BOISE, Idaho — Utah State soccer (9-6-5, 5-2-3 MW) took down New Mexico in the Mountain West Championship quarterfinal round Sunday afternoon at the Boas Soccer Complex in Boise, winning 1-0. With the win, the Aggies will now advance to the semifinals to face Air Force on Wednesday.
In a game which featured just four combined shots on goal between the sides, the lone goal came in transition, when a takeaway turned into a counter opportunity and a 71st minute goal for the Aggies. Freshman forward Kunie Hirai took possession in the Lobos' side of the field, then got out running. Hirai, a Boise native playing in her hometown, then outran three New Mexico defenders before delivering a left-footer into the bottom right corner of the net to make it a 1-0 game.
Defensively, USU limited New Mexico to just eight shots with two on frame to earn the shutout. The Lobos were held without a single shot in the second half of action.
SCORING SUMMARY
70:48 - Kunie Hirai (USU)
Assist: None
UTAH STATE HEAD COACH MANNY MARTINS:
"Tournament play is a totally different ballgame. I'm really proud of the group. Obviously, we have a lot of young players that this is their first experience in tournament play, so it was a lot of learning that happened throughout the game. In the first half, it felt like we were up against it. We didn't even have a shot on goal. We were out-shot in the first half, but we grew throughout the game. In the second half, our opponent didn't even get a shot, and our young players grew through it. It was great to see Kunie with such a great effort in a goal that was a moment of individual brilliance. I'm really happy that we get to play on Wednesday."
MATCH NOTES
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With the win, Utah State advances to its third-straight Mountain West Championship semifinal round, and its sixth all-time. USU won the tournament each of the past two years.
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With the win, Utah State is now 8-4-2 all-time in Mountain West Championship matches.
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Utah State out-shot New Mexico 12-8. Each side recorded two shots on frame.
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Utah State has now had as many or more shots than its opponent in 18 of 20 games this season.
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Senior forward Tess Werts led the Aggies with a team-best three shots.
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Kunie Hirai's goal was the third of both her career and season.
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Junior goalkeeper Allee Grashoff made her second start of the season, and played all 90 minutes in goal for Utah State. She recorded two saves.
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This was the eighth shutout of the season for the Aggie defense.
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Under head coach Manny Martins, Utah State is now 6-1-1 in Mountain West Championship games.
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With the win, Utah State improves to 5-8-4 all-time against New Mexico.
UP NEXT
Utah State (9-6-5, 5-2-3 MW) will now move on to the Mountain West Championship semifinal round, where the Aggies will face 2-seed Air Force on Wednesday, Nov. 5, at 4 p.m. The match will be streamed free on the Mountain West Network.
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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