Friday, October 16
Salt Lake City, Utah
7 p.m.
University of Utah
vs
Arizona
Photo by: Emma Corona/Utah Athletics
Utah Back at Home, Ready to Host Arizona
10/14/2026 12:18 PM | Soccer
Stretch of three home matches out of five starts against Wildcats
SALT LAKE CITY – Five matches remain on the regular season schedule for the University of Utah women's soccer team and they'll get to play three of those at home as they try to carve out a spot in the Big 12 Tournament, starting on Friday, when they'll host the Arizona Wildcats at 7 p.m. at Ute Field in Salt Lake City.
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Last Time Out
This home contest signals the end of a stretch of three straight road fixtures that was also part of a longer spell that saw the Utes play eight of their previous 10 matches away from Ute Field. Each of those three most recent road tilts came down to the final moments, with Utah earning a tie against Iowa State on Oct. 1 before suffering back-to-back narrow defeats against Cincinnati and No. 16 West Virginia. Hideki Nakada's club outshot both the Cyclones and the Bearcats and finished even in shots on goal against the Mountaineers.
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Shannon Davidson has continued to pile up points for the Utes, registering either a goal or an assist in three of her team's last four matches. She notched an assist in Utah's last home match, a Sept. 27 win over No. 23 UCF, then scored at Iowa State and at West Viriginia, putting her in the lead on the team in goals, with four, and points with 11. Davidson is also tied with Sophie Bellini for the team lead in shots with 26.
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Scouting Arizona
The Wildcats have spent the past few weeks building up momentum and they've managed to climb up to eighth in the Big 12 by collecting seven points in their last three matches. After earning a draw against Oklahoma State on Oct. 2, Arizona knocked off Houston and Iowa State. Coach Becca Moros' club held the Cougars to just a single shot on goal in a 1-0 victory, while Kyleigh Johnson booted in a 73rd minute winner in a 2-1 triumph over ISU.
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The offensive plan developed by Moros has yielded a balanced attack in which 13 different players have contributed at least one point and seven Wildcats have piled up 10 or more total shots. The tally of game-winning goals has also been evenly distributed among five different players. In goal, Sofia Cortes-Browne has started all 14 games, making 25 saves.
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The last two matchups between these rivals have both ended in 1-0 victories for the Utes, but Arizona still holds a slim 12-11-1 edge in the overall series. Close games have become the rule when the Utes and Wildcats meet, with 13 of the last 14 meetings being decided by a single goal.
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Topping the Leaderboard
Shannon Davidon scored her fourth goal of the season on Sunday, putting her in the lead on the squad in goals and points. In the seven matches in which Davidson has recorded a point in 2026, the Utes have a record of 4-2-1.
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Sophie Strikes Early
Sophie Bellini got the Utes on the board in the third minute of their Sept. 27 win over No. 23 UCF. That represents Utah's earliest goal of the season and their earliest goal in any match since Bella Woods scored in the second minute against Arizona on Oct. 10, 2025.
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A Strong Start for Solomon
Prior to 2026, only one goalkeeper had posted clean sheets in each of Utah's first three matches and that was Lindsey Luke in 2013. Luke now has company, however, as Anna Solomon has started her first year as a Ute by blanking Weber State, Utah Valley and Southern Utah. Two different Utah keepers combined to shut out the program's first three opponents in 2005.
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Points-A-Plenty
Four different Utah players accumulated points in Utah's wins over Utah Valley and Southern Utah in August. Katie Callaway has goals in back-to-back games, Shannon Davidson and Maddie Stoddard have assists in consecutive contests and Julia Oka followed up her assist at UVU with a goal against SUU. This is the first time four or more Utes have gotten on the scoresheet in consecutive fixtures since 2023, when Kelly Bullock, Taliana Kaufusi, Courtney Brown and Maryn Granger combined to achieve the same feat.
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Solomon Named Big 12 Goalkeeper of the Week
After becoming the first Utah goalkeeper in more than a decade to start a season with consecutive clean sheets, Anna Solomon earned the year's first Big 12 Goalkeeper of the Week award, it was announced on Aug. 19. This is the first time a Utah keeper has ever been chosen as the Big 12's Goalkeeper of the Week. The last Utah keeper to receive such an honor was Carly Nelson in 2019.
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Super Subs
Both of Utah's goals against UVU on Aug. 17 were scored by substitutes, as Clem and Callaway came off the bench to get on the scoresheet. That marked the first time two Utah subs scored in the same game since a 5-0 win over Utah Valley on Aug. 30, 2023.
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Coaches CornerÂ
| FRIDAY'S MATCHUP Date | Time:Â Friday, Oct. 16 | 7 p.m. MT Arizona (5-5-4, 2-1-3) at Utah (4-7-3, 1-4-1) Location:Â Salt Lake City | Ute Field Live Stats:Â Click Here Live Stream: Click Here Twitter Updates:Â @UtahWSoccer |
Last Time Out
This home contest signals the end of a stretch of three straight road fixtures that was also part of a longer spell that saw the Utes play eight of their previous 10 matches away from Ute Field. Each of those three most recent road tilts came down to the final moments, with Utah earning a tie against Iowa State on Oct. 1 before suffering back-to-back narrow defeats against Cincinnati and No. 16 West Virginia. Hideki Nakada's club outshot both the Cyclones and the Bearcats and finished even in shots on goal against the Mountaineers.
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Shannon Davidson has continued to pile up points for the Utes, registering either a goal or an assist in three of her team's last four matches. She notched an assist in Utah's last home match, a Sept. 27 win over No. 23 UCF, then scored at Iowa State and at West Viriginia, putting her in the lead on the team in goals, with four, and points with 11. Davidson is also tied with Sophie Bellini for the team lead in shots with 26.
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Scouting Arizona
The Wildcats have spent the past few weeks building up momentum and they've managed to climb up to eighth in the Big 12 by collecting seven points in their last three matches. After earning a draw against Oklahoma State on Oct. 2, Arizona knocked off Houston and Iowa State. Coach Becca Moros' club held the Cougars to just a single shot on goal in a 1-0 victory, while Kyleigh Johnson booted in a 73rd minute winner in a 2-1 triumph over ISU.
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The offensive plan developed by Moros has yielded a balanced attack in which 13 different players have contributed at least one point and seven Wildcats have piled up 10 or more total shots. The tally of game-winning goals has also been evenly distributed among five different players. In goal, Sofia Cortes-Browne has started all 14 games, making 25 saves.
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The last two matchups between these rivals have both ended in 1-0 victories for the Utes, but Arizona still holds a slim 12-11-1 edge in the overall series. Close games have become the rule when the Utes and Wildcats meet, with 13 of the last 14 meetings being decided by a single goal.
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Topping the Leaderboard
Shannon Davidon scored her fourth goal of the season on Sunday, putting her in the lead on the squad in goals and points. In the seven matches in which Davidson has recorded a point in 2026, the Utes have a record of 4-2-1.
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Sophie Strikes Early
Sophie Bellini got the Utes on the board in the third minute of their Sept. 27 win over No. 23 UCF. That represents Utah's earliest goal of the season and their earliest goal in any match since Bella Woods scored in the second minute against Arizona on Oct. 10, 2025.
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A Strong Start for Solomon
Prior to 2026, only one goalkeeper had posted clean sheets in each of Utah's first three matches and that was Lindsey Luke in 2013. Luke now has company, however, as Anna Solomon has started her first year as a Ute by blanking Weber State, Utah Valley and Southern Utah. Two different Utah keepers combined to shut out the program's first three opponents in 2005.
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Points-A-Plenty
Four different Utah players accumulated points in Utah's wins over Utah Valley and Southern Utah in August. Katie Callaway has goals in back-to-back games, Shannon Davidson and Maddie Stoddard have assists in consecutive contests and Julia Oka followed up her assist at UVU with a goal against SUU. This is the first time four or more Utes have gotten on the scoresheet in consecutive fixtures since 2023, when Kelly Bullock, Taliana Kaufusi, Courtney Brown and Maryn Granger combined to achieve the same feat.
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Solomon Named Big 12 Goalkeeper of the Week
After becoming the first Utah goalkeeper in more than a decade to start a season with consecutive clean sheets, Anna Solomon earned the year's first Big 12 Goalkeeper of the Week award, it was announced on Aug. 19. This is the first time a Utah keeper has ever been chosen as the Big 12's Goalkeeper of the Week. The last Utah keeper to receive such an honor was Carly Nelson in 2019.
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Super Subs
Both of Utah's goals against UVU on Aug. 17 were scored by substitutes, as Clem and Callaway came off the bench to get on the scoresheet. That marked the first time two Utah subs scored in the same game since a 5-0 win over Utah Valley on Aug. 30, 2023.
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Head coach Hideki Nakada's brain trust for 2026 includes two holdovers in Jackie Poortinga and Sam Gomez and one new addition in former University of Montevallo soccer player Emma Greenwood. Greenwood joins the Utes after spending the 2025 season at Cal Poly Pomona, where she helped the Broncos post an 18-3-3 record, win the conference regular season and West Region Championships and march all the way to the Final Four. The 2025 Broncos also produced three All-Americans and had nine players who earned academic all-district honors.
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Prior to her time at Cal Poly Pomona, Greenwood spent four years with Legends FC - San Diego, where she served as ECNL Director, Head Coach, and Administrative Lead. In these roles, she led player recruitment efforts, oversaw program development, and implemented team training periodization. She managed residential and youth camps throughout the year as well, contributing to the club's emergence as one of Southern California's top youth soccer environments. In 2024, Greenwood was selected to the West Region ODP staff, supporting talent identification and player evaluation across the region.
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Her coaching background also includes time with San Diego Surf Soccer Club (2020–2021), where she coached ECNL and ECRL teams, and with Palomar College (2021), where she contributed to all aspects of the collegiate program, including player development, team training, scouting, and game day operations.
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#ProUtes
The number of Utah soccer alums in the professional ranks continues to grow. Courtney Brown, with the Utah Royals, and Katie O'Kane, who plays for Racing Louisville, are both in the middle of their second NWSL seasons. The Royals recently added a second Ute to their roster with the signing of Ali Swensen and Kelly Bullock has become one of the newest member of Valadares Gaia FC. Rachel Bastone is currently playing for Vestri, a professional club in Iceland.
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FOLLOW THE UTES!
Fans can follow along on social media (Twitter: @UtahWSoccer | Instagram: @UtahWSoccer | Facebook: Facebook.com/Utahwsoccer).
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