A first half brace from Sadie Brockbank led the way for the Utah Valley women’s soccer team as they defeated the New Mexico State Aggies 4-0 on Feb. 27 at the RSL Zions Bank Indoor Training Field in Herriman.
Brockbank found the back of the net twice in the first half, while forwards Julianna Carter and Amber Tripp each added a goal and an assist.
The Wolverines started out fast, logging a pair of shots on goal within the first minute, but neither were able to find the back of the net.
The next scoring chance for UVU came in the 15th minute, when a corner kick bounced around in the Aggie six-yard box but was ultimately cleared by NMSU goalie Dmitri Fong. Brockbank found the back of the net two minutes later, as her shot from the left side of the six-yard box found its way past Fong and deflected in off of the right post.
Brockbank nearly had her second goal in the 19th minute, as her shot from the right side of the penalty area hit off the crossbar and went out of play. She wouldn’t have to wait long to score her second, slotting her shot into the top-left corner from ten yards out.
The Aggies had their first real scoring chance in the 22nd minute, as forward Hannah Leitner’s shot deflected off of defender Sydney Bushman, but keeper Isabel Jones-Dawe was able to corral the shot with little trouble.
NMSU nearly scored in the 31st minute, but a diving save by Jones-Dawe kept the Aggies off the board.
Following intermission, senior keeper Brooklyn Nielsen took over in goal and was immediately tested in the 47th minute after she was forced to make a sliding clearance from a misplayed ball by a defender.
The Wolverines upped their lead to three in the 66th minute after Tripp found Carter, whose sliding shot found the back of the net from eight yards out.
UVU would score their final goal of the afternoon in the 75th minute after Carter was fouled inside the penalty area. Tripp was able to convert the spot kick, slotting her goal into the top left corner.
Following the sweep of the Aggies, the Wolverines will continue WAC play as they travel to Edinburg, Texas to take on UT Rio Grande Valley on March 4 and 6. Thursday’s game is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. MDT, and Saturday’s game is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. MDT. Both games will be streamed on the WAC Digital Network.
