Utah Downs Utah State, 2-1
LOGAN, Utah – The Utah women's soccer team defeated the Aggies of Utah State, 2-1, on Thursday night at the Chuck and Gloria Bell Soccer Field. Courtney Talbot scored the game-winning goal in the contest's 83rd minute, lifting the Utes to their second straight victory.
Utah (5-3-1) came out and outshot the Aggies 13-8 in the match. The Utes had goals scored by Taliana Kaufusi and Courtney Talbot. Goalkeeper Chelsea Peterson tallied three saves in the game. Utah controlled possession for 58 percent against Utah State (6-1-1).
"I am proud of our team for finding a way to win against a quality Utah State side today," head coach Hideki Nakada said. "There's a reason they were undefeated coming into this match and they certainly made things difficult for us. We needed to be better in maintaining possession and finding open outlets to play out of their pressure as the game got too transitional for our liking. Two special goals won us the game today and again all the credit goes to our players for finding a way to get the job done."
Utah came out looking to score early in the contest as Haley Farrar and Courtney Talbot had two quality looks. Farrar's shot went wide, while Talbot's shot was saved by the Aggies goalkeeper.
Once Utah State came on the attack, Kami Warner had a shot on goal for the Aggies, but Peterson tallied the save, keeping the game scoreless.
Anna Escobedo looked to put the Utes ahead late in the first half. She found a loose ball and had a shot on target that was saved. Utah and Utah State went scoreless into halftime.
The Utes' offensive pressure was back in action opening the second half. Just under two minutes into the half, Talbot had a shot that just went wide of goal. Eden Jacobsen followed two minutes later with a shot that went wide right.
In the 50th minute, Utah broke the scoreless tie. With a loose ball floating around the top of the Aggies box, Kaufusi corralled the ball and found space for a shot. She went to the top right corner and scored, putting Utah ahead, 1-0.
Utah State answered right back, and two minutes later, Karstyn Peterson found Ashley Cardozo for a goal, which tied the match at 1-1.
Utah continued to put pressure on the Aggies' goalie as Jacobsen and Farrar put shots on target. Peterson kept the Aggies off the scoreboard for the remainder of the contest as she tallied two saves in the second half.
In the 83rd minute of the contest, the Aggies Alex Day was called for a foul just outside the box. Talbot lined up to take the free-kick for Utah, and she fired a shot on goal that bounced off the crossbar and bounced into the net, putting Utah back on top, 2-1.
The Utes did not allow the Aggies another look for the remainder of the game and came away with a 2-1 victory.
The Utes return to action on Friday, September 24, when they travel to Stanford, California, to face Stanford in the Utes Pac-12 opener. First kick is set for 7 p.m. MT.