The Southern Utah University women’s soccer team will open up a Texas road trip this week by taking on the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros on Thursday, Oct 5. Their next game will be on Sunday, Oct. 8, against the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks.
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
The Vaqueros come into this matchup with a 3-7-2 overall record and a 1-3 conference record. This could be a good matchup for the Thunderbirds, as they hold a 0-7-5 overall record and a 0-2-1 conference record.
UTRGV is coming off a 4-1 loss to Utah Valley University and are looking to snap a three-game losing streak. Ana Recarte-Pacheco and Linnea Eld have led the scoring with two goals apiece; no one else on the team has scored more than one. Time in the net has been primarily split between freshman goalkeepers Emilia Compian and Anais van Doesburg, who have save percentages of .647 and .733, respectively.
The game will take place at 5:30 p.m. MDT and can be streamed on ESPN+.
Stephen F. Austin
This could be another potentially winnable game for the Thunderbirds, with the Lumberjacks currently hold a record of 1-11-1 overall and are 0-3-1 in conference play. The Lumberjacks also find themselves with some internal turmoil after firing head coach Tony Minnata, replacing him in the interim with assistant coach Chance Chapman.
Opponents have outscored SFA 42-5 through their 13 games so far. With two under her belt, Jayme Bailey is the only Lumberjack who has scored more than one goal. Their go-to goalkeeper, Lydia Sattler, has a .582 save percentage. With 46 total saves, she averages 5.11 saves per game.
This game will be held at 11 a.m. MDT and can be streamed on ESPN+.
Southern Utah
The Thunderbirds have several players to be on the lookout for in these upcoming matches. Redshirt sophomore Whitney Gardner leads the team in goals with three, and also in assists with four on the season
Another area to watch for Southern Utah will be the goalkeeping, with sophomore Julia Ortega taking most of the minutes at goalie. Ortega is currently No. 2 in the Western Athletic Conference in total saves with 68, and her 5.67 saves per game also puts her second in the WAC.
Author: Aidan Mortensen
Photos courtesy of SUU Athletics
Editor: Anden Garfield
sports@suunews.net
