Fresno State women’s soccer had its senior day spoiled with a 2-0 Mountain West (MW) loss against Utah State on Saturday afternoon. 

The match marked the fourth consecutive loss for the Bulldogs and puts them at 1-11-3 overall (1-4-2 MW) heading into their final three regular season games. 

Despite the loss, Head Coach Brian Zwaschka praised the work done by his graduating seniors. 

“Our seniors have been a joy to work with. They bring a lot to the program and we’re going to miss them. [The season] goes fast and the seniors are always surprised by that. There’s no way to get that message across until they experience it,” Zwaschka said. 

The ‘Dogs honored a pair of graduating seniors in  forward Jordan Brown and defender Shantay Tamez. 

The pair are both finishing their fifth year of play for the ‘Dogs and have played alongside each other since 2018. 

However, the seniors’ performances proved to not be enough as Utah State scored its first goal just six minutes into the match. 

The Aggies’ goal matched their dominance early on, as Fresno State was unable to get a single shot off in the first 20 minutes of the game. 

When the ‘Dogs did get shot opportunities, they were near misses as Jordan Brown’s shot deflected off the crossbar and Kaelyn Miller’s rebound shot was blocked by Aggie goalkeeper McKenzie Hunninghake.­

At the first half, Utah State sat in control of the match offensively, with nine shots to Fresno State’s five. In the second half, the Aggies’ offensive control became dominant, with players firing four times as many shots as the ‘Dogs. 

Utah State scored one goal on eight shots, of which one lengthy shot from senior Jordan Foraker entered through the top right corner of the goal. 

Fresno State managed just two shots in the second half, with neither coming close to scoring. 

“[Converting shot attempts is] something that has been on our mind all season and we do exercise it quite a bit. But in a game it’s hard to replicate. At some point it’s a combination of bravery, confidence and a bit of luck and unfortunately we haven’t had it go our way,” Zwaschka said. 

The end of the match was not only the ‘Dogs fourth consecutive loss, it is also the third straight game in which they’ve failed to score a goal. 

With only three remaining matches left in the season Zwaschka is keeping the same message he preached the entire season. 

“The message is the same as the very first day. As long as we’re getting better then there’s purpose in everything we do. There are three games left to play, but you’re never out until you’re out mathematically. But beyond that we’re going to play with integrity and try to win every game,” he said.

The ‘Dogs’ travel to Wyoming for their next match on Thursday, Oct. 20 against the University of Wyoming.