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Thursday, September 19
Lubbock, TX
6 p.m.
University of Utah
at
Texas Tech
Utah Soccer Travels to Red Raiders for Second Conference Match
9/17/2024 1:07 PM | Soccer
Utah will take on the defending conference champions for 2nd time in program history
LUBBOCK, Texas - Utah Women's Soccer, 1-0 in conference play, will look to keep a perfect record with their first road game as members of the Big 12 on Thursday night at the John Walker Soccer Complex.
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THURSDAY'S MATCHUP
Date | Time: Thursday, Sept. 19 | 6:00 p.m.
Utah (4-2-2) vs. Texas Tech (5-2-1)
Location: Lubbock, Texas | John Walker Soccer Complex
Live Stats: Click Here
TV: ESPN+ Click Here
Twitter Updates: @UtahWSoccer
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Scouting Texas Tech
This match will mark the first time Utah will play in Texas since the 2013 NCAA Tournament. Besides Thursday, the only other matchup between the Utes and Red Raiders was a 1-0 victory for Utah at Ute Field on Nov. 12 in 2016, after a goal by Kaite Rogers in the 97'.
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The Red Raiders, defending Big 12 champions, have a 5-2-1 record coming off a 0-0 tie with TCU. Texas Tech has not lost since August 25th when they fell to Utah State, 2-0, and are currently undefeated at home. At this time last year, Texas Tech was 6-0-2.
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Head coach Tom Stone is in his 18th season at the helm of the Red Raiders soccer program and is the current Big 12 Coach of the Year. Texas Tech outscored their opponents 45-11 in 2023, with help of Ashleigh Williams, who led the scoring with 14 goals, followed by Alex Kerr with 11 of her own. The Red Raiders lost their record-breaking goalkeeper, Madison White, who had the most shutouts by a goalkeeper in program history at 39. Junior goalkeeper Faith Nguyen has taken the starting job and has three clean sheets and 13 saves thus far.
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Recently at Ute Field
The Utes beat Idaho State, 4-1, at home on Sept. 15. This win extends Utah's record against the Bengals to 5-0. After trailing 1-0 following a goal in the first minute, the Utes went on a 4-0 run capped off by the second hat trick of the year by graduate forward Taliana Kaufusi.
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Down to the Wildcats
Utah defeated the University of Arizona Wildcats in the schools' Big 12 season opener, 1-0 on Sept. 12 at Ute Field. The last time the Utes met with the Wildcats was on Oct. 29 in Arizona for a Pac-12 conference matchup and Utah fell 1-0 after hitting an own goal.
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Tali the Mad Hatter
Taliana Kaufusi recorded her second hat trick of the campaign eight games after the Utes beat Idaho State, 4-1 on Sept. 15. Her first hat trick this season came against Weber State on Sept. 1. Kaufusi is the first Ute to accomplish this feat in 28 years. The first Ute to claim this was Jackie Doman in the 1996 season.
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Wardle Wards-Off Goals
In her start on Sept. 15 against Idaho State, junior goalkeeper Kasey Wardle's save during the first half, brought her to 100 career saves. Wardle has been in the net five of the eight matches, tallying eight saves this season. Her first shutout this season was against Arizona, 1-0, on Sept. 12 for the conference season opener.
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Stacking Up Shots
The Utes have outshot six of their eight opponents this season, accumulating a total of 85 shots to their opponents 62. On the pitch with Weber State, the Utes tallied 12 shots, while the Wildcats marked down five. In their match against GCU, they established a heavy advantage in total shots, outshooting their guests by a 14-3 margin. In the win against Idaho State, Utah outshot the Bengals 13-3. Utah could only boast of such a significant advantage in that statistic four times in 2023, the largest being a 32-12 margin in their win over Oregon.
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Early Birds
In four of the matches this season, the Utes got on the board within the first 10 minutes. Taliana Kaufusi accomplished this feat against Gonzaga, Grand Canyon and LSU, while Katie O'Kane added a 10th minute goal against Weber State.
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Hats Off
On Sept. 1 against Weber State, for the first time on record in program history, two Utes tallied hat tricks in the same match. Both Katie O'Kane and Taliana Kaufusi booted in three goals in a 7-1 rout of the Wildcats. For O'Kane, this marked her second collegiate hat trick, the first coming on Oct. 1, 2023 at Oregon, while it was the first for Kaufusi.
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If She Could, She Wood
In the ninetieth minute of Utah's season opener, freshman midfielder Bella Woods earned a free kick off a handball from Gonzaga. With pressure to take the lead of the tied game, Woods's shot curled around the Bulldogs' defenders and into the back of the net, earning the win for the Utes.
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Bella Brings Home the Hardware
After her game-winning score against Gonzaga, Woods was recognized as the first Big 12 Freshman of the Week of 2024. She's the first Ute to earn a conference weekly award since Katie O'Kane in Oct. of 2023.
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2024 Utah Women's Soccer Roster
Coach Hideki Nakada has assembled a squad that consists of 13 returners and 12 newcomers. The list of players back in Utah Red include 2023 leading scorer Katie O'Kane and Taliana Kaufusi, who topped the team in goals in 2022. Brooklyn Blaylock and 2023 assists leader Kelly Bullock have also returned after starting all 20 matches a season ago, as has Kasey Wardle, who finished as one of the conference leaders in saves as a sophomore.
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Among the many new Utes on Nakada's roster are true freshmen Callie Blaylock, Londyn Lovell, Mia Paugh, Siena Zunino, Katie Callaway and Bella Ganiere. The Utah staff also added six transfers, including sophomore Landen Matthews, junior Erin Gibbs, senior Devi Dudley and graduate students Grace Watkins, Rachel Bastone and Ava Hetzel.
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NCAA Appearances
The Utes are heading into 2024 aiming for their ninth NCAA Tournament berth and their first since 2019. Utah's best showing the national postseason occurred in 2016, when victories over Texas Tech and Florida State propelled them to the Sweet 16.
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2024 Schedule
A four-match home stretch kicked off a schedule where the Utes play at home a total of 11 times. This season, Utah will face off against three ranked teams, Utah State, Oklahoma State, Colorado, and matches against Arizona State and Utah Valley who are receiving votes nationally. The Ute's first Big 12 match will took place at Ute Field on Sept. 12, where they squared off with the Arizona Wildcats for their first conference win, 1-0.
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New Conference, Same Utes
The 2024 campaign will be Utah's first as members of the Big 12, the fourth different conference the Utes have competed in since the program's inception as members of the WAC in 1995. Utah posted a 7-8-2 mark during that initial season, then went 13-7 in 1999 when they played in the Mountain West Conference for the first time. Their first foray into Pac-12 play was in 2011, when they finished 10-9-1.
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The list of new league foes the Utes will have to contend with include a Texas Tech team that won the conference's regular season title, then reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament, as well as a BYU squad that reached the College Cup for the second time in three seasons. Utah will also be taking the field against Iowa State and Kansas State for the first time in program history.
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New Year, New Staff
In addition to the new faces on the field for the Utes, coach Hideki Nakada also added two new coaches to his staff.
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Assistant coach Travis Smith officially came on board in January after three seasons at Kansas, where he helped the Jayhawks rack up 20 victories, including wins over squads ranked as high as No. 9 in the nation. Smith also spent time at Brandeis High School, where his pupils included three all-state and seven all-region selections. He helped the squad to a district title in 2018 and, two years later, the Broncos finished the season ranked at No. 9 in the state.
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Fellow assistant Jackie Poortinga was hired in May after a busy last several years that included functioning as Phoenix Rising's Director of Goalkeeping, a position she's held since 2021. Her responsibilities there included overseeing the development of the organization's goalkeepers, developing and implementing the team's goalkeeper training curriculum and identifying talent for the purposes of improving the roster. She also functioned as an Assistant Goalkeeper Coach for the Phoenix Rising FC Men's USL Championship team.
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Tickets
Season tickets for 2024 are currently on sale, with single-match tickets going on sale on Aug. 12. Tickets can be purchased by visiting utahtickets.com/soccer/. All ticket sales are cashless and all tickets are digital, including MUSS Tickets. Pre-purchasing tickets will allow fans to obtain the best price. Those on the Utah player pass list will have their tickets added to their account associated with the email provided by the student-athletes.
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To ensure a successful experience with digital ticketing, fans are encouraged to download their tickets to the wallet on their smartphone for presentation upon arrival at the stadium gates to expedite the entry
process. Ticket sales and customer service will be available at the ticket office near the main entrance.
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Next Up
The Utes take on a busy three-game week, first visiting rival BYU in Provo on Sept. 23, before returning home to play Iowa State at Ute Field on Sept. 26 and #15 Oklahoma State on Sept. 29.
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FOLLOW THE UTES!
Fans can follow along on social media (Twitter: @UtahWSoccer | Instagram: @UtahWSoccer | Facebook: Facebook.com/Utahwsoccer), and the official mobile app of Utah Athletics, Utah360 --Â download here.
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THURSDAY'S MATCHUP
Date | Time: Thursday, Sept. 19 | 6:00 p.m.
Utah (4-2-2) vs. Texas Tech (5-2-1)
Location: Lubbock, Texas | John Walker Soccer Complex
Live Stats: Click Here
TV: ESPN+ Click Here
Twitter Updates: @UtahWSoccer
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Scouting Texas Tech
This match will mark the first time Utah will play in Texas since the 2013 NCAA Tournament. Besides Thursday, the only other matchup between the Utes and Red Raiders was a 1-0 victory for Utah at Ute Field on Nov. 12 in 2016, after a goal by Kaite Rogers in the 97'.
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The Red Raiders, defending Big 12 champions, have a 5-2-1 record coming off a 0-0 tie with TCU. Texas Tech has not lost since August 25th when they fell to Utah State, 2-0, and are currently undefeated at home. At this time last year, Texas Tech was 6-0-2.
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Head coach Tom Stone is in his 18th season at the helm of the Red Raiders soccer program and is the current Big 12 Coach of the Year. Texas Tech outscored their opponents 45-11 in 2023, with help of Ashleigh Williams, who led the scoring with 14 goals, followed by Alex Kerr with 11 of her own. The Red Raiders lost their record-breaking goalkeeper, Madison White, who had the most shutouts by a goalkeeper in program history at 39. Junior goalkeeper Faith Nguyen has taken the starting job and has three clean sheets and 13 saves thus far.
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Recently at Ute Field
The Utes beat Idaho State, 4-1, at home on Sept. 15. This win extends Utah's record against the Bengals to 5-0. After trailing 1-0 following a goal in the first minute, the Utes went on a 4-0 run capped off by the second hat trick of the year by graduate forward Taliana Kaufusi.
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Down to the Wildcats
Utah defeated the University of Arizona Wildcats in the schools' Big 12 season opener, 1-0 on Sept. 12 at Ute Field. The last time the Utes met with the Wildcats was on Oct. 29 in Arizona for a Pac-12 conference matchup and Utah fell 1-0 after hitting an own goal.
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Tali the Mad Hatter
Taliana Kaufusi recorded her second hat trick of the campaign eight games after the Utes beat Idaho State, 4-1 on Sept. 15. Her first hat trick this season came against Weber State on Sept. 1. Kaufusi is the first Ute to accomplish this feat in 28 years. The first Ute to claim this was Jackie Doman in the 1996 season.
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Wardle Wards-Off Goals
In her start on Sept. 15 against Idaho State, junior goalkeeper Kasey Wardle's save during the first half, brought her to 100 career saves. Wardle has been in the net five of the eight matches, tallying eight saves this season. Her first shutout this season was against Arizona, 1-0, on Sept. 12 for the conference season opener.
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Stacking Up Shots
The Utes have outshot six of their eight opponents this season, accumulating a total of 85 shots to their opponents 62. On the pitch with Weber State, the Utes tallied 12 shots, while the Wildcats marked down five. In their match against GCU, they established a heavy advantage in total shots, outshooting their guests by a 14-3 margin. In the win against Idaho State, Utah outshot the Bengals 13-3. Utah could only boast of such a significant advantage in that statistic four times in 2023, the largest being a 32-12 margin in their win over Oregon.
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Early Birds
In four of the matches this season, the Utes got on the board within the first 10 minutes. Taliana Kaufusi accomplished this feat against Gonzaga, Grand Canyon and LSU, while Katie O'Kane added a 10th minute goal against Weber State.
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Hats Off
On Sept. 1 against Weber State, for the first time on record in program history, two Utes tallied hat tricks in the same match. Both Katie O'Kane and Taliana Kaufusi booted in three goals in a 7-1 rout of the Wildcats. For O'Kane, this marked her second collegiate hat trick, the first coming on Oct. 1, 2023 at Oregon, while it was the first for Kaufusi.
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If She Could, She Wood
In the ninetieth minute of Utah's season opener, freshman midfielder Bella Woods earned a free kick off a handball from Gonzaga. With pressure to take the lead of the tied game, Woods's shot curled around the Bulldogs' defenders and into the back of the net, earning the win for the Utes.
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Bella Brings Home the Hardware
After her game-winning score against Gonzaga, Woods was recognized as the first Big 12 Freshman of the Week of 2024. She's the first Ute to earn a conference weekly award since Katie O'Kane in Oct. of 2023.
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2024 Utah Women's Soccer Roster
Coach Hideki Nakada has assembled a squad that consists of 13 returners and 12 newcomers. The list of players back in Utah Red include 2023 leading scorer Katie O'Kane and Taliana Kaufusi, who topped the team in goals in 2022. Brooklyn Blaylock and 2023 assists leader Kelly Bullock have also returned after starting all 20 matches a season ago, as has Kasey Wardle, who finished as one of the conference leaders in saves as a sophomore.
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Among the many new Utes on Nakada's roster are true freshmen Callie Blaylock, Londyn Lovell, Mia Paugh, Siena Zunino, Katie Callaway and Bella Ganiere. The Utah staff also added six transfers, including sophomore Landen Matthews, junior Erin Gibbs, senior Devi Dudley and graduate students Grace Watkins, Rachel Bastone and Ava Hetzel.
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NCAA Appearances
The Utes are heading into 2024 aiming for their ninth NCAA Tournament berth and their first since 2019. Utah's best showing the national postseason occurred in 2016, when victories over Texas Tech and Florida State propelled them to the Sweet 16.
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2024 Schedule
A four-match home stretch kicked off a schedule where the Utes play at home a total of 11 times. This season, Utah will face off against three ranked teams, Utah State, Oklahoma State, Colorado, and matches against Arizona State and Utah Valley who are receiving votes nationally. The Ute's first Big 12 match will took place at Ute Field on Sept. 12, where they squared off with the Arizona Wildcats for their first conference win, 1-0.
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New Conference, Same Utes
The 2024 campaign will be Utah's first as members of the Big 12, the fourth different conference the Utes have competed in since the program's inception as members of the WAC in 1995. Utah posted a 7-8-2 mark during that initial season, then went 13-7 in 1999 when they played in the Mountain West Conference for the first time. Their first foray into Pac-12 play was in 2011, when they finished 10-9-1.
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The list of new league foes the Utes will have to contend with include a Texas Tech team that won the conference's regular season title, then reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament, as well as a BYU squad that reached the College Cup for the second time in three seasons. Utah will also be taking the field against Iowa State and Kansas State for the first time in program history.
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New Year, New Staff
In addition to the new faces on the field for the Utes, coach Hideki Nakada also added two new coaches to his staff.
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Assistant coach Travis Smith officially came on board in January after three seasons at Kansas, where he helped the Jayhawks rack up 20 victories, including wins over squads ranked as high as No. 9 in the nation. Smith also spent time at Brandeis High School, where his pupils included three all-state and seven all-region selections. He helped the squad to a district title in 2018 and, two years later, the Broncos finished the season ranked at No. 9 in the state.
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Fellow assistant Jackie Poortinga was hired in May after a busy last several years that included functioning as Phoenix Rising's Director of Goalkeeping, a position she's held since 2021. Her responsibilities there included overseeing the development of the organization's goalkeepers, developing and implementing the team's goalkeeper training curriculum and identifying talent for the purposes of improving the roster. She also functioned as an Assistant Goalkeeper Coach for the Phoenix Rising FC Men's USL Championship team.
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Tickets
Season tickets for 2024 are currently on sale, with single-match tickets going on sale on Aug. 12. Tickets can be purchased by visiting utahtickets.com/soccer/. All ticket sales are cashless and all tickets are digital, including MUSS Tickets. Pre-purchasing tickets will allow fans to obtain the best price. Those on the Utah player pass list will have their tickets added to their account associated with the email provided by the student-athletes.
Â
To ensure a successful experience with digital ticketing, fans are encouraged to download their tickets to the wallet on their smartphone for presentation upon arrival at the stadium gates to expedite the entry
process. Ticket sales and customer service will be available at the ticket office near the main entrance.
Â
Next Up
The Utes take on a busy three-game week, first visiting rival BYU in Provo on Sept. 23, before returning home to play Iowa State at Ute Field on Sept. 26 and #15 Oklahoma State on Sept. 29.
Â
FOLLOW THE UTES!
Fans can follow along on social media (Twitter: @UtahWSoccer | Instagram: @UtahWSoccer | Facebook: Facebook.com/Utahwsoccer), and the official mobile app of Utah Athletics, Utah360 --Â download here.
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Players Mentioned
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/ SoccerCrimson Corner with Bill Riley - Urban Meyer
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Sunday, September 14
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Thursday, September 11
Utah Soccer's Ava Hetzel - ESPN+ Feature
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