CEDAR CITY, Utah - In a game that included a 70 minute lightning delay, Sacramento State pulled even on a goal by redshirt freshman Emily Hooper in the 72nd minute but Southern Utah got a game winner with less than five minutes remaining in regulation to secure a 2-1 win.

The game was the Big Sky opener for both teams, as Sacramento State (5-5-0, 0-1-0 BSC) opened the conference season with a loss while Southern Utah (4-3-1, 1-0-0 BSC) avenged a 4-0 loss to the Hornets in Sacramento last season and picked up its first ever win against Sacramento State.

Southern Utah controlled play for most of the first half, totaling a 9-3 shot advantage and preventing the Hornets from placing a shot on goal. The Thunderbirds hit the crossbar on a shot in the 23rd minute and three minutes later scored on a goal by sophomore Aurora Moberly.

At halftime the lightning delay began and spanned more than an hour before the game resumed. Both teams came out firing after the delay, with each putting a pair of shots on goal over the first 10 minutes of the second period.

Sacramento State would even the score in the 72nd minute, as Hooper redirected a cross from sophomore Adaurie Dayak into the right side of the net for her first career goal. She had another shot two minutes later but missed just wide and sophomore Maggie Pleis had a try in the 78th minute stopped by SUU goalkeeper Taylor Bolding.

That would be the Hornets' last shot for the game. In the 86th minute, Southern Utah junior Nancy Brich took a pass from teammate Shelby Green at the top left corner of the box and fired a shot past Hornet goalkeeper Kimberly Mata for the game-winning score.

The Hornets had a 6-4 shot advantage in the second half as the Thunderbirds had a 13-9 edge in shots for the game and a 6-5 advantage in shots on goal. Bolding and Mata each made four saves while Pleis led the Hornets with three shots and Brich had four to pace the T-Birds.

After dropping its Big Sky opener for the first time since 2011, Sacramento State moves on to play at Northern Arizona on Sunday at noon.