USAFA, Colorado — Utah State soccer (3-6-1, 0-1 MW) suffered a loss in its Mountain West opener, falling on the road to Air Force 1-0 Thursday evening at Cadet Soccer Stadium. 

In a match which was decided by a penalty kick goal, Utah State struggled to finish possessions despite creating 14 shots in the match, tied for its second-most in any game this season. 

After holding Air Force to just one shot on frame in the first half hour of action, a foul near the edge of the box by USU junior defender Addy Symonds-Weichers set the Falcons up with a 31st minute penalty kick. Graduate goalkeeper Diera Walton got a hand on the shot, but was unable to keep it out of the back of the net as AF took 1-0 advantage. 

The Aggie defense continued to hold strong, led by a season-high seven saves by Walton, but the early goal proved to be too much to overcome as USU dropped its first conference-opener since 2020. 

In total, Utah State outshot Air Force 14-12, while taking six shots on goal to the Falcons' eight. Four different Aggies recorded multiple shots in the contest, including two on frame from the team's leading scorer, freshman midfielder Summer Diamond. 

Utah State now remains in Colorado Springs to face Colorado College on Sunday, Sept. 24, at 12 p.m. The match will be streamed on Mountain West Network, with links to the live stream and stats 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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