Utah Heads North to Face Utah State
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah women's soccer team concludes non-conference play on Thursday evening when it travels to Logan, Utah, to take on Utah State. This will be the third straight contest for the Utes against in-state opponents. First kick is set for 5 p.m. MT from the Chuck & Gloria Bell Soccer Field.
THURSDAY'S MATCHUP
Date | Time: Thursday, September 16 | 5 p.m. (MT)
Utah (4-3-1) at Utah State (6-0-1)
Location: Logan, Utah | Chuck & Gloria Bell Soccer Field
Live Stats: Click Here
Live Stream: Mountain West Network
Twitter Updates: @UtahWSoccer
Last Time Out
The last time the Utes took to the pitch was September 12, when they hosted Dixie State. Utah recorded its second straight shutout in a 3-0 victory over the Trailblazers. Utah's defense limited the Trailblazers to three shots, and all were in the first half. Courtney Talbot tallied a single-game career-high three points in the match as she tallied a goal and an assist. Makayla Christensen and Brooklyn James were the other two scorers in the contest. It was James' first goal of her career.
Fall ID Camp
Want to know what it means to be a Utah women's soccer player and are in grades 8-12? Sign up for our Fall College ID camp. In this camp, campers will be challenged by sessions that replicate the same high level that our players train in every day. For more information and register, click here.
Scouting Utah State
Utah State enters the matchup with the Utes with a record of 6-0-1 on the season, including a perfect 5-0-0 mark when playing at Chuck & Gloria Bell Soccer Field. The Aggies have won six in a row after tying with Idaho State to open the season. During the winning streak for Utah State, they have only allowed four goals. In the last match for the Aggies, they were victorious over UC Riverside, 2-1. The Aggies are averaging 1.57 goals per game this season and have 48 shots on goal this season. Sammie Murdock leads the team in scoring with three goals. Ashley Cardozo, Sara Taylor, and Imelda Williams have two goals each. Diera Walton has appeared in net in every contest this season and has only allowed four goals. Walton's goals-against average is the 34th best in the nation with a mark of 0.527.
Last Time Against Utah State
The last time Utah and Utah State met was during the 2019 season. The Aggies came down to Salt Lake City for the non-conference matchup. The matchup was the first match to be played on the brand-new Ute Field. Utah came away with a 3-0 victory over the Aggies. Holly Daugirda, Haylee Cacciacarne, and Ali Schinko all found the back of the net in the win. The Utes outshot the Aggies 20-4 in the match.
Talbot Sets a Single-Game High
In the win against Dixie State, Courtney Talbot set a single-game career-high. Talbot scored her second goal of the season and dished out an assist against the Trailblazers for a three-point game. She became the first Ute to tally three points since Taliana Kaufusi recorded three points against Arizona during the 2020-21 spring season.
Utah Against In-State Opponents
Thursday's matchup against Utah State will be the third straight matchup for the Utes against in-state opponents. Utah opened the stretch with a 0-0 double-overtime draw against then-No. 22 Brigham Young. They followed with a 3-0 win over Dixie State. Thursday marks the last game against in-state opponents for Utah.
Pac-12 Opener
The Pac-12 play is right around the corner for the Utes. The matchup against the Aggies is the final non-conference game of the season for Utah. The Utes open conference play when they travel to Stanford, California, to face Stanford. The Cardinal verse the Utes will be the first of 11 Pac-12 contests this season.
Back-to-Back Shutouts
For the second time this season, Utah tallied back-to-back shutouts. The first time this season, the Utes collected back-to-back shutouts was started with a 3-0 victory over Northern Colorado and a 1-0 win at Illinois State. Utah will be looking for its third straight shutout on Thursday night, which has not been accomplished since the 2019 season.
Recapping BYU
The Utes took on rival Brigham Young last Thursday night at Ute Field. Utah and BYU played to a double-overtime 0-0 draw. The draw snapped a three-match losing streak for Utah. This was the first tie, and only the third in series history, since the 2017 season when Utah and BYU tied 1-1.
Playing The Aggies
Since the Utes started a women's soccer program for the 1995 season. Utah has played Utah State every year but five years (1995, 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2020). The Utes and Aggies met on the pitch for 18-straight seasons, from 2002-2019, before the streak was snapped during the 2020-21 season. This meeting will be the first meeting since 2019.
Looking Back At History
On September 10, 2018, the Utah women's soccer team won its 250th match in program history. The win came against Utah State. The win came on the road at Utah State.
Next Up
On Friday, September 24, Utah returns to action when they open Pac-12 play in Stanford, California, against Stanford University. First kick is set for 7 p.m. and will air on the Pac-12 Networks.