Photo by Jeff Barrett
By Cory McKendrick, USU Eastern Sports Information Contributor
The Utah State University Eastern women’s soccer team played its second double overtime match over the weekend as they hosted the #6 (NJCAA National Ranking) Snow College Badgers on Saturday. The Eagles and Badgers tied 1-1 in a hard-fought battle at Durrant field.
On a windy day in Price, the Eagles, according to head coach Ammon Bennett, “Stuck to the game plan of defending well and keeping Snow off balance.” The wind played a factor on both sides of the ball.
The 0-0 tie was broken with a mere 10 seconds left by the Badgers as they scored on a ball that switched possession a few times in the box and was finally possessed by a Snow forward and put between the posts.
The second half featured a tough and gritty defensive performance from the Eagles. The back line and the keeper kept Snow out of rhythm offensively and had some excellent hustle plays to keep the Badger lead at 1-0.
Defense led to offense for USU Eastern when Brooklyn Anderson had a free kick just inside midfield. The free kick led to a scramble in the box and a nicely played ball from Tasha Kamachi to Claire Boman for the one-touch finisher to tie the game.
Boman’s goal was the last of regulation, forcing the third conference overtime game thus far for the Eagles. The first overtime was controlled well by the Lady Eagles, but both teams had limited scoring chances. The horn sounded bringing the first OT to a close, still tied at one.
A few great opportunities on free kicks were near goals for the Lady Eagles, but not converted to put the game away. The game ended in a tie after the second overtime, bringing USU Eastern to a 2-1-2 record through the first half of conference play.
The second half of conference begins next Thursday and Saturday as the Eagles play host to both Truckee Meadows Community College (Oct. 3) and Salt Lake Community College (Oct. 5). Start times will be 3 p.m. on Thursday and 1 p.m. on Saturday.