ST. GEORGE, Utah (September 8, 2023) – The Lumberjacks picked up a 1-0 shutout victory at Utah Tech Friday evening with
Jaylin Borden scoring NAU's lone goal.
"It was good to see the team come out organized today," head coach
Alan Berrios said. "We knew coming in they had players who could cause some concerns, but I thought we did a good job managing them."
The Lumberjacks quickly took control of the ball offensively, as
Dai Williams put two shots up in the first five minutes of the match, one on goal with a header that Utah Tech's keeper Brianna Frey picked up the save.
As the match bounced back-and-forth, the Trailblazers found a good opportunity as Tessa Thornton sent a long boot up the field to Kearney Hoggan, as the play was stopped on an offsides call. On the counterattack,
Allison Veloz sent a shot on goal from about twenty feet out, saved by the crossbar to give Frey time to recover composure to pick up the crossbar deflection.
25 minutes into play, Savannah Hansen took her first chance of the game, sending a shot on goal from outside the box, as NAU's starting keeper
Trinity Corcoran picked up her second save of the game.
NAU opened up scoring late in the first half, finding multiple chances before
Jaylin Borden was able to convert on a corner kick from
Holly Hunter. Borden got some height on the UTU defenders for the header goal with just two minutes left in the first half.
Both back lines played a solid 45 minutes to start the match as NAU only put three shots on goal while Utah Tech put two on goal.
"Defensively I thought we were much better today than we have been all year. We played disciplined defensively which gave us better starting points in transition," Berrios said.
Coming out of the break with the 1-0 lead, NAU's
Grace Quinn made a stretching save for the Lumberjacks as Utah Tech put a header on goal off the corner kick.
Allison Veloz moved the ball up the right side on the counter, sending in a cross that was picked up by Frey in NAU's first attempt of the second half.
About 60 minutes into the match, Corcoran picked up a save as Thornton and Hoggan connected up the right side but Corcoran's quick decision making got the Lumberjacks the save. Moments later,
Logan Maszton sent a flip throw-in just inside UTU's box as
Avery Ott was able to put a shot up off a Trailblazer deflection, going just wide right.
The Lumberjacks held on to outshoot the Trailblazers 17-10 while Corcoran made five saves in her 90-minutes in the box for NAU.
"We created multiple chances in the second half but had a difficult time completing the play, it was still an overall good performance and a good win on the road today, I'm looking forward to what's ahead," Berrios said.
The Lumberjacks will host San Diego on Sunday at 1 p.m. MST for First Responders Day. To stay up to date with NAU Soccer, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
