• BOXSCORE (pdf)

ST. GEORGE, Utah – Whitley Johns tallied the equalizer late in regulation and assisted on the game-winning overtime strike Saturday, helping Dixie State rally for a 2-1 non-conference women's soccer victory over visiting Seattle Pacific.
 
Junior Claire Neder scored in the ninth minute, capitalizing on a misplay by the hosts for SPU's first goal of the season.
 
She intercepted a pass outside the DSU box on the right flank and found herself one-on-one with the goalkeeper. Neder slipped a low shot past the on-rushing Chandler Greenwood, finishing at 8:14 from 16 yards out.
 
"Our success is always going to come from having possession of the soccer ball and kind of disorganizing our opponents through that and applying pressure by keeping the ball," said fifth-year SPU coach Arby Busey.
 
"We did a really good job of that in the early stages of the game. That's how we assert ourselves onto opponents and it got away from us as the game went on and fatigue started to set in a little bit."
 
SPU had a 3-2 shot edge during the opening 21 minutes, but didn't get another attempt in the first half while the Trailblazers had six unanswered tries. The hosts compiled an 8-2 shot lead after halftime.
 
The Falcons (0-2-0) lost their first two games of the season for the first time in their 19-year history. They fell 1-0 to Rogers State on Thursday, just the third season-opening loss ever, despite a lopsided 16-5 shot advantage.
 
SPU nearly pulled that off themselves, owning a 1-0 lead late in spite of a 16-5 shot deficit for the game.
 
But the Trailblazers (2-0-0) equalized with 6:57 showing on the second-half clock. Johns made a dribbling run into the left side of the box before unleashing a 13-yard blast into the upper netting at 83:03.
 
"They are very much a momentum-oriented team. Dixie gained a lead the other night against San Bernardino and really built off it and started piling on goals," Busey said of Dixie's 6-1 win on Thursday.

 

"So that good start from us with Claire's goal kept them from getting momentum. Unfortunately we were seven minutes short of keeping them at bay and they were able to find that one and build off of it. It certainly got away from us there in the last 10 minutes of regulation and the overtime."
 
Exactly two minutes into overtime Sophie Stewart's golden goal ended the contest. Johns served a cross into a congested 6-yard box and Stewart managed to poke the ball in at 92:00 despite the presence of several SPU defenders and goalkeeper Riley Travis.
 
Travis was credited with three saves for the Falcons and Greenwood stopped one shot for Dixie.
 
The Trailblazers came away with a win for the first time in five all-time meetings with Seattle Pacific.
 
The thermometer read 93 degrees, but the temperature on the Trailblazer Stadium turf was much hotter. The sweltering conditions required two hydration breaks in each half for the teams.
 
"We were both playing in the same heat. It was warm and all the players felt it," Busey described. "They may have just done a little better job of managing themselves through the later stages of the fatigue than we were able to do."
 
The SPU women return to Seattle to host their home opener on Thursday, Sept. 12 against Biola. Kick-off is 4 p.m. at Interbay Stadium.
 
"I'm proud of our effort on this road trip, but we have to come back next week and do better," said Busey. "It will be great for us to be at home, in our own beds and a more familiar environment.
 
"The competition certainly doesn't get any easier for us. We've got some really difficult, challenging opponents coming in and we're excited about that, but being at home will be nice for us to play in familiar confines."
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S SOCCER
Saturday, September 7, 2019
Trailblazer Stadium / St. George, Utah
 
at Dixie State 2, Seattle Pacific 1 (ot)
 
Scoring – 1, SPU, Claire Neder, 8:14; 2, DSU, Whitley Johns, 83:03; 3, DSU, Sophie Stewart (Whitley Johns), 92:00.
 
                       1   2  OT  --  TOTAL
Seattle Pacific        1   0   0  --    1
Dixie State            0   1   1  --    2
 
Shots – SPU 5, DSU 16.
Saves – SPU 3 (Riley Travis), DSU 1 (Chandler Greenwood).
Corner Kicks – SPU 2, DSU 4.
Fouls – SPU 6, DSU 5.
Offsides – SPU 4, DSU 0.
 
Records
Seattle Pacific 0-2-0
Dixie State 2-0-0
 
Next SPU Women's Soccer Game
Biola at Seattle Pacific
Thursday, Sept. 12, 4:00 p.m. PDT
Interbay Stadium / Seattle, Wash.