Postcards from the Edge: Blanks 15

 Veterans Hospital. Grand Junction, Colorado.  

Vampire Peak, Badlands National Monument, South Dakota.  I suddenly have an idea for a great D&D adventure.

Jupiter Terrace, Yellowstone National Park.  You can't see it in the scan, but this postcard is so glossy, the image is almost lenticular.  

October 15, 2022: A Remarkable Day in Sports

For me, anyway.  Your mileage may vary.  I wasn’t even going to write anything until I woke up on Sunday morning and reflected back on the previous day.  I’ve seldom seen such a confluence of amazing victories.  Even when the team I may have had a rooting interest in didn’t win, it was still interesting. 

It was unprecedented even starting on Friday.  I’d gotten an e-mail from our old friend, Tim Hagerty, voice of the Chihuahuas.  He was promoting his new book, Tales from the Dugout, a collection of humorous Minor League Baseball tales.  It was a personal e-mail, not even a mass e-mail.  I pre-ordered the book and wrote him back that I’d seen him this year at the park.  He hadn’t seen me hailing him.  Tim confirmed he was in a rush at the time (as I’d thought), only having 40 minutes to get a meal and eat it before the game started.          

First up in the morning, I checked in on Aggie Soccer.  They had one game this week, after a disappointing road loss to Utah Tech last Sunday (which featured an own goal).  They won on this Saturday 1-0 over Sam Houston.  It was Loma McNeese’s eighth goal of the year and Makenna Gottschalk’s eighth shutout.

 

Since Ron was out-of-town this weekend, I made plans to go see dad and watch the #3 Alabama vs. #6 Tennessee game, both unbeaten.  Clay Travis had been promoting the game on Friday’s Clay & Buck Show.  My apologies to Aggie Softball, who were playing an exhibition double header today, and to Aggie Football.  I just didn’t want to go by myself today for these events.  I decided I’d be listening to the Aggie/Lobo Football game on radio that night.

There were four touchdowns in the first quarter of the AL/TN game, so I was feeling good about my decision to watch the game.  The Volunteers had taken early control of the game, but it was 28-20 TN by halftime.  (I’m not doing detailed recaps for all these games.)  Dad and I went for pizza at Roadrunner Pizza.  Dad has been economically forced to like their pizza.  He went to Dominos last week (without me) and it was way more expensive than this one that I bought.  (And it was a good pizza.  They’re great.)

Before we left to get the pizza, I’d been checking in on the football game on ABC, mostly because their ticker was showing baseball scores.  I’d unfortunately noted that the Phillies had beaten the Braves and would be moving on to the LCS, 8-3.  I was sort of rooting for the Braves, though not as much as last year.  While at Roadrunner Pizza, their TV had a sports show on recapping the game.  They reported on the unlikely inside-the-park home run by Philly catcher, JT Realmuto.  I saw the clip later.  It didn’t even look like he was running hard. 

 

Dad and I enjoyed the pizza as the AL/TN game kept getting more dramatic.  Alabama took a one-point lead, with a missed TN extra point being the difference.  With the scored tied late, TN fumbled an exchange near their own goal line, which was scooped for an AL touchdown.  

I kept checking back to the ABC game for baseball scores from the Mariners and Astros’s game, but suddenly found their football game more interesting.  #8 Oklahoma State had been handling #13 TCU pretty well in another battle of unbeaten teams.  By the end of the game, the Horned Frogs had managed to tie the score and force it to overtime.  TCU won it, 43-40, in double overtime.  The Fort Worth crowd rushed the field in celebration.

Dad was happy that my furious channel-flipping was finally over with (though he found the TCU/OKST game interesting).  Back to Knoxville, they were tied at 49.  AL missed a 50-yard field goal to win it with under a minute left.  With seconds left, TN managed to work the ball right downfield.  This set up for a last-second 40-yard field goal.  Chase McGrath, who’d missed a PAT earlier, kicked a knuckleball.  

Somehow with the sheer will of the crowd, the ball made it over the crossbar.  I don’t know if anybody expected that kick to go over.  They played the TN radio call and even their announcer was about to call it short.  The fans stormed the field and tore down the goalposts and threw them into the river, which was really rude given how nice that goalpost was in bending down for that kick.  It was almost like they hadn’t beaten Alabama in 15 years.  Amazingly, both quarterbacks were in tears at the end.  They'd played their hearts out.  52-49 Tennessee.  

I returned home in time to start listening to the Aggie/Lobo game.  When I turned on my computer, I was shocked to see that the Mariners/Astros game was still going on.  The Yankees and Guacamoles’ game had already long started.  Via Gameday, I kept track of the game, which ended 1-0 Astros after 18 innings and taking six hours and 22 minutes to play!  This eliminated M’s.  Thanks to the expanded playoffs (I’ll probably get into that issue for my World Series post) for ending their terrible playoff drought.  They went out hard.  

Back to the Aggie/Lobo game.  The Aggie defense in the football game was stout and didn’t allow a touchdown.  The offense, with Gavin Frakes in for the whole game, was good and scored three touchdowns.  This was enough to secure a 21-9 win in the I-25 Rivalry.  The 20k in attendance did not rush the field.  They were instead treated to a fireworks display. 

The Yankees/Guacamoles game seemed to be headed towards a Yankee win in the bottom of the ninth as they were up 5-3.  Watching Gameday, I suddenly saw the Guacs score a run and load the bases.  With two outs, a clutch single drove in two more runs to win the game and put the Yankees on the brink of elimination.  I admit, I wasn’t for Cleveland at all, but this opportunity to wreck the Yankees was too good not to root for.

 

The late College Football game on Fox was on with undefeated #7 USC at #20 Utah.  I wasn’t paying attention until around the end.  In the closing moments of the game, Utah, down a touchdown, scored.  Their coach has nuts of the steel, because he went for two at that point for win.  Yep, they did it.  They held on and won 43-42.  And the crowd stormed the field.  It was that kind of day.

The late MLB playoff game was the Dodgers and the Padres.  San Diego had somehow managed to push LA to the brink to make this a possible closeout game.  I saw the Dodgers go up by two, and I was afraid to watch at that point.  When I finally checked back later (I was watching old Benny Hill reruns), the Padres were up in the ninth and won it, 5-3.  Going back in the game, the Dodgers were up 3-0, until the Padres scored 5 in the seventh.  The crowd did not storm the field, but I’m sure they wanted to if they’d watched any college football today. 

 

And just like that, the Dodgers and their 111 regular season wins get to watch the World Series like I do, on TV, except I didn’t spend $263M.  The Padres, sans Fernando Tatis Jr., are going to the LCS to play the Phillies.  How unlikely was this outcome?  This will be the first LCS between two teams with less than 90 wins each. 

 

Wow, what a day!  Even during that AL/TN game, dad and I had both remarked on hating football.  There were an interminable number of flags and bad calls that dragged out the game.  I didn’t get to see or hear any of the baseball while they were playing.  And yet, I got caught up in the drama and emotion that played out in these games.  This was one of those rare days that truly remind you why you’re a sports fan.  

Postcards from the Edge: Blanks 14

Ayres Natural Bridge, Wyoming.   

Steamboat Passing through the Locks near St. Louis, Missouri.  

Twin Lakes, Colorado.  "The Switzerland of America."

NM State Aggies vs Chicago State Cougars Volleyball 10-12-22

Katie didn't play, but I'd already put in the picture before the game.

Lia's highlight in this game was a dig.  Really.

Poor Chicago State.  I feel bad for them.  Their university almost went out of business.  They left the WAC.  The conference they were about to join, suddenly refused them.  Now they’re independent.  As a consequence, out of 24 matches this season, they only have three home games, which they’ve already played.  (They have a nice-looking venue, too.)   And, as Ron and the Roadrunner Revue band would say, “Chicago’s not a state!”

 

I also feel bad for the Aggies.  They were playing their third match in five days, two of which were on the road and both went five sets each.  They beat Sam Houston State behind Katie Birtcil’s 20 kills.  Our new freshman Setter, Rilen Garcia, led in assists with 27.  Against unbeaten in conference UTRGV, they lost in front of a big crowd.  Katie played hurt and wasn’t a huge factor, but Molly Johnson stepped up.  Looking at the stats, Coach Jordan emptied the bench looking for more firepower.  Even our one-girl cheering squad, Ashley Herman, came in and got two kills.  There were lots of service errors in both games.           

 

Tonight’s game got moved up a day to accommodate CS’s travel schedule.  They were supposed to play them twice this season, but WAC rescheduling forced one match to be canceled.  At least the Aggies have a week off after this.  I wouldn’t mind a week off.  Just taking Friday off, got me buried in paperwork when I got back on Tuesday.  Meanwhile, I would be solo tonight because Ron was gone for the week to an out-of-state funeral.  This also pretty much settles whether I was going to go to Aggie Football and Softball this weekend as well.  (Chance of rain anyway.)  So, this is my only live sports for the week. 

 

I’d hoped to watch the baseball playoffs this afternoon, but the game was rain delayed.  At least I had a good burger for lunch.  For dinner, I made the usual mistake of eating at the Pan-Am Center.  I got a stale pretzel caked in salt that mostly ended up in my lap.  So much for that.  A pretty decent crowd came out.  A bunch of girls teams came to the game.  I’d told my co-worker, Taylor, about the game.  He said he’d try to go with his girls, but I didn’t see him.  Then again, I didn’t see them last time. 

 

Bianca Perez, our injured Setter, has somehow gotten worse even while not playing.  She’s gone from having her wrist wrapped to now having her arm in a sling.  Meanwhile, Katie would be sitting out this game with some arm pain.  Adam Young on the radio broadcast said she could play, but the Coach wanted her resting.  Ryleigh Whitekettle would get the start in her place.  (I want her to develop.  She looks like she should be great.)

 

Chicago State’s roster is really international, like UTRGV.  There are girls from the Dominican Republic, Argentina, Peru, Turkey, and South Korea.  Their coach, Tony Trifonov, has really remade the program.  (They made me a believer last year playing for a WAC division championship.)  Were it not for their conference problems (or lack thereof), they’d be contending somewhere.

 

During player introductions, the players were tossing out souvenir balls.  One of the thrown balls got loose on the other side of the court.  One of the Cougar girls ran over and got it and handed it to kid on the sidelines.  A senior lady in the boosters section got one and came back and handed it to a kid right below me.  (I was seated behind the Aggie bench for a change.)  Meanwhile, I noticed team aide, Cat Kelly, talking to Pistol Pete on the sidelines.  Stay away from my girl, Pete!

 

Set 1

Rilen came into the game early to set.  In the pregame, the Coach had been amazed by her progress in this short amount of time.  She has a good-looking serve, but needs to work on consistency.  She also needs to work on avoiding Double Touch calls.  (Several DT calls were made on players during the match.  It really seems to depend on the refereeing crew.) 

 

CS was playing well to start and the Aggies weren’t.  There was a mis-dig that went into the Aggie reserves.  Libero Darian Marham looked sharp on her digs.  Her and Mari Sharp had a couple of great saves on a point, but it still went to the Cougars.  At 4-7 CS, the Aggies took a timeout.  After the break, Mia Peterson and Darian collided on a dig. 

 

5-9 Molly got an overpass kill to finally break an 8-point run.  Rilen made a good-looking back-set to Jayde Shelton.  Her swing was ruled out, but it looked in even from where I was seeing it.  Coach Jordan challenged call and got it overturned, 6-9.  Across the court, a team of girls started dancing to Whoomp! (There it is).  Since the Cheerleaders didn’t seem to be into it tonight, these girls provided the break entertainment.

 

8-12 Jayde made a slashing lefty kill that put a charge into the crowd.  6’4” Molly made two diving dig efforts on point 10-16.  She was going all-out.  15-19 Lia blocked a shot so hard, two Cougars fell to the court on the rebound.  (Not exaggerating.)  On the sidelines, Ashley was too fun to watch.  She was dancing, jumping, and bumping teammates on every winning point. 

 

17-21 Lia and Jayde combined on a block.  The rebound went up into the overhanging videoboard.  They both ducked and covered their heads.  18-21 the Aggie comeback continued.  Darian made a great pancake save.  Timeout CS.  19-21 Taylor Snow and Jayde combined on a block.  22-22 the CS Coach challenged a call, but didn’t get it.  23-22 Ryleigh gave the Aggies’ their first lead with a kill.  Timeout CS.  Mari got the block to get the Aggies to set point and then closed it out 25-22 on a DT call on CS.

 

Set 2: Aggies 1, Cougars 0

I suddenly noticed Xitlaly Hernandez (definitely), Gia Valenti, and Bianca Chacon (maybe on the other two) from Aggie Soccer walk by on the stairs.  I would have said, “Hi, thanks for a fun season,” but I didn’t recognize them quick enough.  (How did I miss Xitlaly with that great hair?  She had it elegantly pinned up.) 

 

On the Aggie sideline, Ashley did her usual routine before the start of a set.  She went to the coaches for fist bumps (they look like they’re about strangle her) and then high-fives and low-fives with the reserves.  She even high-fived Pistol Pete with the Cheerleaders (who were kind of standing around tonight, though they did some routines later).   

The Aggies got off to a quick 5-1 lead on several CS errors and a kill by Jayde.  Timeout CS.  6-2 Mari hit the backline for an ace.  7-1 the Aggies took the point after a long rally.  Cougar Setter, Jaclyn Inclan and another player went down in heap at the net.  Jaclyn stayed down and the Aggie trainer went out to her.  She eventually got up and stayed in to a round of applause.  Adam seemed to know her whole life story, which he gave while she was being treated.  I’d noticed her because she’s a rather fierce beauty.  

9-2 Laura Lizastigui cycled in for the Cougars.  Both Adam and PA Ed choked on trying to say her last name.  It’s pronounced just how it looks, fellas.  10-3 CS challenged a confused call by the up official, who seemed uncertain.  It was overturned.  11-3 Molly got a kill and Kaylee Peterson came in to serve.  The Coach said before the match that he was going to try and dip into the deep end of the bench.  

12-5 Lia had two blocks on this point, but Setter Rylee Fay fell over the center line to give it to CS.  14-6 Molly with another kill and Keke Holloway came into serve.  Keke and Lia did this little hand-play while waiting to cycle out.  Lia then twirled her in a pirouette.  18-7 Ryleigh slammed a kill.  CS was really looking disorganized now.  Timeout CS.  19-7 Rylee put in an ace.  Molly got a couple more kills along with Ryleigh getting one.  23-7 Kayleigh Thomas came in.  Yes, we finally get to see the redhead play!  She tripped coming on to the court, but got her first kill of the season on a tip on the next point.  Good for you, Kayleigh!  The Aggies closed it out 25-9.        

  

Set 3: Aggies 2, Cougars 0

I hopped to the bathroom after drinking most of my raspberry tea.  I came back and the video was showing a young team girl working it to Jump in the Line.  She also had a souvenir ball.  She earned it with that performance.  Ashley went down the line for fist bumps from the coaches.  Coach Hertel wasn’t there.  He had left to get something off court.  Ashley stopped and looked confused for a moment before continuing on.

 

1-1 the Aggies won the point after a long rally.  A CS player fired into the tape on the net so hard, she fell backward on to the court.  3-2 Mari caught big air as she flew in to drive one into the center of court.  4-2 Kaylee had come into serve and put in an ace here and got a nice save on the next point.  She’s very serious out on court and looks like a good player. 

 

7-5 Lia brought down the hammer here, but the match highlight came next.  Lia went back to serve.  The Coach was going with a different rotation pattern here.  I don’t remember the last time I’d seen Lia serve, other than earlier in warmups when she fired into the net.  She got it in and then played in the backcourt.  Gasp!  Our middle blocker star was playing in the backcourt and got a dig there.  The reserves went crazy and nearly stormed the court.        

 

9-5 this was the actual best point of the match.  It was a long, incredible rally that went forever.  Ryleigh ended it on block.  Some of crowd (including myself) gave both teams a standing ovation for the effort.  10-6 Rylee put in another ace.  13-6 CS took a timeout.  15-8 Mari with a flying kill.  16-8 Molly with an overpass kill.  She looked surprised.  The ball was nearly on a tee for her.

17-9 Lia dunked one.  18-9 CS timeout.  The ball girls practiced setting and bumping on court.  20-9 another first, Rylee got her first block ever with Lia.  The reserves went crazy again.  21-9 even up big, Mari made an incredible save here.  23-9 Anji Vishwanathan and . . . Ashley (!) came in.  24-9 set point, Las Cruces High School grad, Cameron Rodriguez, came in.  She got a big roar from the girls in the crowd.  25-9 Anji finished the set and match with a kill.  Ashley had a great save on the point.  Aggies sweep 3-0.    

 

The Aggies are now 20-0 versus the Cougars.  I was there when these two teams played for a division championship (as noted at the top), and another game where Coach Jordan almost put in the reserves to throw it when he thought the starters weren’t giving enough effort (11-14-19).  I want to see a win, but I don’t want to pity our opponents.  Hopefully, their school will get in a conference next year.  We’ve had enough trouble with our Football team here with that problem.    

 

Molly Johnson led the Aggies with 11 kills and 10 digs.  The Coach really praised her efforts this season in the postgame interview.  He’s pushed her into improving her game.  Mari Sharp had 11 kills and 9 digs.  Yanlis Feliz paced the Cougars with 11 digs.  I could see her putting in the effort on court.  Perhaps the key stat was the Aggies up 7 to 1 in blocks.  If only they could do that every match.

Kaylee signing

Mia signing a poster of herself.  Meta.

Jaclyn came into the stands to see her family.  She’s from Tucson, so they came out to see her.  She played with the kids in her family on court.  On the other side, the teams of girls came down to the court waving their posters of Mia for signing.  It was good to see.  I felt a little sad I was there by myself, but I’d had a good time.   

Postcards from the Edge: Blanks 13

Rainbow (Five Springs) Falls in the Big Horn Mountains, Wyoming.   

Cloud Peak, Big Horn Mountains, Wyoming.

Greetings from South Dakota with various state landmarks.  (I don't think you're going to see a dinosaur.)  I love this graphical style of postcard.  It's a classic.

Postcards from the Edge: Blanks 12

Broadmoor Hotel, Colorado Springs, Colorado.  This place looks awesome.  When I was at Colorado Springs for a baseball game in 2016, I never saw it. 

Trail Ridge Road and the Never Summer Ranger, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.  "In this region, eternal snows await your visit at any month of the year."

Hickory House Motel, Poplar Bluff, Missouri.

NM State Aggies vs Southern Utah Thunderbirds Soccer 10-7-22

Oh, no, I thought as Ron and I left Arby’s on the way to the game.  It was raining.  Here I’d taken another night off for Aggie Sports and I was going to get soaked watching Soccer tonight.  I’d only had a week’s worth of warning that it was going to rain today, but I’d taken it off anyway and hoped for the best. 

 

Thankfully, the rain let up by the time we got to the Soccer Complex.  Also, the Spam-induced bellyache I’d had before dinner let up.  (The Arby’s was that good, along with a Frosty after.)  I crossed my fingers and hoped the rain would stay away for two hours.  The radar view was not promising.   

Aggie Soccer’s Twitter put out this humorous post beforehand.  (I’m guessing the person in charge of that is a Bronco’s fan.)  The Band was here (we could hear them immediately), since Aggie Football had the weekend off.  They’d really added to the game experience last time. 

 

While I was waiting for Ron outside the bathroom, I saw a family come in wearing the Aggie Soccer hooligan scarves.  This was, of course, the greatest of all Aggie Sports giveaways.  I was happy that it was a bit nippy only because it allowed me to wear mine.  A lady came after the family.  She smiled and waved her cowbell at me, “I brought mine!  You got yours?”  Of course, I did.  I’m going to get my money’s worth out of it.  I also ran into Softball Coach Rodolph in the walkway.  I tipped my Chihuahuas floppy hat (with an Aggie button on it) to her.   

  

It was Senior Day.  The numbers of the three Seniors having their last home game were on the field.  There was a ceremony before the game.  The three Southern Utah Thunderbird seniors were recognized and they waved to the crowd while they were warming up.  Megan Sheehan (Ron’s favorite), as noted in the last soccer post, was from Ireland.  In a Twitter interview, Coach Baarts said he was sorry he didn’t use her more.  Landy Williams (my favorite player) was noted for her defense.  Finally, the announcer listed goalie, Makenna Gottschalk’s, achievements including being the four-time WAC Defensive Player of the Week (including last week with two shutouts). 

     

Bella Garcia was warming up on field.  She was suited up to play and looked glamorously beautiful, elegant even with her hair up.  I’d shown my co-worker, Taylor, my autograph poster and pointed her out.  He immediately went to Instagram to track her down.  (I don’t have an account.)  After viewing Bella in a swimsuit, he seemed forget all about Mia Peterson on the Volleyball team.  I also shared a video interview of Bella with him.  His reaction after was, “Dude, she’s perfect for the both of us!  She loves comics!”  Yeah, that was a surprising revelation.  (Taylor’s dad owned a comic book shop that I used to frequent.) 

 

(Bella, if you’re reading this, respond to Taylor’s messages.  Your teammates would run you over to get with him, even the ones who say they don’t like guys.)

 

In spite of the impending rain, what a crowd!  745 officially.  I think everyone who got one of those soccer scarves was here tonight, because they were all over the crowd.  The other Aggie Sports teams came out to support soccer as well.  I noted Softball, Men and Women’s Basketball, Men and Women’s Tennis, Men and Women’s Golf, Football, and Baseball.  (Those last two were unsurprisingly on opposite ends of the stands from each other.) 

 

Megan Sheehan started the game.  That was a nice gesture by the coach.  The starting girls all held hands during the Anthem.  I’d seen other teams do that, but this was the first time I’d seen the Aggies do it.  Before the start, the field lights went out and then began a flashing light show.  Just in case the girls didn't win, they wanted to get in at least one more light show.  The girls all gathered together for a loud cheer before starting the match.            

 

First Half

The Band started up at the first kick and provided a dramatic soundtrack for the game.  (By the way, not the whole Pride of New Mexico Band, that would have been deafening, there were like 20 members here.)  41' left in the half, Loma McNeese took the first shot.  She had her back to the SUU net, turned suddenly and fired just wide.  39' the Aggies were back in the Thunderbird box when the attack was kicked out.  Players and the crowd wanted a handball during the play. 

 

SUU was possessing the ball, but having trouble getting any shots.  30' Mya Hammack made a good defensive play here, though she did kick the ball into the stands.  38' Sofia Beerworth took a hard kick on the SUU net.  Their goalie, Megan Short, made a good catch on it.  Right after, Sofia and a defender got completely tangled with each other on an attack.  23' Xitlaly Hernandez and a defender also tangled in the box without a call. 

 

The Baseball team was standing behind the SUU goal.  They were alternating between jeering and cheering depending on the action.  The Thunderbirds had three corners by this point in the half, but no shots on goal.  27' the ball got loose in the Aggie box, but was kicked out.  Xitlaly took the kick and charged back downfield.  She broke the ankles of two defenders and the crowd roared, but she was tripped just past midfield. 

 

25' there was a hard foul called on Sofia by the SUU box.  The Baseball players exploded in rage.  On the pause, Sydnee Johnson came in for Megan Sheehan.  24' Mya argued with a line judge about a throw-in.  Xitlaly came over chatted as well.  22' off a great pass, Xitlaly made a kick in the box that was blocked.  The team had overpassed a bit on a previous attack. 

 

20' there was a foul called on Loma.  The crowd disagreed.  17' Brooke Schultz took a close shot.  Megan Short blocked the shot, but the ball fell right in front of Loma, who had no trouble kicking it in from point blank range.  1-0 Aggies.  The Baseball team immediately ran around like crazy behind the goal in celebration.

 

A little stunned, 16' an SUU defender nearly faked out the goalie on a back pass, forcing a save.  14' Sydnee!  She charged in alone, got past a defender, cut the angle, and put it into the side of the net for a goal.  2-0 Aggies.  The Baseball team went completely insane and started tearing off their shirts. 

 

The Aggies kept up the pressure.  13' Sofia took a shot that went across the goal.  Brooke followed that with a kick off a corner that was caught.  11' the Thunderbirds got a free kick near the top of the Aggie box.  The shot went high.  8' off a great pass by Mya, Bella, just in, took a shot in front of the SUU goal.  It was blocked.  That was the last of the action for the half.  

 

Halftime

The Aggies stayed on field.  The Thunderbirds went the locker room.  The stats on the board had SUU up with 5 corners to 4, but the Aggies up 7 to 0 in shots on goal.  With two goals, the Aggies had already activated the Raising Canes Challenge, which I didn't take advantage of regrettably. 

 

The Band played in front of the stands.  First, the Outlaws brass section performed.  Then the Drum Line performed.  They were great, of course.  The Baseball team unfortunately left, maybe since the Thunderbirds would be changing ends.  Also, they may have been working out before the game started.  The lights had been on at the baseball field when we arrived. 

Second Half

A very blonde little ball girl was working in front of the stands.  She was dribbling the ball back-and-forth for the whole game.  She was clearly dying to get in and play.  The Band started off the half singing and playing an anime theme.  The full Band had performed that at a football game, but I still can't identify it. 

 

41' Landy argued as she was called for a foul outside the Aggie box.  37' Sydnee turned around a defender with an arm-wrap.  The ref lectured her for a moment afterward.  34' Xitlaly and Sofia performed a little razzle dazzle ball handling in front of the stands.  Earlier, I'd seen an Aggie make an impressive jumping heel pass.  (I'm kicking myself that I didn't note the player at the time.)

 

33' Sydnee took a shot at the top of the SUU box.  Megan Short made a nice save rushing out to stop it.  Sofia took a shot on the rebound that was caught.  31' Sydnee made a solo rush and chipped it just high.  30' SUU took a hard shot from outside the box that just missed high.  Loma may have been hurt on the play and came out.

 

Raindrops started lightly falling.  A guy in front of us started checking a lightning app for possible delays.  SUU may have been aware of this and intensified their attack.  28' Makenna caught a shot from the wing.  27' Mackenna fell on one that went across the net.  26' a Thunderbird long shot went just high.  Loma came back in.  24' Sofia, solo, took a shot on the SUU goal from the side. 

 

Before we came in, Ron kept thinking he was forgetting something.  When we got to the gate, he finally remembered and went back.  Thankfully, he came back with his big umbrella.  22' a downpour began.  (Yes, my notebook is a bit water-damaged.)  The Men's Golf team had just come in.  Good for them that they'd brought umbrellas.  Everyone without an umbrella fled the stands.  While Ron was getting his umbrella open, my floppy hat worked well in the rain, which was why I'd brought it.  I also didn't have to worry about getting it wet.

 

The girls on field kept playing like it wasn't even raining.  Landy made a great poke that broke up an attack.  The rain lightened up a bit after just a couple of minutes.  SUU kept up the attack.  20' Makenna caught a long, low shot.  18' and she caught another one.  Back the other way, 12' Gia Valenti kicked a roller at the SUU goal.  Loma followed that with a shot at the top of the box that was just high.

 

11' a Thunderbird attacker was wide open in the Aggie box, but was whistled offside.  8' Makenna made a dive stop.  5' Sofia took a shot on the wing across the SUU goal.  Bella and Sydnee just missed connecting for a chip-in goal.  3' Xitlaly found Sydnee on a pass.  Syd's shot was just high.  2' the SUU coach was carded.  I don't know what that was about.  1' Gia fed Syd for a header that just missed.  With under a minute left, Gia passed up an open look to give it to Bianca, who shot just wide.  Aggies win 2-0!

 

I didn't say anything to Ron until after the game finished, but Southern Utah was 8-1-1, 3-0-1 in conference, coming into this game.  This was a good win.  The other final stats were the Aggies with 9 shots on goal and 5 corners.  The Thunderbirds had 9 corners with 3 shots on goal.  The Thunderbirds mostly dominated possession in the second half, but it was all frustration for them.  Nice job by Makenna Gottschalk in maintaining the shutout.  Good job by the Aggie offense in keeping up the pressure.   

 

The Aggies gathered on field and came towards the stands.  Instead of just waving to the crowd, they came over and high-fived the crowd.  Of course, I went to the rail for a touch.  I yelled to Makenna that she was the best.  I also thought Bella was fairly brave.  She was holding up her injured wrist that was taped up.  The Football players and the Band at the far end gave the girls a cheer.  (After their win over Hawaii, the Football team had gone around the stadium like this.) 

 

In spite of the rain, I was very happy about going to the game tonight.  Thankfully, it wasn't that bad.  The team has four more games this regular season, but no more at home, so this was a nice sendoff.  I'll post some updates while reporting on other Aggie Sports.  Overall, I'm really happy with the team and going out to see them this season. 

  

We started this post with a nice picture of Makenna and we'll end it with one.