LARAMIE, Wyo. (9/29/22) – The University of Wyoming soccer team puts plenty of time and effort into practicing corner kicks. But, up until Thursday that work had gone unharvested.

However, the breakthrough from the corner couldn't have arrived at a more advantageous time. Sophomore Liv Stutzman headed in a corner from senior Jamie Tatum in the 89th minute, and it proved to be the difference.

"I'm so happy we scored on a set piece because, holy cow, we have worked on those so much," head coach Colleen Corbin said. "We were very intentional on how we set that corner kick up to what we thought Utah State was going to do defensively. So, it was super fun to see it go in."

The corner gave the Cowgirls a 2-1 over Utah State to improve to 2-4-4 on the season and 1-1-1 in Mountain West Conference play. The loss dropped Utah State to 5-3-4 overall and 2-1-0 in conference.

The Aggies stood alone at the top of the league, as the only two-win team in MW play ahead of this week, and that wasn't by accident. Corbin holds them in high regard, which made Thursday's result all the sweeter.  

"I think Utah State is a phenomenal team, and I'm not taking anything away from them or what they did," Corbin said. "I still believe they are the most complete team right now in the conference, and we knew it would take every ounce of everything today to earn a result.

"It was just great quality and effort from everyone across the board."

The late theatrics were made possible by a gritty second-half performance from the Cowgirls. They went into half trailing 1-0 after allowing a 40th minute goal to Utah State's Kaylie Chambers, but Wyoming didn't flinch.

The Cowgirls were energized by the opportunity to rally, and it didn't take long to do so. Junior Alyssa Bedard scored off a feed from senior Keelie Wortmann in the 47th minute to level the game at 1-1.

"Alyssa Bedard's goal was brilliant," Corbin said. "It changed the momentum of the game completely. We went from feeling like we were behind the eight ball again to feeling like we were on the right foot and back in it."

The score is Bedard's fourth of the season and third in as many games. It's the first time since 2016 that a Wyoming player has scored in three straight games.

Tatum finished the contest with a game-high three shots and her assist vaulted her into a tie for fifth all-time in program history with 11. Senior Faith Joiner added a pair of shots for Wyoming, which finished with eight compared to Utah State's 11.

Senior goalkeeper Miyuki Schoyen returned to the starting lineup after missing the last month with an injury. She registered five saves, while Utah State's two starting goalkeepers – McKenzie Hunninghake and Diera Walton, who played each half, respectively – combined to make one save.

Wyoming remains at home this weekend. The Cowgirls host Boise State on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Madrid Sports Complex.