LOGAN, Utah — Utah State soccer (3-3-2, 0-0-0 MW) earned a shutout victory in its home non-conference finale Thursday afternoon at Chuck & Gloria Bell Field, defeating in-state foe Utah Valley 2-0.
The Aggie defense played a major role in the victory, holding one of the nation's top scoring offenses to just a single shot on goal. Utah State was the aggressor from the start, tallying nine first half shots to UVU's four, but through 45 minutes the sides were scoreless.
Utah State got on the board in the 58th minute when a cross just off the endline from senior forward Tess Werts found senior midfielder Summer Diamond near the top of the 18-yard box. Diamond needed just a single touch to find the bottom left corner of the net, giving the Aggies a 1-0 advantage.
In the 77th minute, that became a 2-0 lead when freshman midfielder/forward Hadli Barrera netted the first goal of her college soccer career. A cross into the box set up sophomore forward Mia Mullenmeister for a shot, which ricocheted off of the Utah Valley keeper and directly back to Barrera, who slid into the ball to extend the Aggie advantage.
SCORING SUMMARY
57:19 - Summer Diamond (USU)
Assist: Tess Werts
76:36 - Hadli Barrera (USU)
Assist: Mia Mullenmeister
UTAH STATE HEAD COACH MANNY MARTINS:
"I'm really proud of our performance. Everyone worked hard, it was a collective effort. We really tapped into our game changers, and they came in and contributed. Hadli getting a goal, Mia getting an assist. When we can tap into our depth, it's really going to help us get the results we want. That was a very good team that scores in bunches, and today, we didn't only keep them from scoring but they had one shot on goal. That's a good performance from our team."
MATCH NOTES
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Utah State out-shot Utah Valley 16-9, including seven shots on goal to just one.
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Utah Valley entered the game averaging 2.13 goals and 6.50 shots on goal per contest.
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10 different Utah State players recorded shots in the contest, including a team-high three for senior forward Tess Werts.
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Diamond's goal was her team-best second of the season, and the 11th of her career.
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Barrera's goal was the first of her career.
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Werts has now recorded assists in three-straight contests, and leads the team in assists this season.
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With the assist today, Werts moves into a tie with Jessica Brooksby (2013-16) for third in program history in career assists with 18.
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Utah State senior keeper Taylor Rath played all 90 minutes in goal, earning the shutout and the win while making one save.
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Rath was one of four USU players to play all 90 minutes, along with freshman defenders Summer Sofonia and Capriel Winder, sophomore midfielder Kaeda Wilson.
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With the win, Utah State improves to 8-2 all-time against Utah Valley, including a 5-1 record in matches played in Logan.
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Utah State has won three-straight meetings versus UVU, and five of the past six.
UP NEXT
Utah State (3-3-2, 0-0-0 MW) will now head on the road to conclude Mountain West play when the team plays at Portland on Saturday, Sept. 20, at 8 p.m. (MT). The match 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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