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Zoe Van Gorder scored her second headball goal of the year, tying the game and forcing overtime.
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Sept. 24, 2009
SANDY, Utah - The University of Utah soccer team (5-5-1) fell to Utah State (5-4-1) in overtime at Rio Tinto Stadium Thursday by a 2-1 score. The Utes were undone by a deflected cross that floated over the goalkeeper's outstretched hand to give the Aggies the golden-goal victory.
"That's kind of how the last month has been for us," said Utah head coach Rich Manning. "But every time we have played Utah State over the last few years it has been tight and we have gotten a few of those good breaks ourselves. The atmosphere was great tonight, this is a fantastic venue."
With the score knotted at 1-1 and less than two minutes remaining in the first overtime period, Utah State's Shantel Flanary carried the ball down the right side, holding off a Utah defender. As she looked to play a cross into the box just a few yards off the end line, her attempted pass was deflected off the Ute defender's foot. That touch lofted the ball up into the air with enough spin that it floated fortuitously into the far corner of the net, leaving the keeper no chance for a save, and notching the game-winning strike.
After falling behind 1-0 in the second half, Utah promptly drew level at 1-1 as freshman midfielder Zoe Van Gorder struck gold on a header off a Chelsea Forbes corner kick in the 57th minute. Van Gorder made a run to the ball at the far post and nodded it down and across the face of goal, where it richocheted off the ground, then the goal post and in, for her second goal of the season. Both of Van Gorder's goals have come off of set-piece headers.
Utah State had gotten on the board first, snapping the 0-0 tie in the 54th minute as Stefani Shiozaki scored a header off a long free kick from Sydney Porter-Garner.
The game was even on the stat sheet, with each team taking nine shots and putting four on goal. Corner kicks went 6-4 in Utah's favor, while fouls were 11-9 against the Aggies.
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Utah will be back in action Sunday, Sept. 27, as the Utes host Pepperdine, who is currently receiving votes in the NSCAA Top 25. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. at Ute Field. This game will also mark the first of Utah's "Pink Games", an ongoing campaign to help raise cancer awareness.
