Weber State Beats Oregon State Women 2-1 After Dominant Second Half Performance

Oregon State and Weber State looked deadlocked after battling to a 1-1 tie in the first half of their match in Ogden, but in the second half the Weber State defense dominated time of possession and took a 2-1 win over the Beavers. The loss drops Oregon State's record to 1-3 this season.

The Beavers and Wildcats traded shots early in the first half, with Lea Gentry forcing a save from Lauren Butorac and Isabelle Dahl and Simone Packer forcing saves from Libby Brooker. In the 24th minute, Weber State broke the stalemate. A foul on Evee Stoddard gave Packer a penalty kick near the Beaver goal, and she easily got the ball by Brooker to put Weber State up 1-0.

That lit a fire under the Beavers though. A minute later Lea Gentry got the ball to Mary Hoffman near the Weber State goal. Hoffman juked her defender and caught Lauren Butorac out of place, putting the ball in the bottom left corner of the net to tie the game 1-1.

Weber State fought hard over the rest of the first half to get the lead back, but Libby Brooker fought just as hard to keep the game tied. The Wildcats shooting was extremely accurate in the first half, with seven of their nine shots on goal. Despite great shots from Isabelle Dahl and Oakley Anderson late in the half, Brooker made some incredible saves and the half ended in a 1-1 tie.

The barrage against Brooker continued in the second half. Oakley Anderson forced a save early, and in the 56th minute a London Tsuma foul gave the Wildcats a free kick deep in Oregon State territory. Weber State's first shot was deflected, but they retrieved the ball and got a second shot off. Brooker made another clutch save and the game stayed even.

The half continued to play out in Weber State's favor. The Beavers did not get a shot off in the second half, with the Wildcats dominating time of possession. The Beavers were also forced to foul heavily to keep the Wildcat attack under control, giving Weber State several offensive set pieces.

Despite that the Oregon State defense held strong, until in the 79th minute the Wildcats finally found their second goal. Amanda Caswell found some space on the wing, and then charged toward the middle of the box before spinning back and firing her shot. She caught Libby Brooker out of place to put the Wildcats up 2-1.

Down a goal with ten minutes to go, Oregon State still couldn't find a shot. A free kick with six minutes left in the game seemed like it would give them a chance, but the Beavers deflected the ball out of bounds. In the final minutes of the game momentum swung back to the Wildcats, with Cici Garcia and Oakley Anderson forcing more saves from Brooker. Oregon State never found their shot, and the Wildcats won 2-1.

It was a great game from Libby Brooker, who had nine saves against 11 shots faced. The Wildcats made her work hard but they had a tough time getting past her. Lea Gentry, Mary Hoffman and Abby Smith each put a shot on goal in the first half, with Hoffman scoring, but it's hard to feel great about the Oregon State offense after their disappearance in the second half.

The next challenge for Oregon State is a short trip south to Eugene to take on the Ducks. This year's rivalry game will be held on Thursday, August 27th, with kick off set for 6 PM PT.

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