LOGAN, Utah — The Utah State soccer team (1-1, 0-0 MWC) suffered its first loss of the 2023 campaign Sunday afternoon, falling to No. 21 Saint Louis, 2-0.
"This was a tough match. I thought we didn't play well in the first half, I thought we had some nervous energy," said Utah State head coach Manny Martins. "I thought we had a different attitude in the second half, we came out a lot stronger and showed more of our identity. We conceded two goals on set pieces, so that's disappointing, but this is a team that was 20-2 last year, returning everyone, they're probably again going to be one of the best teams in the country and I thought we held our own well and the future is promising."
The Aggies got out to a strong start, registering the game's first three shots with a look by sophomore midfielder Kaitlyn Richins that sailed just over the crossbar in the fourth minute, then shots on target by sophomore forward Tess Werts and junior forward Bizzy Arevalo in the 10th and 12th minutes, respectively.
The Billikens got on the board in the 34th minute with a header by Sophia Stram off of a corner kick, one of eight SLU corners of the afternoon. Saint Louis then gained further separation in the 65th minute once again capitalizing on a corner kick as Hannah Larson found Hannah Sawyer in front of the net to go up 2-0.
The Aggies remained aggressive throughout, outshooting the Billikens 9-5 in the final 45 minutes, but were unable to find the back of the net. In total, USU had 14 shots taken by 10 different players, six of which were on goal.
In net for USU, graduate Diera Walton played all 90 minutes, registering six saves in the contest.
Utah State returns to action this week as it hosts Utah (1-0-1, 0-0 Pac-12) on Thursday, Aug. 24, at 5 p.m. at Chuck and Gloria Bell Field. The match will be streamed on Mountain West Network, with stream and stat links available on utahstateaggies.com.
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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