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SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Through extreme rain and wind at Hornet Field on Sunday, Sacramento State stayed the course to celebrate Senior Day in front of family and friends. In addition, despite failling to the visiting Southern Utah Thunderbirds, 2-0, the Hornets managed to clinch a spot in the upcoming 2021 Big Sky Soccer Tournament, scheduled to begin Wednesday, Nov. 3 at Jackson Field on the Campus of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colo.
With the win, Sacramento State closes the regular season 4-11-2 overall and 3-6 in the Big Sky. Southern Utah finishes 2-13-2 overall and 1-6-2 in league play.
Sacramento State celebrated nine departing seniors prior to kick off on Sunday, recognizing a core group of players with an incredible shared resume between them. Even with the constant rain and winds that reach over 20 miles per hour, a strong crowd of family, friends, and fellow students turned out to support the Hornets seniors.
The celebration took place earlier than planned as Sacramento State and Southern Utah moved Sunday's match up two hours in an effort to escape the worst of Sunday's storm. Even with the time change, the Hornets and Thunderbirds still battled extreme weather that killed action, slowed passes, and sent players sliding to the ground on multiple occasions.
In addition to battling the weather, the Hornets also drew a tough Thunderbirds squad playing with nothing to lose, searching for its first Big Sky win of the season.
It was Southern Utah who drew Sunday's first big break, receiving a free kick from just outside the top of the box in the 31st minute. Sacramento State's Aubrey Goodwill and Southern Utah's Haley Hamataka collided and both went to the ground and it was Goodwill who received the whistle. Despite demonstrative objections from the players on the field and on the bench, the free kick was awarded to the Thunderbirds.
Southern Utah's Kamryn Farro buried the free kick opportunity in the back of the net, placing it just inside the far post and out of reach of the diving Mia Shalit in goal for Sacramento State.
The Thunderbirds doubled their lead in the 54th minute, scoring on a corner kick to go up, 2-0. The corner kick was one of three second half corner attempts for Southern Utah. The 2-0 score would hold as the match went final after 90 minutes.
With a win on Sunday, Sacramento State would have clinched its spot in the upcoming 2021 Big Sky Soccer Tournament. With the loss, the Hornets needed help from around the league in order to advance, including wins by both Northern Arizona and Idaho in each of its respective matches.
Northern Arizona defeated Portland State, 2-1, shortly after the conclusion of the Hornets' match. Nearly two hours later, Idaho defeated Eastern Washington, also 2-1, in the 108th minute. The combination of those two results give Sacramento State the six seed in the upcoming Big Sky Tournament.
The 2021 Big Sky Tournament begins on Wednesday, Nov. 3 in Greeley, Colo. The six-seeded Hornets will open the tournament against the tournament's number three seed, Northern Arizona.
For more updates on next week's Big Sky Soccer Tournament, stay tuned to HornetSports.com and @SacStateWSoccer on Twitter. Upcoming games and links, including ways to watch and follow via live stats, will be announced on the Sacramento State women's soccer schedule page at HornetSports.com.
