CEDAR CITY, Utah – The Southern Utah University women’s soccer team battled the defending Big Sky Conference champion, the University of Montana, in their conference opener on Thursday, Oct. 1, at the Thunderbird Soccer Field. After a hard-fought game that saw the Thunderbirds with possession for most of the game, Montana scored in the last five minutes of regulation to win 1-0.
Following this game, Southern Utah has a 3-6-1 standing and a 0-1 conference record. They will look for their first conference win later this week as they battle Portland State University on Sunday, Oct. 4. Montana leaves the game with a 3-6 record and a 1-0 record in conference play.
Although the Thunderbirds kept it scoreless for the majority of the game, a Montana goal was scored with 4:04 remaining, and SUU wasn’t able to answer before the clock ran out.
First half
Southern Utah was able to keep possession of the ball for the majority of the first half, which included six shots by the T-Birds. Gracen Blieschke had two shots that were both on target, but wasn’t able to create a score.
Kayleigh Acree joined Blieschke and had two shots in the first half. Ashlyn O’Malley and Sicily Clark also contributed to the shooting game as they attempted to score.
While the Thunderbirds gave Montana a run for their money in the first half as they generated shots, neither team was able to produce a score. Freshman goalkeeper Tatum Trout had a standout first half with five saves, which brought the half to a close at 0-0.
Second half
Southern Utah came back after halftime ready to attack. Madeline Buczyna and Sophia Memory both contributed attempts in the second half but weren’t able to put the Thunderbirds ahead.
Trout continued to have a great game and ended up blocking nine of Montana’s 10 shots. Trout had a save right before Montana scored, which kept the Thunderbirds in the game as it remained scoreless in a race to see who could produce a goal first.
After a back-and-forth game of missed or saved shots, SUU wasn’t able to tie the game as Montana scored and brought the game to 1-0 in its final minutes. Although the T-Birds weren’t able to produce a win, their scoring attempts and aggressiveness proved they are gearing up for a competitive season of conference play.
Next up
The Thunderbirds are continuing their opening Big Sky Conference weekend by facing off against Portland State University. SUU will host the Vikings at the Thunderbird Soccer Field on Sunday, Oct. 4, at 11 a.m. The match will also be streamed live on ESPN+.
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Author: Lexie Nelson
Photo by SUU Athletics
Editor: Payson Davis
