University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Sunday, October 18
Cedar City, UT
1 p.m. MT
University of Northern Colorado
5-5-4, 2-0-2
2
at
1
Southern Utah
4-8-3, 1-3-2
| Team | 1 | 2 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Colo. | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Southern Utah | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Bears Close Road Trip With 2-1 Win at Southern Utah
10/18/2026 3:39:00 PM | Women's Soccer
CEDAR CITY, Utah – Northern Colorado closed out its first conference road trip with a 2-1 win at Southern Utah on Sunday, moving to 5-5-4 overall and 2-0-2 in Big Sky play.
"Pleased to get three points on the road," head coach Tim Barrera said. "Southern Utah plays a little bit of a different style, and it takes some getting used to. They are a good, well-coached team, and I thought we were opportunistic with our goals and had a few other chances. We can play a lot better, but played well enough to get the result."
The win gives Northern Colorado eight points from four conference matches, a total that matters more than usual this season. Only the top six teams in the final Big Sky standings qualify for the conference tournament, so every point earned on the road carries weight. It is also the first time since 2021 that the Bears have gone four matches into Big Sky play without a loss. That 2021 team opened 5-0 before its first defeat.
Ava Marshall opened the scoring in the 8th minute, finishing off a pass from Esja Moore for her second goal of the season.
Sunnie Yarnell doubled the lead in the 34th minute, and it came straight from the Bears' work rate. Maria Armatas and Preslie Young combined to press Southern Utah along the sideline, dug the ball out and found Yarnell in front for her first goal of the season.
"The first goal is a really good finish by Ava," Barrera said. "The second goal is a real hustle goal, where we pressed along the sidelines and dug it out."
Northern Colorado went into the break up 2-0, having outshot the Thunderbirds 7-6 while putting five attempts on target.
Southern Utah pulled one back in the 61st minute, Ashlyn O'Malley converting an assist from Suika Shibutani to cut the deficit to 2-1.
From there the Bears had to hold. The Thunderbirds pushed for an equalizer over the final half hour, and Thordis Melsted answered with seven saves on the afternoon, including four after halftime. Southern Utah finished with 13 shots and eight on target, matching the Bears' totals exactly, but Melsted kept the Thunderbirds from finding a second goal.
UP NEXT
Northern Colorado returns home for two straight, hosting Portland State on Thursday, Oct. 22 at Jackson Stadium.
FOLLOW THE BEARS:
For complete coverage of UNC Athletics, check out the official homepage at uncbears.com. Follow the women's soccer team on X, Instagram and Facebook.
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"Pleased to get three points on the road," head coach Tim Barrera said. "Southern Utah plays a little bit of a different style, and it takes some getting used to. They are a good, well-coached team, and I thought we were opportunistic with our goals and had a few other chances. We can play a lot better, but played well enough to get the result."
The win gives Northern Colorado eight points from four conference matches, a total that matters more than usual this season. Only the top six teams in the final Big Sky standings qualify for the conference tournament, so every point earned on the road carries weight. It is also the first time since 2021 that the Bears have gone four matches into Big Sky play without a loss. That 2021 team opened 5-0 before its first defeat.
Ava Marshall opened the scoring in the 8th minute, finishing off a pass from Esja Moore for her second goal of the season.
Sunnie Yarnell doubled the lead in the 34th minute, and it came straight from the Bears' work rate. Maria Armatas and Preslie Young combined to press Southern Utah along the sideline, dug the ball out and found Yarnell in front for her first goal of the season.
"The first goal is a really good finish by Ava," Barrera said. "The second goal is a real hustle goal, where we pressed along the sidelines and dug it out."
Northern Colorado went into the break up 2-0, having outshot the Thunderbirds 7-6 while putting five attempts on target.
Southern Utah pulled one back in the 61st minute, Ashlyn O'Malley converting an assist from Suika Shibutani to cut the deficit to 2-1.
From there the Bears had to hold. The Thunderbirds pushed for an equalizer over the final half hour, and Thordis Melsted answered with seven saves on the afternoon, including four after halftime. Southern Utah finished with 13 shots and eight on target, matching the Bears' totals exactly, but Melsted kept the Thunderbirds from finding a second goal.
UP NEXT
Northern Colorado returns home for two straight, hosting Portland State on Thursday, Oct. 22 at Jackson Stadium.
FOLLOW THE BEARS:
For complete coverage of UNC Athletics, check out the official homepage at uncbears.com. Follow the women's soccer team on X, Instagram and Facebook.
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Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's Soccer
M
/ Women's Soccer
GK
/ Women's Soccer
D
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's SoccerTeam Stats
UNC
SUU
Goals
2
1
Shots
13
13
Shots on Goal
8
8
Saves
7
6
Corners
3
2
Fouls
12
6
Scoring Plays
Ava Marshall (2)
Assisted By: Esja Moore
GOAL by UNC Marshall, Ava Assist by Moore, Esja.
07:30
Sunnie Yarnell (1)
Assisted By: Maria Armatas , Preslie Young
GOAL by UNC Yarnell, Sunnie Assist by Armatas, Maria and Young, Preslie.
33:35
Ashlyn O'Malley (5)
Assisted By: Suika Shibutani
GOAL by SUU O'Malley, Ashlyn Assist by Shibutani, Suika.
60:11
Game Leaders
mid
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
2
SOG
2
Goals
0
Assists
1
def
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
1
Sunday, October 11
Thursday, October 08
Thursday, September 10
Sunday, September 06
