FRESNO, California - Utah State soccer started fast and kept the pressure en route to a 2-0 win over Fresno State in the team's final road match of the regular season.
"Super proud of the team's ability to bounce back and put together a complete performance," head coach
Manny Martins said. "Today, the team came out determined to improve on Thursday's performance and that's exactly what we did. We scored two very good goals, one directly from the scouting book and one that highlights the depth of quality on this roster."
The Aggies darted out of the gates with a goal in the seventh minute of play. After defending a Bulldog free kick in their own territory, USU sprung on the counter-attack with sophomore
Bizzy Arevalo dribbling from penalty area to penalty area before dumping the ball to senior
Sammie Murdock for the opening goal.
With a one-goal lead in hand, the Aggies sat back in defense to thwart off several equalizing opportunities from the Bulldogs. Freshman goalkeeper ended the match with two saves, both of which came off of Fresno State free kicks deep in Aggie territory.
A red card on Fresno State in the 62nd minute gave Utah State an 11-on-10 advantage for the remainder of the match. The numbers advantage quickly led to an insurance goal as senior
Jordan Foraker launched a shot from 40 yards out into the upper-right corner of the goal to put USU up by two. From there, the Aggies relied on their defense to preserve the clean sheet and the 2-0 victory.
USU outshot Fresno State, 17-7, with a 7-3 edge in shots on goal. The Aggies currently lead the Mountain West in both shots and shots on goal this season.
"Defensively, we were able to minimize a very good team's ability to create chances," Martins said, "and our goalkeeper and back line came up big when needed to preserve the shutout. All in all, it was a great team victory."
With the victory, USU moves to 4-3-1 in conference play. With losses from both San Diego State and Boise State on Sunday, the Aggies now sit in a tie for fourth-place and only three points behind first place.
Utah State (7-5-5, 4-3-1 MW) returns home to Chuck & Gloria Bell Field for a three-match home stand to conclude the regular season, beginning with league-leading San Diego State on Thursday, Oct. 20, at 4 p.m. (MT).
Fans can follow the Aggie soccer program on Twitter, @USUSoccer, on Facebook at /USUSoccer and on Instagram, @USUSoccer. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program on Twitter, @USUAthletics, Facebook at /USUAthletics and on Instagram, @USUAthletics.
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