Weber State soccer wins 3rd straight, topping North Dakota State at home
WSU volleyball hosts USU in exhibition match
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- Weber State forward Simone Packer (7) tries to keep the ball against a challenge from North Dakota State’s Kendall Stadden (10) on Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025, at Wildcat Soccer Field in Ogden.
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- Weber State setter Addison Eastwood (3) and middle blocker Stacia Barker (19) try to stop a Utah State swing during an exhibition match Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, at Swenson Gym in Ogden.
Robert Casey, WSU Athletics
Weber State forward Simone Packer (7) tries to keep the ball against a challenge from North Dakota State's Kendall Stadden (10) on Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025, at Wildcat Soccer Field in Ogden.
Weber State women’s soccer didn’t wait until the second half to take control Sunday morning, defeating visiting North Dakota State 3-1 to claim the Wildcats’ third consecutive victory in a bright start to the 2025 campaign.
Weber State scored two goals in the first half and got six first-half saves from freshman keeper Lauren Butorac to claim the win. The Wildcats and Bison each got seven shots on goal but WSU kept the visitors from putting anything on frame in the second half.
Senior forward Grace Kirby-Hortin opened the seal in the 24th minute with a long-range lefty take, going from high atop the box to the top shelf on the right side, giving WSU the lead.
Four minutes later, the Wildcats struck quickly on a big Butorac boot. After a save, the keeper pushed out past the box and sent the ball well past midfield with her clearance. Harlee Thomas redirected with a clean header downfield that sent everyone sprinting toward NDSU’s box. Junior forward Presley Ray outran everyone up the left side and tucked a lefty take into the bottom-left corner past NDSU keeper Hannah Stipp for her first goal of the season and a 2-0 lead.
The Bison (1-3) got on the board in the 31st minute when several scrums ended with Tyreese Zacher getting a clean look at a long one-timer, scoring over Butorac and just under the crossbar to stop the shutout.
Robert Casey, WSU Athletics
Weber State setter Addison Eastwood (3) and middle blocker Stacia Barker (19) try to stop a Utah State swing during an exhibition match Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, at Swenson Gym in Ogden.
But WSU controlled the second half, keeping action clear of Butorac the rest of the way, and got insurance on a corner kick in the 87th minute. Kirby-Hortin took the corner, sending the ball high and clear of the box to senior midfielder Brynlee Meyerhoffer on the back side, who headed a score over the keeper for the final 3-1 tally.
Weber State (3-1) has one game in the coming week, traveling to Nebraska to take on the Cornhuskers (1-0-2) at 6 p.m. MDT Thursday. Nebraska has a win over Southern Indiana and a pair of 1-1 draws against Missouri State and Oklahoma State.
VOLLEYBALL DROPS EXHIBITION TO USU
Weber State volleyball hosted an exhibition match Saturday against Utah State, pitting preseason favorites of the Big Sky and Mountain West against each other in a warmup.
The Wildcats led 2-1 after three but the Aggies rallied to take the match in five sets by scores of 23-25, 25-17, 19-25, 25-23, 15-10.
Junior opposite Rose Moore led WSU with nine kills. Senior Ashley Gneiting added eight kills and Eastern Arizona transfer Melanie Merrill pitched in five. Moore and Ziya Munyer each totaled four blocks. Morgan Pratt and Addison Eastwood each had 19 assists while Marly Pratt totaled nine digs. Jayda Tupea served two aces.
USU’s Andrea Simovski paced the visitors with 13 kills and three aces.
Weber State starts its season with its own Wildcat Invitational, bringing action Friday and Saturday to Swenson Gym. The Wildcats face Nevada (10 a.m. Friday), UC Irvine (7:30 p.m. Friday) and Southern Utah (1 p.m. Saturday) during the weekend.
