After a neck-and-neck game on Thursday, Oct. 12, the Southern Utah University soccer team secured their first home win of the season against the Abilene Christian University Wildcats. With the 3-2 win under their belt, the Thunderbirds find themselves 2-3-1 in the conference and 2-8-5 overall. ACU now stands at 2-4 in conference play and 7-7-1 overall.
Thirteen minutes into the game, Thunderbird midfielder Mayu Yamamotoscored the first goal, assisted by Chiaki Takase. ACU followed suit less than five minutes later when Baylie Simon assisted Jillian Beck in making their first goal, tying up the score. The teams stayed at one goal apiece for the rest of the first half.
Near the beginning of the second half, Southern Utah scored their second goal of the game. Steph Roper made a sliding shot into the net just two minutes after being subbed in. Yet again, ACU didn’t let SUU stay in the lead for long. Wildcat forward Jordan Michie made her team’s second goal less than three minutes later.
Just before the game came to a close, in the 84th minute, Ashley Rivera scored the Thunderbirds’ third goal, bringing them up 3-2. The Thunderbirds maintained that lead in the final minutes.
This was a critical win for Southern Utah, helping them pave their way to the playoffs. The Thunderbirds will host another home game on Sunday, Oct. 15, at 12 p.m. against Tarleton State University.
Author: Heather Turner
Photographer: Anden Garfield
Editor: Anden Garfield
sports@suunews.net
