Utah Drops Match Against No. 16 West Virginia

Sunday, October 11

Morgantown, W.V.

10 a.m.

University of Utah

4-7-3, 1-4-1

No. 16 West Virginia

9-1-2, 4-1-1

Team	1	2	Final F
Utah	0	1	1
West Virginia	1	1	2

Match Notes

Photo by: John Zelinka/Utah Athletics

10/11/2026 12:41 PM | Soccer

Box Score

Davidson scores team-high fourth goal in 2-1 loss

MORGANTOWN, W.V. - Shannon Davidson scored her team-high fourth goal of 2026, but the University of Utah women's soccer team fell just short against the No. 16 West Virginia Mountaineers, falling 2-1 on Sunday afternoon in Big 12 Conference action at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium in Morgantown, W.V.

Utah's record now stands at 4-7-3 overall and 1-4-1 in conference. West Virginia is 9-1-2 and 4-1-1.

"You're always disappointed when you don't get a result," said coach Hideki Nakada, "but I'm proud of the way our team competed against one of the best teams in the country for a good stretch of the game today. We had two mental lapses that led to their goals, and top teams like WVU will always make you pay for those mistakes. I thought we responded well, and with a few things bouncing our way, we could be looking at a different result, which makes it even more disappointing."

Utah denied West Virginia's first scoring opportunity, when a corner kick in the sixth minute was headed on frame, but Reese Kennel headed the shot off the line. A few minutes later, however, Abbey Olexa scored to give the Mountaineers the lead.

A steal by Kennedy Fletcher created a chance for the visitors in the 14th minute when Fletcher found Shannon Davidson just outside the 18, but Davidson's effort was saved by Bailey Herfurth. Davidson had another chance from nearly the same spot eight minutes later, only to see it blocked. In the 32nd minute, a cross into the box from Reese Clem proved just out of the reach of Davidson and Julia Oka and was scooped up by Herfurth, whose work in goal helped the home side carry their 1-0 into halftime.

Davidson sent in Utah's first second-half shot in the 49th minute, but it floated off target. When the Mountaineers formulated a response Maya Leoni slid one past Utah's keeper and just inside the post to increase the home team's lead to 2-0.

The Utes did their best to create offense after Leoni's score, with Reese Kennel and Katie Callaway sending in crosses in the 56th and 57th minutes and Kennedy Fletcher sending in a shot moments after Callaway's cross.

That work paid off in the 64th minute, when a through ball by Callaway led Davidson into the box and her left-footed finish beat Herfurth to pull the Utes to within one. For Davidson, this upped her goal total on the year to a team-high four and she now has 11 points, which is also tops on the squad. Callaway's first assist of the year puts her at seven points, tied for Utah's second-highest total in that statistic.

Utah kept pressing for an equalizer, creating one opportunity that led to a Reese Clem cross towards the net that was punched away by Herfurth in the 72nd minute. The Utes made several stops on defense to keep the deficit at one, including a lunging block of a shot by Brooke Gardner in front of an open net in the 74th minute.

Fletcher tested the keeper again with a shot from 25 yards out that was saved off a free kick in the 82nd minute and a Clem cross towards the back post in the 88th minute just missed Davidson. One more long-range attempt by Clem in the final minute was saved and that proved to be the last chance the Utes would have to even the score.

West Virginia ended the day with a 10-8 edge in shots, but both teams finished with five shots on goal. For the Utes, Davidson posted a team-high four shots, while Fletcher was credited with two. Both players put two of their tries on target.

"Today was a good reminder that we're good enough to compete with anyone," said Nakada. "The challenge continues to be finding consistency in our performances, regardless of who we're playing. It's been a tough two-week road stretch, so we're looking forward to being back home next week for a big game against Arizona."

Next Up
Ute Field will host the Utes' next fixture, which is scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m against Arizona.

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