Junior forward Jessica Brooksby scored the game’s lone goal in the 17th minute as Utah State opened the season with a 1-0 victory over Central Arkansas on Friday afternoon at Chuck and Gloria Bell Field.
Senior goalkeeper Jeannie Woller and junior keeper Sara Cobb tallied two saves apiece to share the shutout for the Aggies.
“We certainly would have loved to have scored a few more goals with some of the possession and some of the chances we had; that would’ve been great,” veteran USU head coach Heather Cairns said. “But, we’re also cognizant of the fact Central Arkansas hit the post, as well. Soccer is just a really goofy game like that and if you only focus on the final score, it’s really hard to dissect a soccer game.”
Brooksby, who led the Aggies in goals last season with four, found the back of the net at the 16:54 mark with a rocket of a shot from 30 yards out that Central Arkansas keeper Anna Hughes had no chance of saving. Hughes did record three saves in the match, though, as Utah State outshot the Bears, 12-10.
“I looked up for two seconds and saw the keeper way out, so I decided to let it fly and got lucky I guess,” Brooksby said.
Freshman midfielder Jordyn Chung-Hoon recorded the assist on the play for her first career point as an Aggie.
With the victory over Central Arkansas, Utah State improved to 10-10-0 in season-opening matches, including a 4-5-0 mark at home.
Utah State returns to action this Sunday when the Aggies host Missouri State at 1 p.m. Missouri State is also 1-0-0 on the season following a 2-1 victory at Idaho State on Friday.