OPENING KICKOFF: The Snow College men's soccer team will take on Utah State University Eastern in the first round of the 2022 Region 18 Tournament Thursday in Herriman, Utah. The Badgers enter the tournament as the No. 3 seed and will be matched up with the No. 2 seeded Eagles.
Snow College is coming off a thrilling 2-1 victory over the No. 10 ranked Eagles in the final match of the regular season. The Badgers won three of their final four games and eight of their final 10 with their only losses coming against USUE Oct. 1 and Salt Lake Community College Oct. 15.
The Badgers finished the regular season with an overall record of 10-4 and an 8-3 mark within the Scenic West Athletic Conference. They ended the year having won six of eight games at home and going 4-2 in away games.
KNOW YOUR FOE: Snow College faced USUE twice this season within SWAC play and split the season series with the Eagles. The Badgers lost the first match of the season 2-1 in Price before winning the second match, also by a 2-1 score.
The Eagles finished the season with a 10-3-1 overall record and an 8-2-1 record within the SWAC. Following its defeat against Snow College, USUE finished the season with a 1-1 draw against SLCC. The loss and the draw dropped them to No. 12 in the NJCAA Division I Men's Soccer Rankings. Snow College climbed up one spot from 14 to 13.
The Badgers have split the season series with the Eagles each of the last two seasons. Snow College owns a 10-6 record over USUE dating back to 2016. The Badgers won six straight matches against the Eagles between 2017 and 2019 and have won four out of their last six meetings.
BY THE NUMBERS: Snow College averaged 3.3 goals per game this season after scoring a total of 46 goals throughout the season. Defensively, the Badgers allowed 18 goals this season – an average of 1.3 goals per game.
Zachary Lifferth led the team in goals scored this season with nine. He also added two assists.
Oliver Fehintola led the team in total points with eight goals and six assists in 13 games throughout the season.
LAST TIME OUT: Snow College finished its regular season in style with a 2-1 victory over No. 10 USUE.
The Eagles struck first in the 18
th minute. USUE's Ramon Nunez lofted one down the pitch from just across the center line. Aiden McMullen had just his defender and the keeper to beat. He fired from the right side and snuck the ball under the keeper's legs to give USUE an early 1-0 lead. The Badgers had a few opportunities to score but wouldn't be able to level things before halftime.
The Badgers put in the equalizer on a corner kick in the 55
th minute.
Hugo Champalloux served it into the far side of the box where
Itsuki Matsuyama headed the ball into the left side of the goal to even the score at one apiece.
It was a header in the 61
st minute that gave the Badgers the lead. Lute Avila Ma controlled the ball on the right side and served a pass to Lifferth who headed it past the keeper into the right corner of the goal to give Snow College the 2-1 advantage.
The Badger's defense was able to stave off any comeback attempt from the Eagles and Snow College earned a 2-1 victory.
With the win, Snow College finishes the season with an overall record of 10-4 and 8-3 in Scenic West Athletic Conference play. The Badgers currently sit in third place in the SWAC behind USUE. USUE holds a conference record of 8-2-1 after finishing the season with a 1-1 draw against SLCC.
UP NEXT: If Snow College can defeat USUE, it would move on to the second round of the tournament and face the winner of SLCC/College of Southern Nevada. The winner of that matchup will advance to the Region 18 Tournament Title match where the winner will receive an automatic bid to the NJCAA National Tournament. If Snow College is unable to win the Region 18 Tournament Title, it still would be eligible to receive an at-large bid. For match start times, video streaming, and live stat information, visit snowbadgers.com.
