After a scoreless first half against Idaho State, Sacramento State looked to the second half to recreate the magic that they made in the previous 5-0 win against Eastern Washington.
Once the two teams got back on the pitch, Sac State’s magic quickly faded as the Bengals began to punish the Hornets on multiple occasions.
After receiving the ball in the heart of the Sac State defense, Bengal redshirt junior forward Saydree Cooke linked elbows with Hornet junior defender Dalen Lau, which would force Lau to stay on the left-hand side.
Cooke then looked to her right and spotted her teammate, redshirt sophomore forward Samantha Fenske, unmarked.
Stepping into the box, Fenske took a shot with her first touch and sent the ball to the bottom left-hand corner for a ISU 1-0 lead in the 55th minute.
The Bengals continued to attack after Fenske’s goal.
Driving down the right side of Hornet territory, Bengal junior forward Stephanie Roper dribbled beyond fifth-year defender Isabella Vinsonhaler.
After breezing past the Hornets’ captain, Roper struck the ball as she entered the Hornet box. Redshirt junior goalkeeper Izzy Palmatier attempted to save Roper’s shot, but the ball was ultimately out of reach.
Roper’s shot found the top left corner and extended the Bengals lead to 2-0.
The Hornets tried to get the offense going after Roper’s goal but would often get their attacks broken up by the Bengals.
The best chance the Hornets had came in the 52nd minute, before ISU took the lead.
Receiving the ball on the right-hand side, junior forward Tea Reyes delivered a ball just outside the 6-yard box to freshman midfielder Bailey Fuller.
Fuller then hit a shot straight at ISU freshman goalkeeper Hannah Wieler. Wieler deflected the shot out of play, preventing a lead for the Hornets in the opening seven minutes of the second half.
“I felt like if we went up 1-0 in that moment, it would have salted the game away,” head coach Randy Dedini said. “I really do think if we capitalize on one of those early chances, it’s a different game.”
With 10 minutes left to play, the Hornets were on the verge of facing defeat for the eighth time this season. Adding insult to injury, the Bengals would find the back of the net a third time before the final whistle.
Using her first touch to get past Lau, Bengal freshman forward Lacie Poll took a strike at the Hornets’ goal as Palmatier was rushing towards her.
The shot from Poll added to the frustrations of the Hornets with the Bengals’ lead extending to 3-0 in the 81st minute.
“Playing on the road is tough, the field was narrow, the grass was long,” Dedini said. “The big challenge of playing on the road is playing in a different environment.”
As the game came to an end, the Hornets now find themselves tied in second place with ISU, with seven points in the Big Sky Conference standings.
With three games left in conference play, the Hornets will face teams that are in a similar position to them and will need to pick up points against them, if they wish to qualify for the Big Sky tournament.
2025 Women’s Soccer Big Sky Conference Standings
“You know, it’s our last chance to play in the Big Sky. What are we going to be remembered for,” Dedini said. “With everybody piled up really close on points, these next three games are really critical for us.”
The Hornets will look to bounce back on Sunday as they travel to Ogden to take on Weber State at 11 a.m.
“We need to have our best game, we need our girls to be ready,” Dedini said. “The preparation between now and then is going to be very critical.”
