Utah Soccer Hangs On To Top Seattle 4-3

Friday, October 24

Salt Lake City, Utah

7:00 PM

University of Utah

Seattle University

10/24/2008 12:00 AM | Soccer

Oct. 24, 2008

Box Score

SALT LAKE CITY - The University of Utah soccer team (8-8-2) took down Seattle (8-4-3) Friday night at Ute Field by a 4-3 score. Sophomore forward Lauren Hair (Alpine, Utah) led the offensive charge with a pair of goals, including a left-footed gem for the game-winner.

"I thought we played very well in stretches tonight," said Utah head coach Rich Manning. "I was pleased with the way we played in those spells. Our concentration faded at times and we kind of lost focus of what we were trying to do. We played a lot of players tonight, which was certainly part of it, we were changing things around so much. Given the circumstances, the opportunity to play a good non-conference opponent at home will help us stay sharp for our last two conference games and the conference tournament."

Hair's second goal of the contest, the eventual game-winner, came in the 66th minute and gave the Utes a 4-2 lead. Freshman forward Chelsea Forbes (Bountiful, Utah) carried the ball down the center of the field and played a perfectly weighted ball into the left side of the penalty box, where Hair was able to run on and bury a left-footed strike in the upper right-hand corner of the net. The goal was Hair's second of the game, while the assist was Forbes' second of the contest.

"Chelsea played an amazing ball in for me," said Hair. "It was good to a ball that I could be dangerous on, she played it in perfectly. The keeper had come off her line a little and I knew I had to get it over her, so I just lined it up and hit it hard."

Forbes had broken the ice on the game just seven minutes in, finding the goal for the second time this year. Junior midfielder Kelly Isleib (Park City, Utah) took a shot that was saved by Seattle goalkeeper Madison Goverde and fell fortuitously in front of Forbes, who wasted no time sticking it in the back of the net for the 1-0 Utah lead. Isleib was credited with her team-leading fifth assist and 17th point of the season.

Senior forward Katy Reineke (Salt Lake City) gave the Utes a 2-0 advantage in the 27th minute, scoring a well-placed right-footed shot into the bottom left-hand corner of the Redhawk goal. Forbes slotted the ball through the Seattle back line into the stride of Reineke, who one-timed it past Goverde. The goal was Reineke's fifth of the season.

Seattle cut the lead to 2-1 in the 38th minute of play as Pfeiffer Bloecker lofted a ball over the head of Utah senior netminder Amy Edman (Salt Lake City), who had come on in place of freshman starter Hannah Turpen (San Clemente, Calif.). Kassandra Riozzi knocked a long ball that ricocheted off a Utah defender's head and dropped in front of Bloecker. Edman charged off her line toward the ball but Bloecker won the foot-race and volleyed it up and over Edman for the score.

Just before halftime, Hair gave the Utes another two-goal edge, converting a penalty kick in the 43rd minute to send Utah into the locker room up 3-1 at the half.

Seattle refused to give in, pulling another goal back after the half to cut it back down to a one-goal Utah advantage in the 58th minute. Jamie Coe passed the ball out wide to Kara Kuttler, who crossed it from the right side into the Utah box. Kahlyn Keilty-Lucas and a Utah defender each slid and reached the ball simultaneously, but it was Lucas who got a foot on it and found the back of the net to make it a 3-2 game.

After Hair's second goal put the Utes up 4-2, Kuttler gave the Redhawks one last hope of tying the game as she scored their third goal of the contest. Bloecker beat her defender one-on-one from the left side, crossed it across the Utah penalty box and found the streaking Kuttler, whose one-timer made it a 4-3 score.

That was the last charge the Redhawks could muster as Utah walked away with a 4-3 victory and pulled its record back to .500 heading into the final two games of the season.

Utah outshot Seattle 19-14 overall, with shots on goal an even 7-7. Corner kicks went 7-5 in favor of the Utes, while fouls went 7-6 against Seattle. Goverde made three saves in the Seattle net while Turpen, Edman and junior Emalee Rogers (Centerville, Utah), the goalkeeper of record in the win, combined to make four saves for the Utes.

Utah used a total of 21 different players in the contest.

"Tonight we played a lot of players who may not have seen much action lately but are very important to our team," said Manning. "It is critical that they stay sharp, they need to be on top of their game as we head into the last part of our season. Some of them performed very well tonight."

The Utes are back in action Sunday at 1 p.m. as they take on Wyoming at Ute Field. The game will be televised live on the mtn.