USU Soccer Spooks Hawai`i Earning Share of WAC Regular-Season Title

On Halloween, senior forward Lauren Hansen chose a hat trick instead of a treat as the Utah State [University] soccer team ended the regular season with a 4-0 win over Hawai`i Sunday [Oct. 31] at Chuck and Gloria Bell Soccer Field.

 

The win gave the Aggies the share of the Western Athletic Conference regular-season title with San Jose State. This is the Spartan’s second-straight WAC crown. It is Utah State's second WAC crown after also earning the honor with a perfect 7-0-0 regular-season record in 2008. USU will be the second seed in the upcoming WAC Tournament because SJSU defeated the Aggies earlier this season.

 

The Aggies also celebrated Senior Day as midfielders Stefani Shiozaki, Heather Pond and forward Lauren Hansen played their final home match. The trio are one of the winningest classes in Utah State history, winning 42 matches in their career, which is second to the 43 wins of the 2009 class. They are also the first Utah State class to have a winning record all four seasons.

 

On top of Utah State's first hat trick since 2007, Hansen also set two other milestones. With her first goal, she became the all-time leader in points scored. She was tied with Jayme Gordy (1997-2000) in career points with 77. With her second goal, Hansen became the all-time goal leader, also passing Gordy who scored 35 goals in her Aggie career. Hansen ended the match with 37 goals and 84 points. With her assist, she tied the school record for points in a game with seven.

 

"There was a lot at stake today, and I think the team responded well to that today,” said Heather Cairns, USU head coach. “It was great for the team to send the seniors out as the only team to have a winning record in all four years in our record books. I told the team in pre-game that is something I want all of them to have on their resumes. If you are a freshman or a junior, if we keep this up all of you are going to have that opportunity and be in the history book that way. There was so much opportunity to be had today and I thought the girls did a really good job of seizing that."

 

The Aggies are now 9-6-5 overall and 5-2-1 in the WAC. The Rainbow Wahine end the season 3-14-3 overall and 1-5-2 in WAC action and will not advance to the WAC Tournament.

 

Hansen and the Aggies wasted no time getting on the board, as in the second minute freshman forward Mari Miyashiro got the ball to senior Heather Pond who passed the ball to the foot of Hansen. The senior forward took an 18-yard shot and deposited to the left corner.

 

In the 16th minute, Hansen was at it again, getting another assist from a senior. Stefani Shiozaki recorded her ninth career assist with a corner kick. Her kick reached the head of Hansen, who put the ball in the back of the net to give USU a 2-0 lead. Hansen would add one more goal before the half ended. In the 21st minute, Hansen scored her 12th goal of the season when junior forward Shantel Flanary popped the ball over a Rainbow Wahine defender and Hansen drilled her second long goal of the day.

 

"I don't think you could have planned today any better with having family here and being Senior Day,” Hansen said. “You can not make it any better with the assists from seniors; it couldn't be written any better. It is a huge accomplishment with the whole team coming together to make this season and watch everyone work together. I think that is why we have been so successful."

 

In the second half, Utah State added one more goal to take a 4-0 lead. Flanary took a Hansen pass and flicked in the goal from six-yards out.

 

Junior goalkeeper Molli Merrill logged her eighth shutout of the season, including her fifth blanking in WAC action. She posted three saves, which all came in the first half, as the Aggie defense stymied the Hawai'i offense. Merrill is now tied with former teammate Ali Griffin for No. 2 USU's single-season shutouts list, as Griffin recorded eight clean sheets in 2006. Megan Mills is the school record holder with 10 in 2003. Merrill also now has 11 career shutouts, sitting at No. 3 on the Aggies' career shutouts list.

 

USU had a 23-9 shots advantage, including eight on goal compared to three for UH. The Aggies also had a 9-1 edge in corner kicks.

 

The Aggies will head to Ruston, La., for the WAC Soccer Tournament hosted by Louisiana Tech. The tournament will run Nov. 4-7.

 

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