Whenever Utah’s Adele Letro and Boise State’s Shannon Saxton participate in a soccer match, it’s safe to assume that fans are in for a high-scoring treat.
The two prolific goal scorers — who both rank in the top five nationally in goals per game — met at Ute Field on Sunday for a non-conference showdown.
Not surprisingly, both Letro and Saxton each scored a goal, but Letro had more help from her teammates, who chipped in another two goals. The Utes won the match easily, 3-1.
Utah (6-2-2) remains unbeaten and untied at home.
Boise State (4-4-1) took the advantage in the 10th minute when Saxton blasted her eleventh goal of the season into the left corner just out of keeper Lynzee Lee’s reach.
“We talked about (not letting Saxton) get behind us because she’s speed, and the first chance they came down field, she got behind us,” Ute head coach Rich Manning said. “It was a case of letting them do exactly what we said don’t let them do.”
Facing an uphill battle, the Utes didn’t blink an eye. Until Boise State’s goal, the Utes had outplayed the Broncos, and it seemed like it was only a matter of time before goals would start raining in for Utah.
Sure enough, the Utes scored eight minutes later when Kelly Isleib launched a long pass into the box. Boise State keeper Jennifer Burns misplayed the ball, and Erin Dalley snuck in behind Burns and tapped the ball into the goal.
Two-and-a-half minutes later, Letro picked up her 12th goal of the season off a pass from Isleib, giving the Utes an advantage they would never relinquish.
Letro is having a breakout season, if it’s possible for a returning All-American to break out. Last year, Letro finished the year with a dozen goals. Her numbers were good enough to earn her MWC Offensive Player of the Year honors, and for the first time in the history of the program, a Utah soccer player was named a second-team All-American.
As impressive as that was, Letro is raising even more eyebrows in 2007. Ten games into the season, Letro has already reached the 12-goal mark.
“She’s always been great at finding spaces to be dangerous,” Manning said, adding that Letro’s composure in front of the goal has vastly improved since last season.
It doesn’t hurt to have center midfielder Kelly Isleib supplying Letro with the ball.
“Out of Adele’s 12 goals, I bet Kelly has assisted six or seven of them,” Manning said. “Kelly is a supreme passer.”
Isleib assisted both of the Utes’ first-half goals.
“I think our forwards just made great runs and it was easy to hit them,” said Isleib.
Utah put the game out of reach in the 52nd minute when Katy Reineke scored her sixth goal of the season off a pass from Morgan Skeen.
Skeen won a throw-in and found an open Reineke, who redirected the pass into the back of the net from 15 yards out.
The win came two days after the Utes tied Pepperdine 2-2 in Malibu, Calif. Both of Utah’s goals were scored by none other than Letro.
The Utes head back onto the road for four away games over the next two weeks, three of which are against in-state foes. Their next match will be in Orem against UVSC.