Upcoming Event: Soccer at No. 14 TCU on September 19, 2025 at 6 p.m.
6 p.m.
Soccer
at No. 14 TCU
Thursday, October 19
Seattle, WA
5:00 PM
University of Utah
at
Washington
Photo by: Rob Gray
Huskies, Cougars Host Utah Soccer’s Final Pac-12’s Road Tilts
10/17/2023 1:54 PM | Soccer
Utes aim to avenge a pair of close 2022 defeats
SALT LAKE CITY – Only five more matches remain on the 2023 regular season schedule for the University of Utah women's soccer team and the Utes' last two chance to add to their resume on the road will take them to the Evergreen State to face a pair of foes aiming to accomplish the same feat.
Utah's road trip begins on Thursday, when they'll lock horns with the Washington Huskies at 4 p.m. PT (5 p.m. MT) at Husky Soccer Stadium in Seattle, followed by a Sunday showdown with the Washington State Cougars at 1 p.m. PT at Lower Soccer Field in Pullman, Wash.
Scouting Washington
The Huskies got off to a rough start when Pac-12 play began, dropping their first four conference fixtures, but they rebounded with a come-from-behind victory over Arizona on Oct. 8, then battled No. 2 Stanford to a draw on the road six days later. Coach Nicole Van Dyke and her squad will be attempting to ride that momentum and put together a late season run that will propel Washington to the NCAA tournament for the 17th time in program history.
A total of 11 different players have found the back of the net for the Huskies through 14 matchups, with Ioanna Papatheodorou's four scores sitting at the top of the leaderboard. The junior from Greece also has a team-high four assists, two of which came against the Wildcats and she added another at the expense of the Cardinal. Freshman Maya Loudd recorded the first brace of her collegiate career to help her team dispose of Arizona, while Kelsey Branson has scored in each of Washington's last three contests.
One player who played perhaps the most important role in the Huskies tie with the Cardinal was keeper Olivia Juarez, who racked up 12 saves, the seventh-most in a single match in Washington history. Juarez has started every match but one in 2023, which has represented her first season as the Huskies full-time starter. One of the appearances Juarez made in 2022 came against the Utes, as she played the second half of a 3-2 Washington win.
All Time Against Washington
The Utes and Huskies have been nearly even in their all-time series, with Washington holding a narrow 8-7 edge with one draw. Utah took the first meeting between these sides by a 3-2 score in 1998 and collected each of the next two encounters, but the Huskies defeated the Utes in five of the next six engagements. Washington took the lead in the series by topping their Pac-12 rivals in the spring of 2021 and the fall of 2022.
Last Time Against Washington
A back-and-forth affair ensued when coach Hideki Nakada's squad visited Seattle in 2022. The home team got on the scoresheet twice in the opening 20 minutes before a Taliana Kaufusi goal in the 27th minute cut Utah's deficit in half. Madeline Vergura pulled the visitors level in the 85th minute, but a free kick score by UW in the 87th minute proved to be the deciding tally.
Scouting Washington State
Much like their rivals in Seattle, the Cougars got their season off to an excellent start, but that hot streak ended abruptly once conference play started, as WSU fell in three straight affairs before earning an Oct. 5 win over Arizona. Since then, they've logged a loss and a tie and will host Colorado on Oct. 19 before the Utes visit three days later. The Cougars are still looking for their first home conference triumph of the year.
Part of Utah's gameplan in Pullman will have to involve slowing down senior forward Margie Detrizio, who has racked up 16 points, tied for fifth-most in the conference. Detrizio has collected at least one point in five of her team's last seven matches, including goals in 2-1 wins over Seattle on Sept. 14 and Arizona on Oct. 5. The Arizona native has picked up right where she left off after accumulating 28 points in 2022, a total that was the most by a Cougars player since 2019 and earned her a spot on the All-Pac-12 Second-Team.
Nadia Cooper has been between the posts for 13 of WSU's 14 matches and she's in her third season as the team's starter. Cooper racked up 10 wins during her rookie season in 2021 and earned the Pac-12's Freshman and Goalkeeper of the Year awards and she posted a winning record again in 2022 to go with five clean sheets. Cooper's 13th career shutout came on Aug. 24th against Portland, tying her for fifth in program history.
All Time Against Washington State
Utah and WSU have met 20 times over nearly 25 years, with the first clash occurring on Sept. 18, 1999 in Montana and ending with Utah on top, 3-1. The Utes took four of the first five dates, but the Cougars have since had the better of the series and lead 10-8 with two draws. Sunday will give Nakada's club a chance to pick up their first win in Pullman since 2013.
Last Time Against Washington State
A Grayson Lynch goal in the ninth minute was the only thing that separated these two sides in 2022, when the Utes suffered a 1-0 road defeat. This loss occurred despite five saves from Evelyn Vitali in goal and 12 Utah shots, including three from Luisa Delgado.
Racking Up Results on the Road
For the first time in program history, the Utes posted an undefeated record through their first eight road fixtures. While their loss to UCLA ended that streak, the Utes still own a mark of 4-1-4 away from Ute Field.
Penalty Kickers
The Utes have earned seven penalty kicks so far in 2023, the most by a Utah team in a single season in program history. Utah's previous high was six, which they set in 2008. The only team that has taken more PKs so far in 2023 is UCLA with eight.
Shot-taker
Katie O'Kane's 52 shots are tops on the Utah roster and fourth-most in the Pac-12. A Utah player hasn't taken more than 52 shots in a single season since Paola van der Veen piled up 67 in 2017.
Looking at the Pac-12 Leaderboard
No one in the Pac-12 has more saves than Kasey Wardle's 61. The junior from Idaho has two clean sheets to her credit as well in 2023 and has contributed to two more. She also made 14 saves on Friday at UCLA, the third-most by a Utah keeper in a single match in program history. Offensively, Katie O'Kane is tied for fifth in the league in goals and she's tied for eighth in points.
Bullock's Early Breakthrough
Kelly Bullock put the Utes on the board in the third minute in what became a 5-0 trouncing of Utah Valley on Aug. 30. Bullock's score at the 2:21 mark goes down as the program's earliest goal since Natalie Vukic's tally 40 seconds into a match against Utah State in 2017.
First Half Fireworks
Utah's attack was also responsible for three first period tallies in their rout of the Wolverines. Those three first half scores represented their highest total in the opening 45 minutes since they scored four times in the first half against North Dakota State on Aug. 27, 2017.
Ring the Bella
Bella Woods tallied Utah's first goal of the season in the team's Aug. 17 meeting with N.C. State. That made her the first Utah freshman to register the program's season-opening score since Erin Dalley in 2007. Woods also picked up an assist in the Utes' win over College of Charleston.
NCAA Tournament History
The Utes are aiming to reach the NCAA Tournament for the ninth time in school history and the first time since 2019. Utah put together its best postseason finish in 2016, when they forged a path all the way to the Sweet 16.
By The Numbers
The list of players back in the fold for Hideki Nakada's club includes just about all of the team's statistical leaders from 2022. Taliana Kaufusi, who piled up a team-high six goals, is back for her senior campaign, while assist leader Ryann Cull has returned after collecting four helpers a season ago. Kaufusi also led the squad in shots in 2022 with 41, followed by fellow returners Katie O'Kane, who racked up 28, and Courtney Brown, who posted 26.
In goal, all four of Utah's keepers, Evelyn Vitali, Kasey Wardle, Megan Quiggle and Taylor Prigge, are back for another season. No one on the roster collected more saves than Vitali's 48 in 2022, while Wardle crafted a 0.70 goals against average. Utah's keepers combined to record seven shutouts a season ago.
Senior Six
Utah's six-person senior class is comprised of Courtney Brown, Brooke Hale, Katie O'Kane, Taliana Kaufusi, Megan Quiggle and Ragan Vanschalkwyk. This group has combined to take the field in over 200 matches for the Utes and Brown is the one player remaining from the 2019 squad that reached the NCAA Tournament.
New Utes
Utah's 2023 roster includes seven new faces and that list of newcomers is comprised of freshmen Kennedy Schoennauer, Lilliah Blum, Bella Woods, Rylan Park, Mia Becarevic and Izzy Smith and sophomore transfer Alex Schoenstadt.
Woods, Becarevic and Smith were all part of an Alta High School squad that made a run to the state playoffs in 2022, while Schoennauer helped her squad capture the CCA Division II Championship, Blum was named her conference's player of the year and Park was an all-league selection.
Schoenstadt played her freshman season with Ole Miss and helped the Rebels achieve a winning record, as well as record nine clean sheets.
Pac-12 Preseason Coaches Poll
The Pac-12 released its preseason coaches poll on Aug. 14 and the UCLA Bruins garnered nine first place votes and landed in the top spot in the poll. The Utes were ranked 10th.
Up Next
The Utes will return from Washington to prepare to tangle with Arizona State on Oct. 26 at Ute Field.
FOLLOW THE UTES!
Fans can follow along on social media (Twitter: @UtahWSoccer | Instagram: @UtahWSoccer | Facebook: Facebook.com/Utahwsoccer).
Utah's road trip begins on Thursday, when they'll lock horns with the Washington Huskies at 4 p.m. PT (5 p.m. MT) at Husky Soccer Stadium in Seattle, followed by a Sunday showdown with the Washington State Cougars at 1 p.m. PT at Lower Soccer Field in Pullman, Wash.
| THURSDAY'S MATCHUP Date | Time: Thursday, Oct. 19 | 5:00 p.m. Utah (5-5-5) at Washington (6-5-3) Location: Seattle, Wash. | Husky Soccer Stadium Live Stats: Click Here Live Stream: Click Here Twitter Updates: @UtahWSoccer |
SUNDAY'S MATCHUP Date | Time: Sunday, Oct. 22 | 2:00 p.m. Utah (5-5-5) at Washington State (8-5-1) Location: Pullman, Wash. | Lower Soccer Field Live Stats: Click Here Live Stream: Click Here Twitter Updates: @UtahWSoccer |
Scouting Washington
The Huskies got off to a rough start when Pac-12 play began, dropping their first four conference fixtures, but they rebounded with a come-from-behind victory over Arizona on Oct. 8, then battled No. 2 Stanford to a draw on the road six days later. Coach Nicole Van Dyke and her squad will be attempting to ride that momentum and put together a late season run that will propel Washington to the NCAA tournament for the 17th time in program history.
A total of 11 different players have found the back of the net for the Huskies through 14 matchups, with Ioanna Papatheodorou's four scores sitting at the top of the leaderboard. The junior from Greece also has a team-high four assists, two of which came against the Wildcats and she added another at the expense of the Cardinal. Freshman Maya Loudd recorded the first brace of her collegiate career to help her team dispose of Arizona, while Kelsey Branson has scored in each of Washington's last three contests.
One player who played perhaps the most important role in the Huskies tie with the Cardinal was keeper Olivia Juarez, who racked up 12 saves, the seventh-most in a single match in Washington history. Juarez has started every match but one in 2023, which has represented her first season as the Huskies full-time starter. One of the appearances Juarez made in 2022 came against the Utes, as she played the second half of a 3-2 Washington win.
All Time Against Washington
The Utes and Huskies have been nearly even in their all-time series, with Washington holding a narrow 8-7 edge with one draw. Utah took the first meeting between these sides by a 3-2 score in 1998 and collected each of the next two encounters, but the Huskies defeated the Utes in five of the next six engagements. Washington took the lead in the series by topping their Pac-12 rivals in the spring of 2021 and the fall of 2022.
Last Time Against Washington
A back-and-forth affair ensued when coach Hideki Nakada's squad visited Seattle in 2022. The home team got on the scoresheet twice in the opening 20 minutes before a Taliana Kaufusi goal in the 27th minute cut Utah's deficit in half. Madeline Vergura pulled the visitors level in the 85th minute, but a free kick score by UW in the 87th minute proved to be the deciding tally.
Scouting Washington State
Much like their rivals in Seattle, the Cougars got their season off to an excellent start, but that hot streak ended abruptly once conference play started, as WSU fell in three straight affairs before earning an Oct. 5 win over Arizona. Since then, they've logged a loss and a tie and will host Colorado on Oct. 19 before the Utes visit three days later. The Cougars are still looking for their first home conference triumph of the year.
Part of Utah's gameplan in Pullman will have to involve slowing down senior forward Margie Detrizio, who has racked up 16 points, tied for fifth-most in the conference. Detrizio has collected at least one point in five of her team's last seven matches, including goals in 2-1 wins over Seattle on Sept. 14 and Arizona on Oct. 5. The Arizona native has picked up right where she left off after accumulating 28 points in 2022, a total that was the most by a Cougars player since 2019 and earned her a spot on the All-Pac-12 Second-Team.
Nadia Cooper has been between the posts for 13 of WSU's 14 matches and she's in her third season as the team's starter. Cooper racked up 10 wins during her rookie season in 2021 and earned the Pac-12's Freshman and Goalkeeper of the Year awards and she posted a winning record again in 2022 to go with five clean sheets. Cooper's 13th career shutout came on Aug. 24th against Portland, tying her for fifth in program history.
All Time Against Washington State
Utah and WSU have met 20 times over nearly 25 years, with the first clash occurring on Sept. 18, 1999 in Montana and ending with Utah on top, 3-1. The Utes took four of the first five dates, but the Cougars have since had the better of the series and lead 10-8 with two draws. Sunday will give Nakada's club a chance to pick up their first win in Pullman since 2013.
Last Time Against Washington State
A Grayson Lynch goal in the ninth minute was the only thing that separated these two sides in 2022, when the Utes suffered a 1-0 road defeat. This loss occurred despite five saves from Evelyn Vitali in goal and 12 Utah shots, including three from Luisa Delgado.
Racking Up Results on the Road
For the first time in program history, the Utes posted an undefeated record through their first eight road fixtures. While their loss to UCLA ended that streak, the Utes still own a mark of 4-1-4 away from Ute Field.
Penalty Kickers
The Utes have earned seven penalty kicks so far in 2023, the most by a Utah team in a single season in program history. Utah's previous high was six, which they set in 2008. The only team that has taken more PKs so far in 2023 is UCLA with eight.
Shot-taker
Katie O'Kane's 52 shots are tops on the Utah roster and fourth-most in the Pac-12. A Utah player hasn't taken more than 52 shots in a single season since Paola van der Veen piled up 67 in 2017.
Looking at the Pac-12 Leaderboard
No one in the Pac-12 has more saves than Kasey Wardle's 61. The junior from Idaho has two clean sheets to her credit as well in 2023 and has contributed to two more. She also made 14 saves on Friday at UCLA, the third-most by a Utah keeper in a single match in program history. Offensively, Katie O'Kane is tied for fifth in the league in goals and she's tied for eighth in points.
Bullock's Early Breakthrough
Kelly Bullock put the Utes on the board in the third minute in what became a 5-0 trouncing of Utah Valley on Aug. 30. Bullock's score at the 2:21 mark goes down as the program's earliest goal since Natalie Vukic's tally 40 seconds into a match against Utah State in 2017.
First Half Fireworks
Utah's attack was also responsible for three first period tallies in their rout of the Wolverines. Those three first half scores represented their highest total in the opening 45 minutes since they scored four times in the first half against North Dakota State on Aug. 27, 2017.
Ring the Bella
Bella Woods tallied Utah's first goal of the season in the team's Aug. 17 meeting with N.C. State. That made her the first Utah freshman to register the program's season-opening score since Erin Dalley in 2007. Woods also picked up an assist in the Utes' win over College of Charleston.
NCAA Tournament History
The Utes are aiming to reach the NCAA Tournament for the ninth time in school history and the first time since 2019. Utah put together its best postseason finish in 2016, when they forged a path all the way to the Sweet 16.
By The Numbers
The list of players back in the fold for Hideki Nakada's club includes just about all of the team's statistical leaders from 2022. Taliana Kaufusi, who piled up a team-high six goals, is back for her senior campaign, while assist leader Ryann Cull has returned after collecting four helpers a season ago. Kaufusi also led the squad in shots in 2022 with 41, followed by fellow returners Katie O'Kane, who racked up 28, and Courtney Brown, who posted 26.
In goal, all four of Utah's keepers, Evelyn Vitali, Kasey Wardle, Megan Quiggle and Taylor Prigge, are back for another season. No one on the roster collected more saves than Vitali's 48 in 2022, while Wardle crafted a 0.70 goals against average. Utah's keepers combined to record seven shutouts a season ago.
Senior Six
Utah's six-person senior class is comprised of Courtney Brown, Brooke Hale, Katie O'Kane, Taliana Kaufusi, Megan Quiggle and Ragan Vanschalkwyk. This group has combined to take the field in over 200 matches for the Utes and Brown is the one player remaining from the 2019 squad that reached the NCAA Tournament.
New Utes
Utah's 2023 roster includes seven new faces and that list of newcomers is comprised of freshmen Kennedy Schoennauer, Lilliah Blum, Bella Woods, Rylan Park, Mia Becarevic and Izzy Smith and sophomore transfer Alex Schoenstadt.
Woods, Becarevic and Smith were all part of an Alta High School squad that made a run to the state playoffs in 2022, while Schoennauer helped her squad capture the CCA Division II Championship, Blum was named her conference's player of the year and Park was an all-league selection.
Schoenstadt played her freshman season with Ole Miss and helped the Rebels achieve a winning record, as well as record nine clean sheets.
Pac-12 Preseason Coaches Poll
The Pac-12 released its preseason coaches poll on Aug. 14 and the UCLA Bruins garnered nine first place votes and landed in the top spot in the poll. The Utes were ranked 10th.
Up Next
The Utes will return from Washington to prepare to tangle with Arizona State on Oct. 26 at Ute Field.
FOLLOW THE UTES!
Fans can follow along on social media (Twitter: @UtahWSoccer | Instagram: @UtahWSoccer | Facebook: Facebook.com/Utahwsoccer).
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