A Night of Bees, Food, Dancing and Fun!

On Friday night, the team took a break from soccer and toured junior Aleena Shelton's family's bee farm! When we were inside the bee house, the bees were flying everywhere, bouncing off of us...it was a little out of our comfort zone! The girls loved eating the honey straight from the honeycomb. We also saw where honey is produced and then we enjoyed a yummy homecooked meal of chicken (with a honey marinade), different salads, and homemade peach cobbler! It was delicious! Some of the girls and coaches also had the opportunity to ride Aleena's horse...for a couple, it was their first time. After dinner, the girls learned how to line dance! The evening was a hit. Thank you to Aleena and her family!

Some pics from the evening...

Here's a video....remember to pause the music at the bottom of the page!

Ags fall to BYU

BYU is ranked No. 18 for a reason, but that didn't stop the Aggies from putting up a good fight down in Provo last night. Despite the 3-0 loss, the Aggies made adjustments and made a strong showing against the cougars. There were stellar performances from goalkeeper Molli Merrill, defender Sydne Porter-Garner, and from midfielder and Provo native, Chandra Salmon. The Aggies take on Idaho State at home on Thursday at 4pm, then start conference at Nevada next Sunday! GO AGGIES!

P.S. Note on the weekend...
On Friday night, the Aggies visited junior Aleena Shelton's family's bee farm in Mendon, Utah! We toured the bee farm, had an amazing home cooked meal, some girls rode a horse for the first time, and learned how to line dance! Post and pics coming soon!

A Night at Rio Tinto!

Victorious at Rio Tinto by Stefani Shiozaki

wwwwwoooowwww!!!!!!!!
I dont even know where to begin... Playing in the Rio Tinto Stadium for the first time ever or beating the U...I couldnt tell you which is a better feeling, but being able to do both is a moment that we live for and a memory we will forever cherish.

from the second we stepped off the bus we knew it would be one hell of a game
running on to the field hearing the fans chanting our name
knowing in our hearts we needed to put up a fight
whatever it takes to be on top at the end of the night
we never did let them find the back of the net
this is how we became the number one threat
fish, smart, allie and h owned in the mid
stopping their attack we were confident in nano and syd
summer and rach ran the flank and didnt get beat
where lo and jaymee happily found the ball at their feet
beautiful crosses sammie did send
one being a game winner putting us to a victorious end!
everyone else screamed and cheered us on ever so loud
the coaches had smiles from ear to ear never seen them so proud :)

we came together as a TEAM as ONE and we wouldnt have been able to do it without the help of every one!
-SHIO

Here is a slideshow of the night...more pics are coming so check back again soon!

Other Aggies' Thoughts on the Night:

Erin Salmon: September 24th a night I will never forget!! The night we beat Utah at RIO TINTO!! Being a senior this was my last chance to beat them and that is exactly what we did!! We have battled with them for years and have always had regrets and I can honestly say we all left the field that night with not one. That night at Rio Tinto made me realize that is exactly the reason I play soccer!


Natalie Norris: Playing at Rio Tinto was absolutely incredible!! I have been wanting to play there since we went on a tour of it last year and say how amazing the facilities and especially the field were. The whole experience was so exciting, with the field, the locker rooms, and of course... the game!! It was fun to see us play together as a team, and the ending result was fantastic! I just hope we keep the momentum up! Go Aggies!


Lindsey Smart: Playing in Rio Tinto was such an Amazing experience, and beating Utah there will be one that I will never forget. Walking into the empty stadium before the game, butterflies came to my stomach and I got nervous, but once the game started my nerves went away! I have always wanted to beat them, so I couldn't have asked for a better game for my last soccer career match against Utah! Go Aggies!!



Molli Merrill: It really was just a surreal experience. Definitely one of the greatest opportunities i've had and one of the best wins I've ever been a part of.

Ags Beat Utah in Overtime at Rio Tinto!

Congratulations Utah State Soccer for beating Utah in overtime on Thursday night at Rio Tinto Stadium! The girls loved playing there and the staff at Rio Tinto treated us like that was our "home away from home!" Post and pics from the evening coming soon....stay tuned!

In-State Games This Weekend!

Hope to see all of you who live in Utah out to support the Aggies this weekend. Tonight we are hosting Utah at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy at 7pm. General admission is $5 and free admission to youth 18 and under wearing a soccer jersey. Saturday night we are playing at BYU at 8pm. Wear your Aggie blue and cheer on Utah State! Good luck ladies!

"Non-Soccer" Report on Seattle!

Home Sweet Home!

by Lauren Hansen

This weekend was a really fun weekend especially getting to go back to my home state :)

On Thursday we got in and went to practice. That night we went to dinner on my choice to The Ram. The dinner was ok, but the desserts were AMAZING! I think everyone would agree on that ha ha.

Friday was game day, we played #25 ranked UW. They were a very good team, we played really hard but lost 2-0. It was a tough game but we fought through it.

Saturday was the FUN day! We got to tour Seattle all day and do what we wanted. We went to downtown Seattle and went to Pikes Place and shopped there for awhile and watched the guys throw the fish. Shio got scared real bad by the fish jumping at her, it was pretty funny, we set it up. Then we had a fun time going to the pier and walking along the water. A lot of girls went shopping and bought lots of cute clothes :) I think everyone had a blast in Seattle!!

Sunday we played Seattle U and it was definitely a disappointing loss because we did not play well at all! Not one of our best games. But we are going to get over it and we are all super excited for this Thursdays game against the Utah at Rio Tinto Stadium!

Fun Moments in Seattle....be sure to pause the music at the bottom of the page before viewing!


Freshmen Courtney Cawley and Jamee Dyches enjoy the kiddie rollercoaster!

Tough Weekend in Seattle

We just returned from Seattle last night after a tough weekend on the road. We dropped to 4-4-1 after losing to Washington Friday night 2-0, and to Seattle University on Sunday afternoon 3-1. The goal in Sunday's game was scored by Washington native Lauren Hansen, assisted by Stefani Shiozaki, to bring the score to 2-1, within less than a minute after Seattle U scored their second goal. Seattle University scored their third goal in the 73rd minute. Despite the losses, our goalkeeper, Molli Merrill, posted 15 saves for the weekend with two strong performances in goal. The Aggies are in good spirits and using their day off today to take care of themselves and start preparations for their game at Rio Tinto Stadium on Thursday night where they will host Utah!

**More to come on the "non-soccer" side of the trip to Seattle. Check back soon!**

Aggie Soccer Earns 100th Win!

Congratulations to all former and current coaches and players of the Utah State Women's Soccer program for earning 100 wins in the program's history! Coach Heather Cairns and the 2009 Aggies beat Houston Baptist 5-1 on Sunday in Houston to earn the program its 100th win. All who have participated in Aggie Soccer has contributed to this great feat! Congratulations!

The girls decided to form a "100!" in celebration of the 100th win and to congratulate the program!

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"Humid Houston and San Antonio" by Molli Merrill and Erin Salmon
We started off the trip bright and early at 5 am Thursday morning. After a lay over in Phoenix we finally arrived in San Antonio Texas. To our surprise it was over cast and rainy unlike the sunny San Antonio we expected. Due to the field being flooded we weren’t able to practice so instead we got to go to the beautiful River Walk in down town where we enjoyed a fun boat ride with a witty tour guide and a yummy dinner along the river. Saturday after a long drive to Houston we practiced and went to a fun Mexican restaurant where we enjoyed dinner with the awesome guitar players who sang la la la la bamba. (also where we celebrated Nano’s “birthday”). After a long day we headed back to the hotel to get some rest. After beating Houston Baptist on Sunday, we hit the showers and headed to the airport where we sadly found out our flight was delayed and now we (as in Molli and Sammie) are writing this for our blog! Hopefully we will get out of Texas someday!

Molli and Sammie!

*The Aggies dropped one to UTSA on Friday night 1-0 but turned it around on Sunday beating Houston Baptist 5-1 with two goals by Shantel Flanary, and goals by Dani Shorts, Ellen Larsen, and Stefani Shiozaki! We came home with an overall record of 4-2-1, as well as with the 100th win for the program! Good job Aggies! Keep up the good work!

A short video on a couple fun moments on our trip...be sure to scroll down and pause the music before viewing!

In Memory of 9/11...

I think each one of us can remember what we were doing on the morning of September 11, 2001 and the girls reminisced this morning. We are in San Antonio, Texas to play UTSA tonight, and this morning, at breakfast, the T.V. in the breakfast room aired the memorial taking place in Shanksville, PA where Flight 93 crashed eight years ago today. The girls watched intently as they also quietly discussed where they were on September 11th, how old they were, some mentioning stories of family members or friends.  September 11, 2001 changed everyone in America.  For months we were more aware of our freedoms, those who sacrificed for us to help us maintain those freedoms, and those who died for freedom, or whose deaths forced us to remember what this great country stands for.

As a team and coaching staff, we want to say that in honor of 9/11, we are grateful for this great nation and all those, both at home and abroad, who understand the importance of our free nation, and do things great and small to help maintain the freedoms we have.  May we continue to live lives of integrity and courage to maintain the intangible and tangible things America provides the way for us to have.

Pre-Game Rituals

Ever wonder what players do to get themselves mentally ready for a game? Everyone has some type of personal pre-game ritual....here a few of our Aggies share their personal pre-game rituals! Good luck down in Texas this weekend ladies!

Molli Merrill: I always make sure my legs are shaved. I also like to eat a cup of ice from the training room.




Allie Maduell: I listen to the same song every game day in the locker room, and before the starting whistle, some of us (from the starting 11) do a special handshake.




Lindsey Smart: Everytime before a game I always eat a turkey sandwhich and if it is a home game I like to go to Great Harvest and get my favorite sandwhich. I also always like to listen to one of my favorite old school pump up songs, Headstrong. Oh and ICY HOT is a must!!







Shantel Flanary:  My pre game ritual is pretty simple. I always put my shorts on and than my warm up top. my lefy sock on and then my right.  I usually do my hair next and after that I either sit and listen to the music or actually play a game on my phone or ipod so I dont over think the game.




Heather Pond: I usually have to shower and shave my legs before a game and straighten my hair, I have to eat some kind of candy for the game starts.




Lauren Hansen: Before every home game I have to play Soulja Boy chorus and I do that [Soulja Boy] dance to it. Shio plays it for me and then watches me do that dance to make sure I did it right, if I mess it up then I have to re-do it until it is done right.

Taking a Break at the World Cup Qualifier!

  All three Utah State coaches attended the World Cup Qualifier on Saturday between the U.S. National Team and El Salvador! It was exciting to be a part of an international match and watch our National Team come out with a 2-1 victory!


In the pics: Coach Heather Cairns with graduate assistant, Marla Nelson; and Assistant coach, Josh Walters, with his wife Amy and their son J.J.!




Aggie defender, Lindsey Smart, and her family also attended the game and had a blast! Good luck to our Men's U.S. National Team in their last three games of qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup!

Weekend in Review!

This weekend was a big one for the Aggies. We hosted Oklahoma State, and we put up a pretty good fight! We lost 1-0, but could not be disappointed with the level of play of the team overall. The game was intense and our bench did an awesome job cheering on the Aggies, along with the great fan support we had, as the girls on the field continued to battle and held Oklahoma State to one goal, while creating several scoring opportunities! Sunday, we played Wyoming. After a tough first half, Shio (Stefani Shiozaki) scored her first collegiate goal off of a cross from Lauren Hansen. Then Wyoming answered back with a goal in the 62nd minute. The battle went on back and forth through double overtime, leaving us with a tie. This week started with some very specific focal points at practice and so far, the girls are looking good and have their eyes set forward on our two games in Texas this weekend.