Sept. 18, 1999

MISSOULA, Mont. - Break downs on defense, which had been the strength of the Washington State soccer team so far this season, allowed Utah to emerge with a 3-1 victory in the opening game of the Diadora Cup, hosted by Montana.

"We made two mistakes in the first half and they capitalized on them," said WSU coach Dan Tobias.

Trailing 2-0 at the half, WSU cut Utah's lead in half in the 72nd minute when Natalie Kehl (Colbert, Wash.) converted on a 15-yard try after Deka DeWitt (Auburn, Wash,) found the sophomore alone behind the right side of Utah's defense.

But the Utes answered just 15 seconds later, taking the kickoff straight down the field and scoring to put the match out of reach.

"That was very deflating," Tobias said. "We played well, but the mistakes we made today really, really hurt us. We're disappointed, but I know we will bounce back."

WSU fell to 3-2 following the first-ever meeting with Utah, which improved to 4-2 on the season.

The Utes outshot the Cougars 17-7. Sophomore goalkeeper Lindsey Jorgensen (North Bend, Wash.) made five saves, but saw her scoreless streak come to an end at two games.

The Cougars face host Montana, the preseason favorite to win the Big Sky, Sunday at noon in the tournament's final game.

BOX SCORE

Team                    1   2   OT  OT  F
Utah (4-2)              2   1   -   -   3
Washington State (3-2)  0   1   -   -   1

Scoring summary:
First half-1, Utah, Staci Bult (unassisted), 27:06. 2, Utah, Amy Kofoed (Bult), 32:39. Second half-3, WSU, Natalie Kehl (Deka DeWitt), 74:09. 4, UM, Kofoed (Bult), 74:19.
Shots-Utah 17 (Kofoed 6, Shauna Gull 5, Bult 3, Allison Cerrati 1, Brittany Harlan 1, Kim Navlor 1), WSU 7 (Kehl 3, DeWitt 2, Christina Pallan 1, Erin Cook 1). Corner kicks-Utah 2, WSU 3.
Goalie saves- Utah 6 (Courtney Hill 6), WSU 5 (Lindsey Jorgensen 5). Fouls-Utah 4, WSU 0. Offsides-Utah 0, WSU 1. Cautions/Ejections-none. Attendance-NA.

-- GO COUGS--