One goal from senior Ally Thimsen was all it took Friday night as the Southern Utah University soccer team shutout the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks 1-0 in Flagstaff. Thimsen’s goal was the 20th of her career, setting a new all-time goal scoring record for the SUU soccer program.
“Overall, I thought the entire fight was fantastic,” SUU head coach Fred Thompson said. “Players stepping up and taking care of the ball, and it being our first shutout of the season is a big deal, we haven’t head one and we were on the road. And no matter what people say, it’s always tougher on the road.”
Thimsen’s goal came in the 21st minute of play when a pass from Brielle Bourgeois found its way through two defenders and right to the right foot of Thimsen. Thimsen dribbled into the box and beat the Northern Arizona goalkeeper to the left to put the Thunderbirds up 1-0.
“She was just happy to contribute,” Thompson said about Thimsen’s mindset during the course of the match. “Right now we’re really just focusing on pulling together as a team and making sure that we give our very best performance, leave it all on the field and look each other in the eye after a game and say ‘I did everything I could today’, and that’s our focus for this weekend.”
The Thunderbird defense tightened up in the second half allowing just five shots on goal after allowing the Lumberjacks to take 11 shots in the first half. Kaitlyn Caldera finished the match with 11 saves, tying a career-high she set in the Thunderbirds’ win over Idaho earlier in the season. This was Caldera’s first shutout of the season and of her career as a Thunderbird.
The win over the Lumberjacks moves the Southern Utah to 5-12 on the season and 4-5 in conference play. They are now in a three-way tie for the fifth seed in the Big Sky tournament with Northern Arizona and North Dakota.
The Thunderbirds will close out the 2017 regular season on Sunday against Sacramento State in California. Kickoff is set for 2:00 p.m. Mountain time.
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Story By
SUU Strategic Athletic Communications
