Women’s Soccer Heads to the Midwest for Two Matches

SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah women's soccer team heads to the Midwest for a two-game swing when they play at Illinois State on Thursday and Butler on Sunday.
 

 
Last Time Out
The last time the Utes took the pitch was on August 29, when they hosted Northern Colorado. The Utes got back in the win column with a 3-0 victory. Utah outshot the Bears 22-11 and held an 11-3 advantage with shots on goal. Avery Brady, Sidney Roberts, and Erin Bridges all scored their first collegiate goals in the contest. Chelsea Peterson recorded three save for the Utes en route to her first shutout of the season.
 
Scouting Illinois State
The Redbirds of Illinois State enter the matchup with the Utes with a record of 1-3-0 on the season. After winning the first game of the season, the Redbirds have dropped their last three. The last time Illinois State took to the pitch was August 29, when they were defeated 2-0 by Saint Louis. The Redbirds have scored eight goals, and Riley O'Brien leads the team with three goals. Sarah Lafayette leads the team with two assists. Priya Gillan has started and appeared in net in every match, and she has 17 saves and has allowed 11 goals. Illinois State is allowing 2.74 goals per game.
 
Scouting Butler
Butler enters the week with a record of 2-1-0 and is on a two-match winning streak. Both of the wins have been against Big Ten programs; Northwestern and Illinois. The Bulldogs host IUPUI Thursday night before hosting the Utes. Butler has scored six goals on the season and is led by Katie Soderstrom, who has scored three. Abigail Isger, Alli Leonard, and Gabby Smith each have one goal on the season. In net, Emma Martin has started two of the three games and is allowing 1.35 goals against this season. She has a team-high 12 saves.
 
First Career Goals 
In Sunday's win over Northern Colorado, the Utes scored three goals. Each of the three goals was tallied by a player who was scoring their career goal. Sunday marked the first time Avery Brady, Sidney Roberts, and Erin Bridges have scored a goal in their career. How many goals will this trio score in their career?
 
Hitting the Road For Two
Utah heads to the Midwest for a two-game road trip on Thursday night, starting in Normal, Illinois. The Utes are looking for their first road win of the season and first since February 11, 2021, when they won 1-0 in double-overtime in St. George, Utah. During the 2020-21 season, the win at Dixie State was the lone road victory.
 
Last time Against Illinois State
The matchup against Illinois State will be the third meeting all-time and the second in Normal, Illinois. The last time the Utes traveled to Illinois State was during the 1996 season. Utah defeated the Redbirds 9-1 in the contest. These two programs matched up was the 1997 season when they played each other in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Utah won that match 1-0. Utah is 3-0 against Missouri Valley schools.
 
Last Time Against Butler 
Sunday's meeting will be the fourth meeting all-time against Butler, and the Utes hold a 2-0-1 record against the Bulldogs. The first matchup came during the 1998 season, and Utah came away with a 3-1 win. The last matchup between these two programs came during the 2019 season. In the 2019 matchup, Utah and Butler played to a 0-0 double-overtime tie. The Utes are 4-0-2 against Big East members.
 
Most Goals In a Match
When the Utes matched up against Illinois State during the 1996 season, Utah scored nine goals, setting a program record for most goals in a single game. Utah tied the program high during the 2017 season when they scored nine goals against North Dakota State. The nine goals against the Redbirds came on the road.
 
Next Up
Following the two-game road swing, the Utes return to Ute Field for two straight matches. Utah will open up a stretch of playing three against other D1 Utah programs on Thursday, September 9, when they welcome BYU to Ute Field. First kick is set for 6 p.m. The homestand continues against Dixie State on Sunday, September 12, with the match kicking off at 3 p.m.