New Pictures from WAC Tournament!

Some pictures from the WAC came in from the WAC Tournament including some great celebration shots after the WAC Final! :)

Senior Reflection-Chandra Salmon Christensen

Reflecting back on my soccer career and experience here at Utah State brings so many memories to mind, both on and off the field. Though I will NEVER forget the unreal feeling of being a part of the team that took home EVERY trophy possible at the banquet (including the one at the end of the week that came with plane tickets to Alabama and the NCAA tourney!).... but shockingly most of my fondest memories aren't games or awards they really are the everyday ups and downs that I got to go through with some of my best friends, and those rough times or funny times or AWESOME times are the times that stick with me, those are the memories that are the most important to me. It is crazy that you can spend 4 years with a random bunch of girls from all different backgrounds and teams and feel like you have spent a lifetime with them, and it is because of how much we have grown together as a team, and I sincerely think that that, our team unity and camaraderie, is what directly impacted how successful we were this year!! I LOVE IT! I love all of it! Crazy fitness stories, pranks, making haunted houses, hormonal/ultra competitive practices, hilarious boy stories, eating food ALL THE TIME on trips, aqua-popping, Just Dance, Waking up at 5 for weights in the spring, Beto's greasy yet delicious burritos, TWIZZLE BERRY (double punch tues), preseason spent 50% in dorms and the other 50% in the ice bath... all of it. I feel that I wouldn't trade my soccer experience up here at USU for anything. It has been awesome, I feel so blessed and am SO grateful. Thank you. Love you all.

An Exciting End...

What an exciting last four-five weeks for Aggie Soccer! As most of you know, we went 5-1-1 in conference earning the WAC Regular Season Championship...with our last day being on Senior Day where we recognized five of our seniors: Shantel Flanary, Molli Merrill, Chandra Salmon-Christensen, Marissa Sanchez, and Summer Tillotson. We then went on to sweep the WAC awards at the WAC banquet with five players earning 1st Team All-WAC, two players earning 2nd Team ALL-WAC, and coaches of the WAC voted the following awards to members of USU Soccer: Freshman of the Year (Taryn Rose), Defensive Player of the Year (Natalie Norris), Offensive Player of the Year (Shantel Flanary) and Coach of the Year (Heather Cairns). Then the team went on to perform an "on the field" sweep of the WAC Tournament beating Fresno State in the finals 1-0 with goal by freshman Jade Tarver, earning the program's first NCAA appearance! We played Auburn University in Auburn, AL with a strong showing for our first round of the NCAA tournament. We lost 2-1, with goal scored by Kendra Pemberton. Every member of our USU Soccer family came away this season extremely proud of our accomplishments and hungry for more in the upcoming seasons! Thank you to all of our fans, family, friends and fellow Aggies for your support this season!

Senior Weekend

WAC Tournament

NCAA Tournament 1st Round

WAC Regular Season and Tournament Champs....We're going to the BIG DANCE aka NCAAs!

We did it! The team earned both the WAC regular season title as well as the WAC Tournament title and we have earned an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament! NCAA bracket comes out today at 2:30pm and can be viewed at NCAA.com. Way to go Aggies!

Herald Journal Article

2011 WAC Champs!

Congrats to the 2011 WAC Champions!!!!! More details coming soon!

Finally Home!

This past weekend, the team enjoyed a weekend at home with two conference games against New Mexico State and Louisiana Tech. On Friday, the Aggies shut out New Mexico State with a 2-0 win with goals by Kendra Pemberton and Shantel Flanary. Sunday, the Aggies rallied another win, beating Louisiana Tech 3-1 with two goals by Kendra Pemberton and one goal by Mari Miyashiro. The two back to back wins helped Kendra Pemberton and Molli Merrill earn WAC Athlete of the Week awards!! It was a great weekend! Aggies face University of Nevada, Reno on Sunday in Reno.

Hawaii

by Mari Miyashiro

First game of WAC was played in my home town, HAWAII. I was soooo excited to go home and play in front of all my friends and family. But as coach said, work first then we can have a day of fun after. So on Thursday we landed in the beautifully humid state of Hawaii and had some luggage trouble. But eventually we got all that figured out and headed to Waipio for practice. As soon as we started warming up, a toad got the attention of all the girls and we all stopped to watch as it hopped away. After practice we headed to my house for some yummy pasta that my mom, dad, sister, and aunties helped prepare. Next day was game day! But we had a bunch of time to kill before the game so we walked around the International Marketplace to do some shopping then headed out to "Da Shack" in Mililani to watch our football boys play BYU. Then it was finally game time! The first half didn't exactly go the way we wanted. Although we had chances, we just couldn't put the ball in the back of the net. Hawaii was able to and was up 1-0 in the first half. We came out in the second half and had an awesome goal scored by our very own Lexie Morgan. Unfortunately things didn't go our way and we lost in the second over time.

The next day we packed up and headed to Haleiwa Alii Beach Park for some fun in the sun! My family, friends, aunties, and uncles were already there with tents set up and brought two paddle boards, one surf board, and one kayak. The girls just went out on the boards and learned how to surf and paddle board on their own. Then we had some ono (delicious) lunch and headed to Matsumoto's for their famous shaved ice! After it was off to the airport to head back to Utah. Hawaii was so much fun! We didn't get the result we were hoping for but everyone worked their behinds off and now its time to work at practice and prepare for our next game!

by Jenn Flynn

So the time had finally come for the team again to travel to paradise! The only problem was was that the trip was six hours long (and that was just the flight!) luckily our good old red headed friend lo had packed us a snack for the plane ride. banana was the flavor of the every thing in the bag, unless you ate it fast enough which fishy was the only one who figured out, but still the food was all eaten within minutes of the flight! it saved us from starving to death because when we landed in Hawaii, Kendra's suitcase was nowhere to be found. We waited and waited and still no sign of the bag, but Kendra had her cleats in her carry on luckily. Once we decided that Kendra's things were not showing up any time soon we went to practice. After practice we went to our beautiful Mari's house and ate like animals! There was so much food. It was all amazing and by the time we were all done we were stuffed. Then there was dessert... and if you know our team, no one says no to dessert no matter how full. Never. Mornings in hawaii were amazing... even if they included an 8am jog, because here we could do it on the beach! After study hall we took to the streets for some shopping and the beach. Kendra found a swim suit (since hers was in her lost suitcase) while other people went to the international market and the most popular item that was bought were those brown sandal shoes. I’m pretty sure 85% of our team got them and they are soooooo comfy. On the way to our game, we stopped to watch the football team play BYU., then away to the field for our game we went. Sadly we lost in the second over time off of a corner kick 2-1. The team was upset but we knew we needed to bounce back from this loss and start preparing for our next WAC game against New Mexico State. On Saturday, we met Mari’s family at the beach where we got to play on the beach ALL day and Mari’s family made us amazing food on the beach and brought us surf boards to attempt to use. We were able to swim with some sea turtles and take TONS of pictures! Once we were all hot, we stopped by a sno cone shack which had the best snow cones of any place i have ever been... and i have been to a lot of snow cone places in my day. By the end of the beach day everyone was a little burnt and tired. We headed back to Logan where we prepped for our two home games the next weekend!

Another Exciting Weekend!

Another exciting weekend for Aggie Soccer!  The Aggies beat Utah on Friday 1-0 with goal by Mari Miyashiro off of a Utah goalkeeper deflection, and then the Aggies took down Cal State Fullerton on Sunday with a rocket shot by Kendra Pemberton in double over time.  For the first time in Utah State soccer history, the team is regionally ranked in the West region. It is an exciting time, and there's more to come!  Stay tuned....

 COLORADO TRIP by Shantel Flanary

History is being made this season, and especially from this weekend's trip! It started off well and finished even better. We left Thursday like usual with the flight being only about an hour, so wasn't bad at all. After checking into the hotel in Colorado we headed over to the field at Colorado College.  A fun fact Coach told us was that girls' soccer and men's hockey are the only D1 sports for CC, the rest are D3. After training we went to a little local Italian place that was delicious. The next day was game day! We had a rough first half but held it together with a little luck, we came out at half 0-0. We then picked it up and scored two goals in the second half. I had an assist that was flicked on by Kendra to Jenn who had a rocket of a shot! Then a few minutes later Kendra had the perfect ball across the box that I just had to put in easily. Molli had an amazing save off a pk, what a stud! They had a goal just after that but we were able to hang on for the 2-1 victory!   Afterwards, we enjoyed some Italian food with family.  On Saturday we drove through Garden of Gods before we left Colorado Springs and took some pictures because it was absolutely beautiful!   We arrived in Greeley and had a little training, then enjoyed dinner at Johnny Carino's and celebrated Kylie's birthday who turned 18!  On Sunday, we played Northern Colorado and we were able to win again 2-1 to make USU history by starting 4-0!! And from that record earning our first ever regional ranking at #9!! We got back to Logan at a decent hour and enjoyed driving into town with a blue "A" and history in the making!!

We are still alive and kickin'!

Preseason is finished! The girls did a great job getting through double days and gearing up for season. They were able to take a few breaks with our preseason retreat to Bear Lake along with a trip to the Logan Aquatic Center to cool off, a team mini-golf tournament, and community service at Centro De La Familia De Utah where they had to opportunity to play with infants and toddlers who attend the school as well as help with organizing closets, the school library, and anything else that was needed at the school. The girls had a great time and were a huge help to the school!

Preseason Video!


Here's a quick update on the season... USU Soccer has had its best start in the program's history with a record of 4-0 winning our first four game, three which were "on the road" (blog post on our most recent trip to Colorado coming soon!). Our first game was at Rio Tinto Stadium where we beat Weber State 1-0! It was great to be back at our home away from home. The staff and Rio Tinto does a great job making sure that both teams are taken care of....and the field, as always, was exciting to play on! Our home opener was against Portland State where we took a 2-1 victory over the PSU! We are very excited for this season as we have several tough opponents ahead in our next four matchups, which are all home games! We play Utah this Friday at 4pm, Cal State Fullerton on Sunday at 1pm, then Thursday the 8th we play Rice at 4pm and Sunday the 11th we play Idaho State at 1pm. Hope to see you out there!

Pics from Weber State and Portland State

Preseason...

We have not forgotten the blog....preseason post with pictures coming soon! Just a reminder that our game on Friday, August 19th has been changed to 4:30pm at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah! Wear your Aggie blue and come cheer on the team!

The Girls of Summer!!

Now that summer is officially over for the members of the Utah State soccer team, check out what some of our girls did this summer!!!

USU Aggie Soccer Camps 2011!!!

Camps were a success this year! A grand total of 196 kids attended the three camps this summer, which also included 8 teams from the Cache Valley and Salt Lake City. The campers had a lot of fun, and the coaches said they had a blast! Thanks to all who attended! See our Facebook page for more pictures!

USU's Sanchez Attends NCAA Career in Sports Forum

USU Soccer senior, Marissa Sanchez, was invited to attend the NCAA Career in Sports Forum held in Indianapolis in June. The forum was an opportunity for students athletes from around the country learn about different aspects of careers, specifically within intercollegiate athletics. It also helped student athletes examine their personal values and the opportunities that may have in sports. Each student-athlete developed a plan for growth and career development and will have the opportunity to network. Here is Marissa’s reflection on the NCAA forum:

"Going into the Career in Sports Forum I had the mindset of just seeing what the possibilities of Sports Administration was about; yet I was lucky to leave the Forum knowing this was the track I wanted to take as a future career for me. I learned so much from the Forum and it helped solidify my decision of pursuing a Masters in this area and making it a goal to find a career within this that I know I will love. My favorite part of the forum was hearing all the personal stories from the guest speakers and how they got to where they are now. I learned the importance of networking, volunteering, internships, and how to use my step up I have in college athletics already to my advantage. I met amazing people and learned from so many different perspectives what Sports Administration is about. There are so many different paths I can take and I'm excited to figure out the exact path I want to take in it. I already favor continuing to be part of college athletics because of the benefits it's provided me in my education and future career goals; but the other possibilities are still endless. I was lucky to be a part of the NCAA Career in Sports Forum and would recommend it to anyone who considers the path of Sports Administration as a possible career choice."

USA vs Brazil...the most exciting game in US Soccer History!

If you didn't watch the game today...find someone who taped it....here's a little sneak peak!





U.S. gave it their all until the very last second....great examples to every athlete across the world! Congrats to USA Women's Soccer Team for advancing to the 2011 FIFA World Cup! Utah State Soccer is behind you all the way!

Game is on Wednesday at 11:30am (ET). Find a TV and support our gals from the U.S.!

Incoming Freshman Winning State Championships!

Our 2011 Freshman are leaving marks in the club and high school soccer world as well as the track world.

In the month of May, Brooke Larsen's high school track team won the state title with Brooke running the 400m, 4X100m relay, 4X400 meter relay, and the medley relay....earning points for the school in ALL four events! Click here to see the article about Springville's State Title!


Also in May, Jade Tarver, Lexi Morgan and Ambryn McCallson's club team, Sparta, won the Utah Youth Soccer Association State Cup tournament and will travel to Regionals in Boise in two weeks! (Good luck ladies!)

And last but not least, Kassidi Nudd came up big with a huge save in the 2nd half of the State of Illinois 2A High School finals to help her team to a 2-1 victory winning Triad High School's first state championship! Click here to read about Triad High School's State Title!!
Congratulations to our incoming freshman! We look forward to having you here in Logan in August!!!!

USU Summer Soccer Camps!

What are your kids doing this summer? Check out our summer soccer camp information below and visit our camp website to register!

Summer Plans!

The girls are all heading their different ways this summer, here is how some of our Aggies will be spending their summer before heading back to Logan in August to start preseason!

Molli Merrill: I shall be living in logan, working, and hopefully soaking up some sun. If the sun ever decides to come out here

Kami Montgomery: This summer is going to be full of...well I don't know. I am moving to Ridgeland Mississippi (just outside of Jackson), and I will be working for Elite Security selling security systems. It is definitely a summer for the books my friends. Ha pray for me cause I'm sure things will get rough. No I'm only kidding. My two sisters will be living there with me because their husbands sell. I am beyond excited to finally get to spend a summer with my family. I have 3 nieces and 3 nephews so I will get to spend a lot of time with them. I will be coming back about week before August starts so wish me luck and I hope you all have a great summer! (if you wanna send me a package send me some hair defrizzer....with all the humidity who knows what will happen to my afro on top.

Hailey Anderson: yayyy (: summer!! im going on a cruise! (: it will be going to mazatlan, Cabo San Lucas, and Puerto Vallarta. I'm going with my family and my boyfriend so that will be way fun. Also we are going to Lake Powell as a family for a week. My best friend is getting married, so i will be a bridesmaid at the end of July :) Basically i will just be crossing off my summer bucket list! that makes for a good summer (:

Alyssa Curtis: I am living at home with my family. Tons of rehab (from ACL surgery) and most excited for Lake Powell.

Shay Haddow: Well my summer won't be anything too exciting but what I am planning on doing is going home and playing state cup with my club team and hopefully going to Boise for regionals. I am going to try and get a job asap but I have no idea where yet. Hopefully I'll have time for a couple mini vacations and last but not least is working out and preparing for the fall :)

2011 Alumni Day!

Last Saturday, the Utah State Soccer program welcomed back close to 40 alumni for our annual Alumni event. Before games began, the program honored two of its 10 year alumni from the class of 2000, Ashley Cracroft and Heather Cox. The alumni, current players, staff, and families of alumni and players had a great time! Thank you to all of the alumni who came out for the event! We hope to see you next year!

Lots of Updates!

Hello Aggie Fans! Below you will find several updates from events happening this spring with our team! Last Saturday we had our annual Alumni event where we welcomed back close to 40 alumni. Everyone had a blast and an official blog post with pictures is on its way, so check back soon!

Boise Games!

The team headed up to Boise on April 16th for two games vs. Montana and Boise State. We came out with ties in both games with the only goal of the weekend scored by freshman Mari Miyashiro assisted by Shantel Flanary. On the way up to Boise, the team made bracelets for patients at Primary Children's hospital and inbetween our games, the team and families enjoyed a lunch in the backyard of sophomore Rachel Feuz's parents' home!

Whitesides Student-Athlete Banquet

The Whitesides banquet is a time to honor student-athletes at Utah State who have had high performance in the classroom. This year, Utah State honored 192 student-athletes who have earned a 3.2 GPA or higher over the past two semesters. 17 of our players were honored at the Whitesides Banquet and USU Soccer took 2nd behind Women's Track and Field for overall team GPA. Each student athlete was given a book called "5" which focuses on setting goals in their next pursuit for their future endeavors. Congratulations to our girls, and all of the other Whitesides honoree for their high performance in the classroom!

Ashlyn Mulford in Dancing with the USU Stars!

Sophomore Goalkeeper Ashlyn Mulford was chosen as one of the participants in the annual Dancing with the USU Stars! She danced the Rumba, received a standing ovation from her team at the end of her performance with high marks from the judges scoring a 25 out of 30. Great job Ashlyn!

Wacky Small Sided!

Every spring, the team ends off the spring season with the annual Wacky Small Sided game. The team is divided into four groups, who then choose a theme for their team, and they arrive on the day of Wacky Small Sided making their grand entrances dressed as their chosen theme. This year, we had the shepherds herding their sheep, the "sisters with a mister," pantomimes, and the blue man group! After making their entrances, and taking pictures, the team plays in a small sided tournament in their costumes! It is always a day we look forward to and a fun way to finish off the spring!

Aggies Get Out into the Community!

Last Wednesday night, the team participated in a District 7 Soccer Academy for youth soccer players ages 4-8. The girls had a blast coaching, playing with and cheering on the kids. And the kids...well, let's just say they came home on cloud 9 with their t-shirts and jerseys autographed, and soccer balls from the Aggies after spending time with them! Some pics are below and you can click on the following link for a video of the evening made by Infinity Soccer Club's DOC Jeff Ginn.

Video of Aggies at D7 Soccer Academy

Women's Soccer Honored by University President's Wife, Joyce Albrecht

On Tuesday night, the women's soccer team was honored, along with women's volleyball, gymnastics, basketball, and cross country. Joyce Albrecht, wife of USU President, Stan Albrecht, held a reception in honor of the teams who had successes to celebrate this season. Women's Soccer definitely had a few successes, including winning their 2nd WAC regular season championship in three years!

ATTENTION ALUMNI: Alumni Search Underway!!!!

Hello Alumni!
As we gear up for Alumni Day next week, we are missing information on several alumni and we need your help in contacting them! Below is a list of USU Soccer Alumni whom we have no contact info for. If you are still in touch with any of these members of our soccer family, please let them know about the Alumni event and please let Marla Nelson know their emails so I can contact them as well (if you don't feel comfortable passing on their email, when you contact them, just ask them to email Marla at m.l.nelson@aggiemail.usu.edu). If any of you find your name on this list, it is most likely because your maiden name is listed, not your married name. Please let me know that as well so we can update our records. Thanks so much!

Missing Alumni:

Heather Brown
Cami Cosgrave
Val Krogh
Chrissie Perrow
Julie Poprich
Stacie Vogt
Michaela Miller Hawes
Liz Cotter
Karen Neorr
Suzi McKinley
Catherine Jones
Brandi Griffiths
Katie Seaman
Amy Johnson
Nicole Harmer
Lindi Theurer
Kim Webb
Andrea Romney
Megan Tanner
Jayme Gordy Miller
Trina Morrison Hawkins

Spring Game @ISU and USTARS

This weekend the Aggies play up at Idaho State at 11am! Come out and cheer on the Aggies if you're in the area!


USTARS:
On Tuesday night, the team attended the annual USTARS event at Utah State. The girls did a dancing skit starring Sophomore Goalkeeper Ashlyn Mulford who played the ukelele, and Lauren Hansen won Best Female Athlete of the Year!