Kenzie Jones, Sports Editor, @KenzieScribbler
Utah Valley women’s soccer took on UNLV on Sunday afternoon at Clyde Field. The game remained tied after some highly aggressive regulation play and pushed the game into overtime. With little over a minute left in play freshman Tori Smith made her first collegiate goal and secured the win for UVU. The final score being 1-0.
The game started off with the ball staying about evenly in the control of both teams. The end of the first half showed only 1 shot on goal for both UVU and UNLV. That’s not the only story in the first half. As the clock ran down the play on the field slowly become more and more aggressive. Both teams were playing for the win from the get go. The peak of the bumping and slide tackles in the first half came to it’s peak when in the 44th minute the Rebels had a yellow card called against them. The call brought some heat from the UNLV players and the coach, but the drama didn’t last long and the first half ended with out any more incidents.
During the game that yellow card seemed like a brush off call, that is until the Rebel’s cleats hit the grass for the second half. The roughness of play gradually increased as the game remained scoreless. Come the 52nd minute UNLV’s Jodi Barber had the team’s, and games, second yellow card called on her. That call is what sparked the charged atmosphere that filled Clyde Field and ignited both the players and the fans.
There were fouls right and left, many of which were going uncalled by the officials who were just letting the girls play. There were more then a few incidences that brought the fans to their feet. The most note worthy was when UNLV’s Denali Murman literally wrapped her arms around UVU’s Melanie Ostler and took her down in a wrestling match as the ball sat still and uncontrolled just a yard away. Which caused the stands to ring with cries of “sportsmanship,” “play classy 12,” and “this isn’t rugby.” This fowl was seen and despite Murman trying to talk the official out of the call possession went to UVU.
After that the fans became extremely vocal. They were heckling the Rebel’s players and yelling out in unsporting ways towards the officials. It got to the point in the last minute or so of the second half that one very distinctive fan was audibly heard hollering “are you blind,” “grow a pare,” and to top it off “you pussy” at the officials. It was because of that, that when regulation time ended in the tie one of the line judges took it upon himself to enter the stands. Once up there he rightly threatened and starred down the fans saying that he will throw out the next person who calls out towards an official or player. After that the fans quieted down in the way that children do after being lectured in the principal’s office.
When the officials and players took the field at the start of over time the stands erupted in loud cheers and applause for the officials. After that the play during over time was a bit more reserved. It was only 9 long minutes later that Smith found her gap with the aide from teammates Kali Stubbs and Sydney Fitzpatrick and sent the ball on it’s course to end the game.
The lady Wolverines play their final match of the seven-game home stand on Friday, September 19 against UC Riverside. The match kicks off at 5:00p.m. MT and is the start of an other soccer double header as the men play that same night at 7:30p.m. MT.
