LOGAN, Utah — No. 22 Utah State soccer (13-3-3, 6-1-1 Pac-12) defeated San Diego State 2-0 on Thursday night at Chuck & Gloria Bell Field to win the Pac-12 Conference regular season title and secure the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Pac-12 Championship, which the Aggies will host next week.
The Aggies, in their first year as a member of the Pac-12, concluded conference play with a 6-1-1 record to win their fifth overall conference regular season title in program history, and first since winning the WAC title in 2012. USU will now turn its attention to postseason play, looking for a fourth-straight conference tournament championship.
Utah State, which is hosting the inaugural Pac-12 Championship at Bell Field, will play fourth-seed Gonzaga in the semifinal round on Wednesday, Nov. 11, at 7:30 p.m.
On a night in which USU honored its four seniors before the match in a senior night ceremony, it was a senior who scored the game-winning goal for the Aggies. Forward Kate Christian, who scored the game-winning goal as a freshman in Utah State's 2023 Mountain West Tournament championship match against Colorado State, had a heroic performance with a team-best six shots and the game-winning goal.
After a scoreless first half of action, Utah State seemingly broke through with a goal from Christian just 70 seconds into the second half, but following a video review, it was erased for an offside call. Christian wouldn't be denied for long, however. In the 68th minute, she received a pass near the sideline from sophomore defender Capriel Winder and then beat out two Aztec defenders before pinging a shot off the far post and into the back of the net. This was her first goal of the season.
The Aggies, who had just a 7-5 shot advantage in the first half, out-shot SDSU 12-3 in the second half and controlled possession far more following the break. Utah State tacked on a second goal in the 82nd minute courtesy of junior midfielder Kei Yoneda. A corner kick played toward midfield from senior midfielder Summer Diamond found sophomore defender Summer Sofonia, who then placed a perfect pass into Yoneda in the middle of the box. Yoneda needed just a single touch to settle the pass before chipping a right-footer past the keeper to make it 2-0. This was Yoneda's fifth goal of the season.
The Utah State defense, which allowed the Aztecs a few good opportunities early, played a suffocating second half, not allowing a single shot on goal in the final 45 minutes.
Sophomore goalkeeper Ivy Nystrom earned her 11th clean sheet of the season, matching the program's single-season record held by Cora Brendle (2024) and Molli Merrill (2011). As a team, this was USU's 12th shutout of the year.
In total, USU out-shot San Diego State 19-8 with a 9-2 advantage in shots on goal.
SCORING SUMMARY
67:44 - Kate Christian (USU)
Assist: Capriel Winder
81:58 - Kei Yoneda (USU)
Assists: Summer Sofonia, Summer Diamond
UP NEXT
Utah State (13-3-3, 6-1-1 Pac-12) will head into postseason play as it hosts the Pac-12 Championship next week at Chuck & Gloria Bell Field. USU will be the 1-seed and will play 4-seed Gonzaga in the semifinal round on Wednesday, Nov. 11, at 7:30 p.m.
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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