LOGAN, Utah — Utah State soccer (7-5-5, 4-1-3 MW) earned a commanding win Thursday night at Chuck & Gloria Bell Field in Logan, defeating Nevada 6-1. All six of Utah State's goals came at the feet of underclassmen, led by the first-career brace for sophomore forward Mia Mullenmeister.
Despite controlling the first half to the tune of a 9-3 advantage in shots for Utah State, just one of the game's seven total goals were scored in the first 45 minutes. A perfectly-placed pass in the 32nd minute by freshman forward Kunie Hirai split a pair of Wolf Pack defenders and found fellow freshman forward Hadli Barrera, who capitalized with a right-footer into the back of the net.
Just minutes after the halftime break, Mullenmeister found her first goal of the night when a misplayed ball by Nevada's keeper set Mullenmeister up to turn and shoot on an open net to make it 2-0. Nevada's lone goal of the night came in the 54th minute, but was quickly followed by Mullenmeister's second goal in the 58th minute, as she cleaned up on a deflected penalty kick to score and give USU a 3-1 advantage.
In the 68th minute, Hirai sent a ball far down the left sideline to freshman forward Samantha Sellers, who outran her defender before tapping in the fourth goal of the night for the Aggies. Utah State made it 5-1 in the 74th minute when a corner kick by Barrera met the head of sophomore midfielder Kaeda Wilson, who then sent it past the keeper for the first goal of her career.
The final goal of the night came in the 82nd minute on a well-placed center from sophomore forward Ellie Hendrix into the box for Hirai, who capped off a career-night with a goal.
SCORING SUMMARY
31:28 - Hadli Barrera (USU)
Assist: Kunie Hirai
48:38 - Mia Mullenmeister (USU)
Assist: None
53:13 - Maddie Benson
Assist: None
57:47 - Mia Mullenmeister (USU)
Assist: Rine Yonaha
67:03 - Samantha Sellers (USU)
Assist: Kunie Hirai
73:33 - Kaeda Wilson (USU)
Assist: Hadli Barrera
81:27 - Kunie Hirai (USU)
Assist: Ellie Hendrix
UTAH STATE HEAD COACH MANNY MARTINS:
"We are in a position where we really have no margin for error as far as what we're trying to accomplish, so we needed a strong performance and it all came together today. It was also great to see our young players really come through. It all started when we made a change and Kunie and Hadli came in and made an impact on their first two touches of the game and scored, then it just became infectious from that point on. I'm really proud of them, and now we just have to keep this going."
MATCH NOTES
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This was Utah State's second-best scoring performance of the season, only behind the team's 7-1 win over Fresno State on October 9.
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Utah State's six goals are tied for the eighth-most in a match in program history.
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Utah State recorded a season-high 27 shots, tied for ninth-most in program history.
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Utah State out-shot Nevada 27-6, including a 17-4 advantage in shots on goal.
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This is the 15th time in 17 games USU has recorded as many or more shots than its opponent this season.
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Senior forward Tess Werts led Utah State with seven shots, including a career-high-tying four shots on goal.
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Mia Mullenmeister's goals were her third and fourth of the season, and the sixth and seventh goals of her career.
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This was Mullenmeister's first-career multi-goal game.
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Hadli Barrera's goal was the third of both her season and career.
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Samanthe Sellers' goal was the second of both her season and career.
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Wilson's goal was the first of both her season and career.
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Hirai's goal was the second of both her season and career.
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Junior goalkeeper Allee Grashoff made her first start of the season, playing all 90 minutes in net for Utah State and making three saves.
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With the win, Utah State improves to 17-7-1 all-time against Nevada, including a perfect 11-0-0 record at home in the series.
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Utah State now has wins in seven of the past nine meetings versus Nevada.
UP NEXT
Utah State (7-5-5, 4-1-3 MW) will play its final home match of the season when it hosts San José State on Sunday, Oct. 26, at 12 p.m., at Chuck & Gloria Bell Field. The match will be streamed on Mountain West Network.
TICKETS
Fans can purchase season tickets now here. Adult season tickets are available for $100, while youth can gain access to all games by joining the Junior Aggie Kids Club for $40. All seating at Chuck and Gloria Bell Field is general admission. Seating in the stadium bleachers is first come, first served. Fans are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets for grass and berm seating.
FOLLOW
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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