Women’s Soccer cedes early goal to first-place Boise State in 1-0 road loss

BOISE, Idaho – Air Force Women's Soccer pushed first-place Boise State for a full 90 minutes on Thursday evening, but an early Bronco score ultimately proved game-winning, as the Falcons fell, 1-0.

In just the sixth minute of play, a corner kick awarded to Boise State set up the single score of the match. Boise State's set piece resulted in a fortuitous deflection off the upper back of Bronco senior forward Jayla Land, floating in just beneath the crossbar and out of range of Air Force freshman goalkeeper Jenica Opdahl. Opdahl, reaching for the save, got fingers on the ball but was unable to keep it from falling into the net.

After the score, Air Force dialed up the offensive pressure in search of an equalizer and was able to maintain its offensive momentum through halftime. Boise State, a team which has earned much of its 2024 success in the second half of matches, was kept largely off-rhythm after returning from the locker room, as the Falcons managed to outshoot the Broncos 9-6 in the final 45 and create a multitude of its own opportunities in the attacking third.

In the 57^th minute, sophomore Chase Borntreger sent a free kick from the top-right of the Boise 18 that proved a threat but was halted by Boise State goalkeeper Genevieve Crenshaw. Just two minutes later, freshman defender Jordan Dillingham found Kendall Rippley downrange, whose header was centered in front of Crenshaw inside the box. Junior Caeli Sherman was in a scoring position to receive Rippley's service, but Crenshaw was able to earn her fifth save of the evening. At 62', freshman Annika Jost, with a pair of goals in the last two Air Force matches, fired low center from a few yards beyond the 18, forcing Crenshaw into an off-balance save. Air Force forced Crenshaw into seven total saves on the evening.

Rippley's six shots – three of which were on-goal – was a match-high on Thursday evening, as the Falcons as a team closed with 16 total and seven on-frame. Borntreger followed up with three total shots and two on-goal. Opdahl, in her second career start in the net for the Falcons, recorded five saves on the evening.

Up Next:
Air Force Women's Soccer (5-6-3 1-4-2 MW) takes on (RV) Utah State in Logan on Saturday at 12 p.m. MT.

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