and tied for eighth in goals with four.

As a team, Utah State is tied for fifth in goals scored with 23 and sixth in points with 62. San Diego State and Wyoming lead the MW in points scored with 78.

IN LIVING COLOR - This season, the Mountain West and Utah State have teamed together to provide streaming for many MW matches, including all of the Aggies remaining home matches. Fans can watch the stream along with announcer Reed Capener for free by clicking on the "Watch Live" link on the main page of the Utah State web site at www.utahstateaggies.com.

GETTING EVERYONE INVOLVED - In Utah State's 19 matches, 16 different Aggies have earned a point. Juniors Taryn Rose, Lexie Morgan, Kylie Dibb and Lauren Roundy have found the back of the net, along with freshman Jessica Brooksby, sophomore Maris Hamblin and seniors Jennifer Flynn, Mari Miyashiro and Shay Haddow. Sophomore defender Lexie Henrie scored her first collegiate goal against Boise State on Nov. 1. Freshman Jayne Robison, sophomore defender/midfielder Sarah Lorscheider, Jessica Hoskin-Killpack, Roundy and junior Brooke Larsen-Leavitt also added assists along with junior forward Ambryn McCallson. Robison scored her first goal of the season against UNLV on Sept. 29. Flynn became the first Aggie to four goals with a goal against SJSU on Oct. 13. Dibb and Flynn are now tied for the team lead in goals with four.

MAKING MORE HISTORY - With three shutouts to start the season, Utah State made history. This is the first time in program history that the Aggies have started the season with three-straight shutouts. The defense, behind the stellar play of sophomore goalkeeper Jeannie Woller, has allowed 15 goals this season. So far this season, Utah State recorded shutouts against Creighton (3-0), Utah Valley (1-0) and UTEP (1-0). The Aggies then added a 0-0 road shutout against Cal State Fullerton on Sept. 15 and a 1-0 win over Wyoming on Oct. 6. Natalie Stoven has also earned four shutouts this season.

GAMETRACKER - Fans can follow all the Aggie home matches through the USU web site at www.UtahStateAggies.com via GameTracker, a free service, which updates play-by-play and statistics throughout the game.

THREE EARN ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST HONORS - Senior forward Jennifer Flynn led the charge as three Utah State soccer players earned all-Mountain West honors Sunday. Flynn earned first-team honors, while junior defenders Taryn Rose and Brooke Larsen-Leavitt were named to the second team. All-MW teams and individual awards were selected by the league's 11 head coaches and announced Sunday prior to the conference tournament starting Monday.

Senior forward Jennifer Flynn, from Draper, Utah, earned her third all-conference honor after earning all-Western Athletic Conference honors twice. This is Flynn's first time earning first team honors. In Mountain West matches, the senior was tied for first in scoring with three goals for six points, despite missing time due to injury.

Junior defender Taryn Rose earned her third-straight second-team honor after being named to the all-WAC second team in 2011 and 2012. Rose, a native of North Salt Lake, Utah, was also the 2011 WAC Freshman of the Year. Rose was one of the leaders of the Aggie backline that allowed only seven goals in league play.

Junior defender Brooke Larsen-Leavitt also earned second-team honors for her strong defensive play. This is the first all-conference honor for the Springville, Utah native. She has started every match this season and added one assist in MW matches.

LAST TIME OUT - On a day honoring Utah State's five seniors, it was the young guns that helped the Aggie soccer team battle to a 1-1 double overtime tie with Boise State Friday at Chuck and Gloria Bell Soccer Field. It was USU's final regular-season match of the season.

Prior to the match, Utah State honored seniors Jennifer Flynn, Shay Haddow, Jessica Hoskin-Killpack, Mari Miyashiro and Jackie Tillotson-Clark.

With the tie, Utah State ends the regular-season with a 9-6-4 overall and 5-3-2 in the Mountain West, while Boise State is 11-6-4 overall and 6-3-1 in league standings. USU has 17 points, while BSU has 19 earning a first-round bye in the MW tournament. The tournament begins Monday, Nov. 4 in Albuquerque, N.M.

USU is now 0-2-4 in extra time this season with four of those matches coming at home.

Despite the strong Utah State start, it was Boise State that found the back of the net first. In the 21st minute, Kayla Tucker fired off a shot from inside that redshirt-freshman Natalie Stoven stopped with a diving save. The save got away from Stoven and Tucker delivered the rebound to the back of the net for her fourth goal of the season.

It looked as if the Broncos would enter halftime with a 1-0 lead before sophomore defender helped brighten senior day. Henrie scored her first collegiate goal from deep in the 44th minute to tie the score. Off the Utah State free kick, the ball went off a Bronco defender before Henrie took charge, tying the score right before halftime.

O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN! - The Utah State squad has voted on a pair of captains for the 2013 season, including seniors Shay Haddow, Jennifer Flynn and junior Taryn Rose.

THE NEW CREW - There are 12 newcomers on the 2013 roster, including two transfers. Sophomore Katie Flynn , who is the sister of all-WAC forward Jennifer Flynn, joins the team this season as a transfer from Idaho State. Junior midfielder/forward Kelsey Burke come to Utah State from Foothill College. Utah State has 10 freshmen on the roster this season eight of which hail from the Beehive State.

AGGIES TIED FOR THIRD IN PRESEASON MW POLL - Utah State soccer was picked to finish in a tie for third with UNLV in the Mountain West Conference Preseason Poll, as voted on by the 11 Mountain West head women's soccer coaches. The Aggies and Rebels were both picked to finish third with 77 points.

Defending champion San Diego State was picked as the favorite to win the 2013 MW regular-season title. The Aztecs collected nine first-place votes and 99 total points. New Mexico was second with 86 points and one first-place vote.

Boise State (61 points) and Fresno State (52 points), finished fifth and sixth, respectively. Wyoming (45 points) was chosen seventh, while Nevada (43 points) and MW newcomer San José State (31 points) were picked eight and ninth, respectively. Air Force (20 points) and first-year program Colorado State (12 points) rounded out the standings.

The Aggies return 17 letterwinners and eight starters from last year's team that finished 13-3-6 and captured their second-straight WAC Tournament title, while reaching their second NCAA Tournament in as many years.

This is the Aggies' first season in the Mountain West after eight seasons in the Western Athletic Conference. During its time in the WAC, USU won four league titles in the last five season, including WAC Tournament titles.

HEAD COACH Heather Cairns - In her 11th season at Utah State is Heather Cairns, who became the winningest coach in school history after recording her 27th career victory on Sept. 30, 2006, defeating Eastern Washington 1-0. In her 10 seasons at the helm of the Aggies, Cairns has compiled a 112-84-29 (.562) record passing former head coach Stacy Enos (1996-2000) who went 26-59 (.306) in five seasons with the Aggies.