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POCATELLO, Idaho – The Idaho State soccer team scored a season-high three goals Sunday afternoon against a tough Utah State squad in Logan, Utah, however the Bengals were unable to combat four second-half Aggie goals and fell 5-3.
"We made some huge strides today, and I am so proud of our team overall," Head Coach Allison Gibson said. "We still have some major issues to fix, but I'm confident that we will get it done in the next couple of weeks."
Sophomore forward Maria Sanchez led the Bengals with two goals and one assist for her best statistical performance since scoring two goals and tallying one assist against Minot State in her collegiate debut Aug. 22, 2014.
Idaho State (1-6-1) started the match strong, firing off six straight shots in the first seven minutes before Utah State (4-3-1) was able to tally its first shot. The Bengals aggression paid off in the 14th minute as Sanchez found freshman forward Esmeralda Nunez for her first goal of the season.
The Bengals next score came less than seven minutes later as Sanchez found an opening and connected from 15 yards in the 21st minute for the unassisted goal to put ISU up 2-0.
The Bengals prevented the Aggies from getting a shot off over the next 12 minutes, but in the 33rd minute USU's Jayne Robinson found Bailee Hammond who knocked in the Aggies first goal from 18 yards out to cut ISU's lead to one, 2-1.
Both squads fired off a few more shots in the remainder of the first half but neither was able to connect. Idaho State headed into the halftime with a 2-1 lead after outshooting the Aggies 15-5.
Idaho State started the second half strong and recorded four corner kicks and five shots in the first 11 minutes. ISU's Sanchez scored once more in the 57th minute after she followed her own header for a second header that flew straight past Utah State's last line of defense. With just over 30 minutes remaining, ISU led USU 3-1.
The next 30 minutes featured a furious Utah State comeback as the Aggies outshot the Bengals 13-4, including seven shots on goal. Utah State scored in the 59th, 66th, 72nd and 86th minutes to overtake the Bengals and secure the win, 5-3.
"We played one of the best halves of soccer all year in the first half," Gibson said. "Our goal in the second half was to come out and get another goal in the first 10 minutes, which we did. A 3-1 score should more than get it done in a day's work, but we were beat by a more experienced team once again. We just weren't able to hold off the resurgence of Utah State in the second half."
Idaho State heads out on the road once more for their final nonconference matchup of the season against Wyoming, Friday, Sept. 18 at 4 p.m. in Laramie, Wyo.
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