Utah State Battles to 1-1 Double Overtime Draw With Creighton Friday

Aggies head coach Heather Cairns faces off against her old squad.

 

LOGAN, Utah - Junior midfielder Jennifer Flynn scored the equalizer in the 32nd minute as the Utah State soccer squad tied Creighton 1-1 in double overtime Friday at Morrison Stadium in Omaha, Neb.

 

Utah State moves to 2-0-1 this season, while the Bluejays are now 0-1-1. This is the fourth-straight season that the Aggies have started at least 2-0-0. In 2011, Utah State won their first nine matches before falling to Tulsa on the road.

 

Head coach Heather Cairns returned to her old stomping grounds as she was an assistant coach for the Bluejays from 1999-2002. She was an assistant coach for Creighton head coach Bruce Erickson.

 

"The girls played really well tonight; the best soccer that have played this season so far. As the game went on we got better; we felt like we got out-played a bit in the first half. In the second half and in overtime, we were really pleased. We just couldn't find that final shot to put in the back of the net," Cairns said.

 

Creighton got on the board first, scoring in the 29th minute. Gabriela Guillen's direct kick found the leg of Brittney Neumann who got the ball past USU senior goalkeeper Ashlyn Mulford. This was the second-straight match that Utah State's opponent scored first after UTEP took a 1-0 lead on Aug. 19 before the Aggies rallied for the 2-1 win.

 

Less than three minutes later, Flynn tied the score. In the 32nd minute, Flynn knocked in her second unassisted goal of the season to knot the score up at 1-1 which is how the first half would end.

 

After USU tied the score, the Aggies continues to push. Redshirt sophomore forward Libby Lundquist fired a shot that was saved by CU goalkeeper Katie Jo Swanson.

 

Early in the second half, the Aggies just missed a chance to take the lead after a shot by junior forward Mari Miyashiro hit the cross bar. Freshman forward Danielle Gaztimbide hit the post in the 84th minute that would have prevented overtime.

 

Mulford played the first 45 minutes in goal for the Aggies, while freshman Jeannie Woller played the remaining 65.  The senior allowed one goal, while making four saves. Woller made one save in her first overtime match.

 

After facing the Bluejays, USU concludes its trip to the Cornhusker State, taking on Omaha on Sunday, Aug. 26 at 11 a.m. (MT). 

 

Live Stats can be accessed through www.UtahStateAggies.com.

 

Fans can follow the Aggie volleyball program at twitter.com/USUSoccer or on facebook at facebook.com/USUSoccer.  Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program at twitter.com/USUAthletics or on facebook at facebook.com/USUAthletics.

 

-USU-