Logan, Utah - Though the final three minutes of the match were spent in the Aggies' end, San Jose State women's soccer (4-11-1, 2-5-0 WAC) could not find the back of the net as they fell, 1-0, to Utah State in a Western Athletic Conference (WAC) match.
"I thought we played a very good first half," said San Jose State head coach Jeff Leightman. "We moved the ball well. But in the second half, we gave them more life. They got a goal and that was the difference."
The match was scoreless for the first 56 minutes until the Aggies' leading scorer, Jennifer Flynn, found the back of freshman Zoe Makrigiannis's net following a corner kick.
"Zoe had another good game," said Leightman. "She made a couple of key stops. On their goal, she came out and did her best, but she could not see the ball."
Makrigiannis made eight saves, five more than Ashlyn Mulford.
Leightman commented on Utah State's style of play. "They were tough to play against because they put the ball behind you constantly," he said. "They would get a piece of a ball, pop it off of our back, and it would be a corner. They are a very direct and dangerous team."
Utah State (9-2-6, 4-0-2 WAC) held the match's shot advantage, 22-11. Four Spartans took two shots each.
Said Leightman, "We had plenty of chances. It was a good game, but they found a way to win. That is why Utah State is first in the conference."
Leightman discussed what his team must do to prepare for its match versus Sacramento State on Sunday in Spartan Stadium at 1:00 p.m. "Travel is going to take a lot out of us so we have to rest up," he said. "We need to turn ourselves around, but we need a lot of help from other teams so that we can come back to Logan. We want to be back here in three weeks for the WAC Tournament."
The Spartans return home on Sunday, October 21, at 1:00 p.m. to face off against in-state rivals Sacramento State.