Freshman’s 1st career goal — and a little luck — sends Boise State soccer to postseason
Six Boise State seniors walked off the pitch Thursday not knowing if they’d played the final match of their careers.
The Broncos needed a lot of help, and that’s exactly what they got.
Boise State’s 2-1 win over Utah State combined with losses by UNLV and San Jose State assured the Broncos the sixth and final seed in the Mountain West women’s soccer tournament, which will be played next week at the Boas Soccer Complex in Boise.
No. 6 Boise State (10-6-3, 4-4-3 MW) opens against No. 3 San Diego State (7-10-2, 5-4-2) at 2 p.m. Monday in one of two quarterfinal matches. No. 4 Utah State (12-5-3, 5-4-2) plays No. 5 Colorado State (6-7-3, 5-5-1) at 11 a.m.
If the Broncos beat the Aztecs, they’ll face No. 2 Fresno State (9-6-3, 7-3-1) in the semifinals at 2 p.m. Thursday. The championship match — with an NCAA Tournament berth on the line — is scheduled for noon on Saturday, Nov. 9. New Mexico (12-4-2, 7-2-2) is the tournament’s No. 1 seed.
Boise State earned the right to host this year’s Mountain West Tournament by winning the 2019 regular-season title. During the 2020-21 school year, the league played a shortened season in the spring because of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the regular-season winner (New Mexico) automatically advancing to the NCAA Tournament.
But the Broncos nearly lost out on the chance to contend for a championship on their home pitch this season after five of their 11 league games resulted in a tie or one-goal loss in extra time. Boise State hosted and won the 2019 league tournament.
“I thought we were the better team today,” Boise State coach Jim Thomas said in a news release. “I feel like we’ve been the better team many times this year, but this time we found a way to get three points. I wanted to walk away from this match and be able to say that we represented our seniors well today.
“We fought for them, we made sure they knew that we loved them and that we handled the moment enough to give us a chance to qualify. That’s all you can ever ask for.”
Abby Bivens opened the scoring in the 17th minute for Boise State with a shot just outside the penalty box that bounced off the crossbar and into the net. Morgan Miles assisted on Bivens’ goal. The Aggies then netted the equalizer in the 31st minute via a header from Ashley Cardozo.
Freshman Carly Cross put the Broncos ahead for good, scoring the go-ahead goal in the 43rd minute unassisted. It was Cross’ first career goal.
With the victory, graduating seniors Aubree Chatterton, Keile Hansen, Julia Lewis, Kennedi Paul, Kiara Simpson and Sydney Smith will get at least one more match in front of the home crowd.
“This senior class stood by me,” Thomas said. “Each of them has gone through adversity, and it hasn’t come easy for them no matter what they’ve had to carry. To stand by your coach and stand by your program and find a way to influence it, whether you’re a player or if you’re a player that doesn’t get to play very much, is a testament to this group.
“I’m really proud of them. They’ve made us better. They are an example of how to be a Bronco that we’ll be using for many years to follow.”
Aside from the shortened 2021 spring season, Boise State has now gone four straight seasons with 10 wins or more, which is the longest streak in program history. It also is the fifth 10-win season for Thomas since he took over the program in 2013.
Tickets for the Mountain West Tournament are $12 per session, or $25 for an all-session pass. Tickets can be purchased online at https://am.ticketmaster.com/boisestateathl/buy#/. Per Boise State and NCAA rules, masks are required at the Boas Soccer Complex.
Cross country: BSU’s De Caro wins individual title
Boise State senior Dario De Caro ran the second-fastest time in Mountain West history to win the men’s conference title Friday in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
De Caro navigated the 8-kilometer course in 23 minutes, 26.8 seconds to become the Broncos’ first individual champion in the sport since Yusuke Uchikoshi in 2016.
De Caro’s gold-medal performance helped the Boise State men earn runner-up honors behind Air Force.
On the women’s side, Boise State finished fifth with 141 points. New Mexico claimed the team title with a perfect score. Junior Olivia Johnson paced the Broncos with a 13th-place finish in 20:09.2 on the 6k course.
Boise State will compete in the NCAA West Regional, hosted by Sacramento State, on Nov. 12.
This story was originally published October 29, 2021 at 8:53 AM.
