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- New Mexico State University’s goalkeeper blocks a shot by Weber State University’s Kiersten Raught. WSU won 3-0 against NMSU on Sunday.
After a handful of games ending without a goal for the Weber State University Women’s Soccer Team, they finally found the back of the net, over and over again, in a 3-0 win against New Mexico State University on Sunday.
Sophomore forward Felicia Sortor scored twice as the WSU Women’s Soccer Team had a breakout day. Sortor said that Head Coach Tim Crompton had been working with the team on finishing plays, and said it was good to see their effort rewarded.
“We just got sick of not getting (goals),” Sortor said. “We had everything else in the game but the last little bit, and he (Crompton) emphasized on getting that last little bit. In practice we worked on some finishing and it paid off.”
Sortor’s double was the first goals of her two-year career for the WSU Wildcats and her first two goals of the season.
“It felt great (to score),” Sortor said. “I had two almost goals last game, so it felt good to get two today.”
Sortor’s first goal came after a turnover by a NMSU defender who slipped on the grass, giving her a one-on-one opportunity with the Aggies’ goalkeeper. Sortor chipped the ball in from 12 yards out for the 1-0 lead in the 40th minute.
The goal snapped a 335-minute scoreless streak for the Wildcats, giving the home side a burst of energy as the match entered halftime.
“At some point in the season, you have to score goals to win,” Crompton said. “It’s not like we haven’t created really good chances in the last five or six games. So going into this game, you anticipate that if they continue to create those chances, odds are some of those have to go in.”
Crompton said that this season, his team has performed better in the second half of their matches, and that he felt WSU once again played much better after the break.
“True to form, we’ve been a team that has been very good in the second half. Today I thought we got a little bit lucky and got the goal in the first half, but I thought the second half we settled down and moved the ball around pretty well. We found a little rhythm, and we were finding feet and not giving the ball away.”
WSU doubled up its advantage in the 70th minute, when seniors Lindsay Ortgiesen and Collette Simmons teamed up to beat the NMSU defense. Ortgiesen brought the ball down the middle of the field and hit a through-ball on the ground that Simmons easily stepped on to for the finish from six yards out.
The final goal of the match came in the 83rd minute, when senior midfielder Nicole Moore hit a deep cross from the left sideline to Sortor six yards off the far post; Sortor flicked the ball just inside the post for the 3-0 lead.
Sophomore goalkeeper Ryann Waldman had the shutout in goal as the Wildcats’ defense captured its second clean sheet of the season and lowered its Big Sky Conference-best goals-against average to 1.00.
WSU will return to the road this week, traveling to Texas to face the University of Texas-San Antonio and Baylor.
