Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Utah State
Wildcats top Aggies in non-conference finale
9/23/2013 12:50:00 AM | Women's Soccer
LOGAN, Utah – For one Wildcat, this homecoming was a little sweeter than usual.
Sophomore forward Stacy Bair, a Cache Valley native, scored in the 47th minute, lifting the Weber State University women's soccer team to a 1-0 victory over in-state rival Utah State on Sunday afternoon at Chuck and Gloria Bell Field.
Bair grew up in nearby Richmond and played her prep soccer for Sky View High School in Smithfield.
“I seriously couldn't have thought of any better way or place to score a game-winner for us,” said Bair, whose goal was her second of the season and her second match-winner. “I wanted to score in this game more than anything. I knew that to prove myself, I would have to come out strong and show my hometown that I'm still the same Stacy Bair.”
Weber State improved to 4-2-2 with the victory, wrapping up its first winning non-conference season since 2005, and sending the Wildcats into Thursday's Big Sky Conference opener against Montana with a fresh boost of momentum.
“I was impressed with how we started the game today. The girls dictated the pace early on,” Weber State coach Tim Crompton said. “The goal we scored was a nice finish and we were able to stay organized on defense the entire game. It's a good win before heading into conference.”
Sophomore goalkeeper Danielle MacKay earned her first career shutout in goal for the Wildcats. It's also the third shutout of the season for Weber State.
“We all did really well as a team; we played around them a lot,” Bair said. “Both teams were coming off a rough previous game, so we knew we had to come out on top and together as a team and we did just that.”
Weber State outshot Utah State (4-3-2) 10-6 overall, including a 5-0 margin in shots on goal. The Wildcats also commanded possession of the field for the majority of the match, limiting the Aggies to mostly counterattack opportunities.
The two teams went into the break deadlocked at 0-0, but Weber State wasted no time in surging into the led.
Senior midfielder Bailey Eames played the ball into the Utah State box, where it took a short deflection back to Bair and the sophomore smashed it from left to right across the box and into the back of the net.
Weber State snapped a four-match losing streak in the series against the Aggies, coming out on top against their in-state rivals for the first time since 2005, when they claimed a 1-0 win in Ogden.
With the non-conference season in the rearview mirror, Weber State hosts Montana (3-3-3) in both teams Big Sky opener on Thursday. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. at Wildcat Soccer Field. On Saturday, the Wildcats will host Eastern Washington (1-7-0) at Noon.
