Almost there

’Birds learn from 3-0 loss to Rebels

By RICH JOHNSON
UNIVERSITY JOURNAL

Although the SUU soccer squad dropped to 0-8 Tuesday with a 3-0 loss to UNLV, the ‘Birds are optimistic about their performance in the game.
“The message to the team after the game was that was the best 90 minutes we have played all of the season,” SUU coach Brian Stock said. “There was nothing but cheers and optmism and just positive stuff coming out of the team during our meeting, despite what’s said on the scoreboard.”
SUU trailed only 1-0 at the half and several key defensive plays kept the T-Birds in the game.
“Defensively we were really talking to each other and had good communication,” junior Annalisa Banks said. “We were able to create options from the back and open up the outside, instead of just booting it. This is probably the best we’ve played.”
Offensively, SUU was able put its gameplan to work, although the ‘Birds didn’t score.
“We looked to play the ball wide and then switch the ball on the other side to the open space where you get more shots on goal and it worked,” senior Lindsey Mulliner said. “We had posession for most of the game.”
SUU also had a season-high 14 shots.
“That shows we’re getting the ball to their end of the field and trying to create,” Stock said. “We should have had a couple, but it just didn’t fall.”
Stock was pleased in his team’s defensive performance.
“Today the goals were not a result of major tactical breakdowns,” he said. “We continue to improve and keep the ball in the other team’s side of the field and give the defense a little bit of rest to take some of the pressure off.”
The Rebels’ two second half goals were both scored by freshman Nickie Olson. With the ‘Birds trailing 2-0 in the 73rd minute, Olson came close to adding an assist to her performance, but sophomore Sarah Sillitoe denied that assist on a solid defensive play.
Sillitoe was beaten to the ball by Olson, giving her a one-on-one situation with SUU goalkeeper Megan Flowers. Flowers rushed out to stop her, allowing Sillitoe to sneak in front of the goal.
Olson passed the ball to Melicia Wright, who had an open shot on goal, but Sillitoe stuck her foot out
and knocked the ball away.
“Keeping that ball out of the net was simply a matter of heart and understanding what needed to go on,” Stock said. “Sarah didn’t quit. She knew she got beat... but Megan came out and slowed her down enough, and (Sarah) recovered and we made

Michelle Davis battles with a UNLV player for the ball during the Rebels’ 3-0 win. SUU lost on the scoreboard, but was in control for much of the match. The Thunderbirds take on Western Illinois Friday in their first conference match this year at the SUU soccer field. The team seems to be hitting stride at the right time.
ANNE McCONNELL / UNIVERSITY JOURNAL

the save. That sent a message to our team about stepping up and playing with intensity.”
Now the T-Birds are optimistic as they look to open Mid-Con play Friday against Western Illinois.
“We’re really excited,” Sillitoe said. “The first thing that comes to our mind is that we’re 0-0 in our conference. We have the opportunity to come out there and be 1-0 in our conference.”
Western Illinois will enter the game with a record of 0-4-1 (0-1 in Mid-Con play) after losing to Oral Roberts 3-1 on Monday.
“We want to focus on what we learned from today and apply it to practice,” Flowers said. “We want to go out and play hard in practice, and we should be ready for (Western Illinois).”
“We’re starting to pick it up,” Sillitoe said. “We decided that we should take this game and try to start over and work it into our first conference game on Friday.”
Stock said that SUU’s tough preseason schedule helped prepare the team.
“You don’t get better unless you schedule better competition,” Stock said. “We could have tried to have put together a schedule that would have been a little bit easier, with a little bit more level competition, but that doesn’t prepare us.”