This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
For the 14 Utah natives on the Aggies' roster, Ute Field is familiar ground, yet hostile. In eight previous tries, Utah State hadn't won a game on the Utes' home field.
Until Friday.
Riding an early goal and sealing the result with a late score, the Aggies (5-3-1) knocked off Utah, 2-0, in the annual rivalry game. Junior Katie Flynn was in the action on both USU goals, notching the first herself and adding an assist in the 84th minute.
"It means a lot," said Flynn, who played high school ball just 20 miles south at Juan Diego. "It's a lot of effort, team-building and persistence. We had confidence, came out and got it done."
The Aggies attacked Utah at the flanks, playing out wide before finding seams near Utah's goal. Flynn buried the first goal on an assist from teammate Wesley Hamblin in the 35th minute.
Utah State's offense was strong when the Aggies were going on the sides rather than down the middle. But the Utes made the game plenty difficult, owning more possession and spraying 27 shots down at USU's end.
It might've been Jeannie Woller with the most valuable performance for the Aggies. The senior goaltender stopped 13 shots, tying her career high in a single game. It included a few saves in the final 10 minutes as the Utes rallied with corner kicks and long throw-ins, leaving the ball bouncing dangerously around in the box.
"Jeannie was a stud, right?" coach Heather Cairns said. "Jeannie's a senior leader, starter, captain for a reason. She really came up with some big plays."
Utah State was finally able to relax a bit following the second goal, buried by Jessica Brooksby, who tallied her team-high seventh goal of the year.
The Utes had some decent looks, especially on a combined 10 shots by Kaycee Buckley and Mariah Elmer, but didn't get the bounce they needed. Their breakdowns on defense often left goalkeeper Lindsey Luke on an island only a few yards in front of the goal.
It's something Utah (3-3-2) will have to figure out before Pac-12 play begins next week against ranked Stanford.
"I thought we did a lot of good things, but once they got the goal, it kind of punctured us and we didn't do much for the rest of the half," coach Rich Manning said. "That was the disappointing part. Giving up the goal took a little bit out of us."
Twitter: @kylegoon —
Storylines
R Katie Flynn scores the winning goal (35') and assists on the second goal (84')
• Keeper Jeannie Woller ties a career best with 13 saves
• Aggies notch first-ever win at Ute Field (1-8-0 all time)