Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Utah State
Women's Soccer falls to Aggies, 2-1, in opener
8/21/2010 6:58:00 AM | Women's Soccer
SANDY, Utah -- The Weber State University women's soccer team kicked off its 2010 season Friday night on the beautiful pitch of Rio Tinto Stadium -- home of Major League Soccer's Real Salt Lake.
Unfortunately for the Wildcats, the fantastic surroundings didn't translate into a positive result against in-state rival Utah State.
The Aggies found the back of the net twice in the final nine minutes and then held off the 'Cats attempt to rally in the waning moments, garnering a 2-1 victory.
Junior forward/midfielder Ari Wood tallied Weber State's goal in the 89th minute, blistering an 18-yard shot off the underside of the crossbar and into the goal to cut a two-goal deficit to just one. Junior forward Jessie Baddley earned the assist on the play.
The Wildcats, however, would not get off another shot attempt as the Aggies succeeded in running down the final seconds of the clock.
The opening half of the match was fairly even, with Utah State holding a slim 7-4 lead in shots attempted after 45 minutes. Weber State was more accurate in its first frame attempts, placing three of its four shots on goal, compared to just two for the Aggies.
The Wildcats also played 18 players in the first half, substituting liberally to distribute playing time to numerous freshmen players.
Weber State was outshot 10-4 by Utah State in the second stanza, but redshirt freshman goalkeeper Ryann Waldman was able to keep the scoreline level through 81 minutes.
Weber State returns to action on Friday against another in-state rival, traveling south to Provo to face BYU at 7 p.m. at South Stadium.
