Vaqueras lose to Thunderbirds in rainy WAC match

The UTRGV Women’s Soccer Team lost 2-1 earlier tonight to the Southern Utah Thunderbirds in a rainy showdown on Breast Cancer Awareness Night at the Soccer and Track & Field Complex on the Edinburg campus.

This brings the Vaqueras’ overall record to 3-8-3 and their conference record to 1-4-0.

The Thunderbirds improve to 1-7-5 overall and 1-2-1 in WAC play after tonight’s game.

Trouble was brewing for the Vaqueras almost as soon as the opening whistle came when freshman goalkeeper Anais van Doesburg left the game in the opening minute with an injury.

Asked about the injury to his keeper, UTRGV head coach Mark Foster replied the team was “awaiting X-rays.”

After leaving the game, Foster called on freshman goalkeeper Emilia Compian to take the Vaqueras through the first half.

In the first half, Compian faced seven shots with four saves, including a crucial 43rd-minute save to preserve the Vaqueras’ 0-0 tie late in the first half.

“It was a sensational save,” Foster said of Compian’s first-half save. “When I first saw it, I couldn’t believe it.”

After the save, the Vaqueras mounted a last-ditch counterattack at the end of the first half, which resulted in junior defender Sydney Hammond finding graduate forward Jeweleen Reuille in the box, after which Reuille scored the opening goal of the match.

Down 1-0 and with the rain intensifying, Southern Utah looked aggressive out of the gate to open the second half. That aggression paid off for the Thunderbirds, as freshman forward Steph Roper found redshirt sophomore Whitney Gardner to net the 59th-minute equalizer.

In the 68th minute, the Vaqueras would concede as junior midfielder Alison Keller would net an unassisted screamer past Compian to put the Thunderbirds in front 2-1.

The Vaqueras attacked the box and intensified their play, but ultimately fell short and the game ended with a final of 2-1 in 90 minutes.

Rain fell throughout the match, with players on both teams slipping on the pitch. There was discussion of possibly ending the game once it passed the 70-minute mark. It let up, however, and the game continued on to full time.

Asked what kind of impact the rain had on tonight’s game, Foster replied “the conditions were the same for both teams, but it certainly didn’t help [the Vaqueras] tonight.”

Tonight was UTRGV’s pink-out night and fans in attendance were encouraged to wear pink to support breast cancer awareness efforts.

“It was great to see so many people show out for Breast Cancer Awareness Night,” he said. “We’ve been delighted with the support, and we will work hard to get them the wins they deserve.”

The Vaqueras are in the middle of a gauntlet with all four of their next games being conference matchups before the WAC tournament begins Oct. 29 in Riverside, California.

“We’re seeing good individual performances out of our players,” Foster said. “It’s all a matter of finding big plays and big moments.”

The Vaqueras will play their next game against the Utah Tech Trailblazers at noon Sunday at home before they embark on a two-game road trip starting Oct. 12.