LOGAN, Utah — Utah State soccer (2-2-2, 0-0-0 MW) earned a win over an in-state foe Thursday night at Chuck & Gloria Bell Field, using a pair of second-half goals to defeat Weber State 2-1.
The Aggies dominated possession early on and controlled a scoreless first half, out-shooting the Wildcats 13-1 through the first 45 minutes including the first 12 shots of the night. Weber State's first look didn't come until the 36th minute, a shot which was pushed over the net by Aggie graduate keeper Taylor Rath.
After several strong Aggie looks narrowly missed the mark, USU broke the deadlock in the 65th minute when a well-placed ball near the endline from senior forward Tess Werts found the feet of senior forward Kaylie Chambers, who delivered a right-footer into the back of the net.
Just two minutes later in the 67th minute, USU tacked on another. This time it was sophomore forward Mia Mullenmeister using a single touch off of a high-arching pass from freshman midfielder/forward Hadli Barrera to beat the keeper and make it a 2-0 Aggie lead. Utah State maintained that lead until a defensive breakdown in the 88th minute allowed a Weber State goal.
SCORING SUMMARY
64:12 - Kaylie Chambers (USU)
Assists: Tess Werts, Austin Miller
66:57 - Mia Mullenmeister (USU)
Assists: Hadli Barrera, Kaylie Chambers
87:34 - Sayler Schlosser (WSU)
Assist: Lily Blum
UTAH STATE HEAD COACH MANNY MARTINS:
"I'm really proud of the performance. One of the things we've been talking about all week is that we need to continue to be committed to our processes without being emotionally attached to the outcomes. I feel like the last few games we've started feeling a little bit of tension and tightness because we weren't quite getting the results we wanted. Today it looked like we played a lot more free. There was a lot more personality. We had our front five create more chances, but even then with the chances we created at the end of the first half, it was still 0-0. Late in the half, they had a really good chance and sometimes in this sport, it could have gone the other direction. I thought the team did a great job to not get flustered and not get frustrated, then it paid dividends in the second half."
MATCH NOTES
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Utah State out-shot Weber State 19-6 in the contest, including a 6-5 advantage in shots on goal.
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Kaylie Chambers' goal was her first of the season and the 13th of her career.
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Mia Mullenmeister's goal was her first of the season and the fourth of her career.
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Chambers also recorded an assist, the fourth time in her career she's had a goal and an assist in the same game.
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This was Utah State's first multi-goal game of the season.
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Tess Werts recorded a team-high and career-high eight shots in the contest.
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Sophomore midfielder Rachel Reitz made the first start of her career.
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With the win, Utah State improves to 14-6-1 all-time against Weber State. The Aggies have now won five-straight in the series and 12- of past 14.
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With the win, Utah State is now 126-49-32 all-time at home, including a 31-5-8 record under Martins.
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Taylor Rath played all 90 minutes in goal for USU, recording four saves.
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Along with Rath, two other players played all 90 minutes for the Aggies - freshman defender Summer Sofonia and sophomore midfielder Kaeda Wilson.
UP NEXT
Utah State (2-2-2, 0-0-0 MW) will now return to the road as it travels to Lubbock, Texas, to face Texas Tech on Sunday, Sept. 14. Kickoff is set for noon (MT) and will be streamed on ESPN+.
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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