Upcoming Event: Soccer versus Oregon State on September 14, 2025 at 1 p.m.
1 p.m.
Soccer
vs Oregon State
Thursday, August 21
Salt Lake City, Utah
7 p.m.
University of Utah
vs
Westminster
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Soccer
Forward
/ Soccer
Midfielder
/ Soccer
Midfielder
/ Soccer
Forward
/ Soccer
Defender
/ Soccer
Midfielder
/ Soccer
Midfielder
/ Soccer
Defender
/ Soccer
Defender
/ Soccer
Goalkeeper
/ Soccer
Defender
/ Soccer
Defender
/ Soccer
Midfielder
/ Soccer
Goalkeeper
/ Soccer
Goalkeeper
/ Soccer
Forward
/ Soccer
Midfielder
/ Soccer
Forward
/ Soccer
Midfielder
/ Soccer
Midfielder/Defender
/ Soccer
Photo by: Anna Fuder/Utah Athletics
Utah Soccer Hosts Westminster in 2025 Home Opener
8/20/2025 11:51 AM | Soccer
Utes and Griffins to collide at 7 p.m.
SALT LAKE CITY – Two matches are in the books for the University of Utah women's soccer team in 2025, but on Thursday, the Utes will take the field at home for the first time during the young season and they'll be hosting the Westminster Griffins at 7 p.m. at Ute Field in Salt Lake City.
Last Time Out
The Utes suffered their first loss of the season on Monday, falling to Utah Valley 2-0, but it wasn't for lack of effort. Utah piled up 28 total shots, their highest total since Oct. 1, 2023 against Oregon and 11 of those efforts were on target. Kelly Bullock set a new career-high with six shots, a total that was also matched by Grace Watkins and Lilliah Blum. In goal, Erin Gibbs collected four saves.
Scouting the Griffins
Thursday's affair will be the Griffin's final tune-up before their regular season begins on Sept. 4. Coach Tony LeBlanc's squad is coming off a 7-6-4 campaign in 2024, but they are just a few years removed from a stretch of four consecutive seasons in which they posted at least 10 victories. Two of those showings earned the Griffins a spot in the NCAA Tournament, the most recent instance coming in 2021.
In 2025, LeBlanc will have to replace the production of four all-conference performers who graduated, but 2024 All-RMAC Honorable Mention picks Luka Biggs and Kara Dickey have both returned for their senior seasons. The Griffins will also have plenty of youth on the roster, with a freshman class of 12, mixed with the experience of nine players classified as seniors, fifth-year players or graduate students.
2025 Outlook
Plenty of familiar faces will be back on the pitch for the Utes in 2025, but Utah soccer fans will also become acquainted with 12 new Utes who've joined the squad over the last several months. Those newcomers will blend into a roster that returns five of the team's top seven scorers from a season ago, as well as the top three players in terms of minutes played.
No Ute spent more time on the field in 2024 than graduate midfielder Devi Dudley, who accumulated 1609 minutes on the pitch and was one of only two Utah returners to start all 19 matches. The other was junior Lilliah Blum, who is also the teams' top returning scorer. The Wisconsin native knocked in a pair of goals, one of which was a game-winner, while piling up seven assists, tied for fifth-most in the Big 12. In the six games in which Blum contributed at least one point in 2024, the Utes posted a 5-0-1 record.
None of the players back in the fold have more career points as a Ute than senior forward Kelly Bullock, who also has yet to miss match since she arrived on campus. Of her seven career goals, five have gone down as game-winners, including both of her tallies in 2024, and Bullock's work on the field was good enough to earn her an All-Big 12 Second-Team spot as a junior.
In goal, the Utes will have three candidates to pick from, with senior Erin Gibbs representing the most experienced option. Gibbs came on board prior to the start of 2024 and was in net for Utah's season-opening triumph over Gonzaga, one five fixtures she appeared in as a junior. One of the two newcomers to the keeper group is sophomore Alexa Malaspina, who posted a 10-5-2 mark in 2024 at UC Colorado Springs that included six clean sheets. Also fighting for time in goal is freshman Emeline McClenahan, who earned her spot on the roster with excellent goalkeeping for Chicago FC.
Senior Class
The Utes have plenty of experience on their roster, which includes seven seniors, Erin Gibbs, Brooklyn Blaylock, Alex Schoenstadt, Kelly Bullock, Ryann Cull, Sophie Bellini and Ali Swensen, and three graduate students, Devi Dudley, Grace Watkins and Ava Hetzel.
Blaylock, Bullock and Cull are all entering their fourth season at Utah and have appeared in 158 total matches during their collegiate careers. Blaylock and Cull have been fixtures on the back line for the Utes, combining for 78 starts, while Bullock is coming off an all-conference season and will add to her total of 52 starts from 2022-24.
Schoenstadt came to Salt Lake City in time for the start of the 2023 season and will be back in action after an injury knocked her out for 2024. Gibbs, Dudley, Watkins and Hetzel are all in their second year with the Utes while Swensen and Bellini will be in their initial Utah campaign.
New Utes
Bellini and Swensen are two of 12 new players Hideki Nakada added to his roster during the offseason, a group comprised of two seniors, one sophomore and nine freshman. Malaspina is the newest addition to the goalkeeper room after starting her career at UC Colorado Springs and defender Madison Encinas also came out of the portal after spending a redshirt year at Baylor.
From the prep ranks, the Utes added goalkeeper Emeline McClenahan, defender Reese Kennel, midfielder and defender Mimi Yamamoto, midfielders Shannon Davidson, Eliza Smith and Addison Lockerby and forwards Julia Oka and Abby Affleck.
Prev-U
The Big 12 Conference released its Big 12 preseason poll last week and the Utes were picked to finish ninth in the league. TCU was picked to win the conference and received 13 of a possible 16 first-place votes after going unbeaten in Big 12 league play a season ago. Texas Tech finished second in the poll with a pair of first place votes.
1. TCU (13) – 223 9. Utah – 112
2. Texas Tech (2) – 202 10. Baylor – 108
3. BYU (1) – 191 11. Arizona State – 98
4. West Virginia – 172 12. UCF – 72
5. Kansas – 167 13. Cincinnati – 57
6. Colorado – 155 14. Iowa State – 40
7. Oklahoma State – 153 15. Houston – 38
8. Arizona – 113 16. K-State – 19
Eliza Smith, Bella Ganiere and Abby Affleck also earned preseason recognition from the conference for their work in the classroom. The trio was named to the 2024-24 Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team. Utah led all Big 12 athletic departments with 79 newcomers earning Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team recognition.
Oh Captains, My Captains
Utah will be led by its three graduate students this season. Devi Dudley, Grace Watkins and Ava Hetzel will serve as the team's three captains during the 2025 campaign. The trio has combined to play in 204 collegiate games entering this season.
Coaches Corner
Last season, head coach Hideki Nakada hired a pair of new assistant coaches in Travis Smith and Jackie Poortinga. The two return for their second seasons with Utah in 2025 and will be joined by new assistant coach Sam Gomez.
Gomez brings with him a wealth of experience that includes time as the Girls Director of Coaching at the Utah Athletic Academy and head coach of the girls soccer team at Highland High School. Gomez has also honed his skills as a coach at Port Orchard FC, Impact United and Kitsap Alliance FC.
Prior to moving into the coaching ranks, he played professionally in the Honduran 1st Division with Real CD Espana, as well as with San Diego 1904 FC in the NISA. This followed a collegiate career at Cal State University Bakersfield, where he was an academic all-conference selection and earned a degree in Kinesiology.
NCAA Tournament History
The Utes enter 2025 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.
FOLLOW THE UTES!
Fans can follow along on social media (Twitter: @UtahWSoccer | Instagram: @UtahWSoccer | Facebook: Facebook.com/Utahwsoccer).
| THURSDAY'S MATCHUP Date | Time: Thursday, Aug. 21 | 7:00 p.m. (MT) Utah (1-1-0) vs. Westminster (0-0-0) Location: Salt Lake City | Ute Field Live Stats: Click Here Live Stream: ESPN+ Twitter Updates: @UtahWSoccer |
Last Time Out
The Utes suffered their first loss of the season on Monday, falling to Utah Valley 2-0, but it wasn't for lack of effort. Utah piled up 28 total shots, their highest total since Oct. 1, 2023 against Oregon and 11 of those efforts were on target. Kelly Bullock set a new career-high with six shots, a total that was also matched by Grace Watkins and Lilliah Blum. In goal, Erin Gibbs collected four saves.
Scouting the Griffins
Thursday's affair will be the Griffin's final tune-up before their regular season begins on Sept. 4. Coach Tony LeBlanc's squad is coming off a 7-6-4 campaign in 2024, but they are just a few years removed from a stretch of four consecutive seasons in which they posted at least 10 victories. Two of those showings earned the Griffins a spot in the NCAA Tournament, the most recent instance coming in 2021.
In 2025, LeBlanc will have to replace the production of four all-conference performers who graduated, but 2024 All-RMAC Honorable Mention picks Luka Biggs and Kara Dickey have both returned for their senior seasons. The Griffins will also have plenty of youth on the roster, with a freshman class of 12, mixed with the experience of nine players classified as seniors, fifth-year players or graduate students.
2025 Outlook
Plenty of familiar faces will be back on the pitch for the Utes in 2025, but Utah soccer fans will also become acquainted with 12 new Utes who've joined the squad over the last several months. Those newcomers will blend into a roster that returns five of the team's top seven scorers from a season ago, as well as the top three players in terms of minutes played.
No Ute spent more time on the field in 2024 than graduate midfielder Devi Dudley, who accumulated 1609 minutes on the pitch and was one of only two Utah returners to start all 19 matches. The other was junior Lilliah Blum, who is also the teams' top returning scorer. The Wisconsin native knocked in a pair of goals, one of which was a game-winner, while piling up seven assists, tied for fifth-most in the Big 12. In the six games in which Blum contributed at least one point in 2024, the Utes posted a 5-0-1 record.
None of the players back in the fold have more career points as a Ute than senior forward Kelly Bullock, who also has yet to miss match since she arrived on campus. Of her seven career goals, five have gone down as game-winners, including both of her tallies in 2024, and Bullock's work on the field was good enough to earn her an All-Big 12 Second-Team spot as a junior.
In goal, the Utes will have three candidates to pick from, with senior Erin Gibbs representing the most experienced option. Gibbs came on board prior to the start of 2024 and was in net for Utah's season-opening triumph over Gonzaga, one five fixtures she appeared in as a junior. One of the two newcomers to the keeper group is sophomore Alexa Malaspina, who posted a 10-5-2 mark in 2024 at UC Colorado Springs that included six clean sheets. Also fighting for time in goal is freshman Emeline McClenahan, who earned her spot on the roster with excellent goalkeeping for Chicago FC.
Senior Class
The Utes have plenty of experience on their roster, which includes seven seniors, Erin Gibbs, Brooklyn Blaylock, Alex Schoenstadt, Kelly Bullock, Ryann Cull, Sophie Bellini and Ali Swensen, and three graduate students, Devi Dudley, Grace Watkins and Ava Hetzel.
Blaylock, Bullock and Cull are all entering their fourth season at Utah and have appeared in 158 total matches during their collegiate careers. Blaylock and Cull have been fixtures on the back line for the Utes, combining for 78 starts, while Bullock is coming off an all-conference season and will add to her total of 52 starts from 2022-24.
Schoenstadt came to Salt Lake City in time for the start of the 2023 season and will be back in action after an injury knocked her out for 2024. Gibbs, Dudley, Watkins and Hetzel are all in their second year with the Utes while Swensen and Bellini will be in their initial Utah campaign.
New Utes
Bellini and Swensen are two of 12 new players Hideki Nakada added to his roster during the offseason, a group comprised of two seniors, one sophomore and nine freshman. Malaspina is the newest addition to the goalkeeper room after starting her career at UC Colorado Springs and defender Madison Encinas also came out of the portal after spending a redshirt year at Baylor.
From the prep ranks, the Utes added goalkeeper Emeline McClenahan, defender Reese Kennel, midfielder and defender Mimi Yamamoto, midfielders Shannon Davidson, Eliza Smith and Addison Lockerby and forwards Julia Oka and Abby Affleck.
Prev-U
The Big 12 Conference released its Big 12 preseason poll last week and the Utes were picked to finish ninth in the league. TCU was picked to win the conference and received 13 of a possible 16 first-place votes after going unbeaten in Big 12 league play a season ago. Texas Tech finished second in the poll with a pair of first place votes.
1. TCU (13) – 223 9. Utah – 112
2. Texas Tech (2) – 202 10. Baylor – 108
3. BYU (1) – 191 11. Arizona State – 98
4. West Virginia – 172 12. UCF – 72
5. Kansas – 167 13. Cincinnati – 57
6. Colorado – 155 14. Iowa State – 40
7. Oklahoma State – 153 15. Houston – 38
8. Arizona – 113 16. K-State – 19
Eliza Smith, Bella Ganiere and Abby Affleck also earned preseason recognition from the conference for their work in the classroom. The trio was named to the 2024-24 Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team. Utah led all Big 12 athletic departments with 79 newcomers earning Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team recognition.
Oh Captains, My Captains
Utah will be led by its three graduate students this season. Devi Dudley, Grace Watkins and Ava Hetzel will serve as the team's three captains during the 2025 campaign. The trio has combined to play in 204 collegiate games entering this season.
Coaches Corner
Last season, head coach Hideki Nakada hired a pair of new assistant coaches in Travis Smith and Jackie Poortinga. The two return for their second seasons with Utah in 2025 and will be joined by new assistant coach Sam Gomez.
Gomez brings with him a wealth of experience that includes time as the Girls Director of Coaching at the Utah Athletic Academy and head coach of the girls soccer team at Highland High School. Gomez has also honed his skills as a coach at Port Orchard FC, Impact United and Kitsap Alliance FC.
Prior to moving into the coaching ranks, he played professionally in the Honduran 1st Division with Real CD Espana, as well as with San Diego 1904 FC in the NISA. This followed a collegiate career at Cal State University Bakersfield, where he was an academic all-conference selection and earned a degree in Kinesiology.
NCAA Tournament History
The Utes enter 2025 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.
FOLLOW THE UTES!
Fans can follow along on social media (Twitter: @UtahWSoccer | Instagram: @UtahWSoccer | Facebook: Facebook.com/Utahwsoccer).
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Utah Soccer's Ava Hetzel - ESPN+ Feature
Monday, September 08
Crimson Corner with Bill Riley - Ron McBride
Wednesday, September 03
Utah Women's Soccer Head Coach Hideki Nakada heads into his 5th year - ESPN+ Feature
Tuesday, September 02
Utah Soccer's Kelly Bullock - ESPN+ Feature
Tuesday, September 02