An 11-day break between games might be just the cure for the ailing Wolverines, who have lost five of their last six games after a 4-1 loss to Northern Colorado on Sept. 12.
The match against the Bears was the first home game since an Aug. 13 exhibition win over Westminster.
The overdue return home, after seven consecutive road games, seemed an opportune time for the Wolverines to leave behind bad habits picked up on the road. Instead, they brought their baggage with them.
Northern Colorado scored three goals in the first half, two of them coming from Ariel Cook in the first 30 minutes of play. Facing a 3-0 halftime deficit, Coach Brent Anderson subbed in Lauren Sack for Hailey Brown in the net, hoping to stop the bleeding.
It worked to a degree, with Sack making five saves and allowing one goal compared to Brown’s three saves and three goals allowed.
Interestingly enough, Sack has played more total minutes (360) than Brown (270), but Brown has started all five games she has played in.
Unfortunately, the offense couldn’t close the gap.
Wolverines’ forward Katey Turner scored the lone goal late in the second half, punching in a loose ball that resulted from Andi Bagdan’s free kick. The goal was Turner’s first of the season, while Bagdan’s assist, her second, bumped her to first on the team in that category.
The loss puts the team at 2-5 heading into Thursday’s game against Idaho State. The Bengals boast sophomore Ashley Jones, who was named the Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week earlier this month.
The match will be the third of a four-game road swing for the Bengals.
Saturday the Wolverines will travel, but only to Cedar City to play SUU. The two teams last played Aug. 20, with UVU coming away with the 2-0 shutout.
