Oklahoma State, No. 14 Texas Tech Next Up for Utah

Thursday, October 22

Stillwater, Okla.

6 p.m.

University of Utah

Oklahoma State

Photo by: John Zelinka/Utah Athletics

Oklahoma State, No. 14 Texas Tech Next Up for Utah

10/20/2026 12:58 PM | Soccer

Utes to visit Cowgirls before home date with Red Raiders

SALT LAKE CITY – The University of Utah women's soccer team is preparing for a week that will see them in action both on the road and at home, starting on Thursday when they'll visit the Oklahoma State Cowgirls for a 6 p.m. MT match at Neal Patterson Stadium in Stillwater, Okla., followed on Sunday by a home tilt against the No. 14 Texas Tech Red Raiders at 12 p.m. at Ute Field.

THURSDAY'S MATCHUP
Date | Time: Thursday, Oct. 22 | 6 p.m. MT
Utah (4-7-4, 1-4-2) at Oklahoma State (5-7-3, 1-5-1)
Location: Stillwater, Okla. | Neal Patterson Field
Live Stats: Click Here
Live Stream: Click Here
Twitter Updates: @UtahWSoccer

SUNDAY'S MATCHUP
Date | Time: Sunday, Oct. 25 | 12 p.m. MT
Texas Tech (9-1-4, 5-1-1) at Utah (4-7-4, 1-5-1)
Location: Salt Lake City | Ute Field
Live Stats: Click Here
Live Stream: Click Here
Twitter Updates: @UtahWSoccer

Last Time Out
Anna Solomon was one of the stars of Utah's most recent contest, as she logged two saves against Arizona to notch her fifth clean sheet of the season. Solomon made one save in the first half, then preserved her shutout with a spectacular second-half stop in which she was initially beaten off the dribble, but recovered to make a lunging denial of a shot from inside the 18. Solomon's five shutouts put her in a tie for fourth in the Big 12.

Utah's clean sheet against the Wildcats was also a tribute to the work done by the team's fullbacks. Brooke Gardner, Kennedy Fletcher and Reese Kennel spent all 90 minutes on the back line, while Tatym Dever and Kori Pickelle both played well over 80 minutes. Gardner, Fletcher and Pickelle are all among the team's leaders in minutes played in 2026 and Pickelle has also contributed 20 shots to Utah's offensive attack, tied for third-most on the roster.

Scouting Oklahoma State
The Cowgirls will be hoping some home cooking does them well as they seek to snap a three-match losing streak. They've cobbled together a 5-3-3 home record that includes a stretch of three straight wins in mid-September. Sophomore forward Sonora DeFini got on the scoresheet in all three of those matches, including registering a goal and an assist in their Sept. 6 win over Southeast Missouri State. With five goals and 13 points, DeFini is OSU's leader in both statistics, and those totals have contributed to an OSU attack that ranks sixth in the Big 12 with 28 goals.

Thursday's meeting will be the first between these programs in more than 15 years and just the third overall. When the Utes and Cowgirls last met in 2009, Oklahoma State came away with a 3-0 victory. The first encounter between these sides resulted in a scoreless draw in 2004.

Scouting Texas Tech
The Red Raiders had their five-match win streak snapped on Friday and they'll be trying to get back in the win column on Thursday against West Virginia before visiting Salt Lake City on Sunday. Coach Tom Stone's club is currently one of four teams sharing first place in the Big 12 with a 5-1-1 conference mark and that's thanks in large part to a stout defense. Texas Tech's nine goals allowed are tied for the second fewest in the league, as are their eight shutouts.

Addie Todd has spent every minute of every match in goal for the Red Raiders and her .643 goals against average ranks third in the Big 12 and 34th in the country. Todd has had two different stretches of three consecutive shutouts so far in 2026 and she put together one run of five Big 12 matches in which she only permitted a single score. Her efforts have yielded an .842 save percentage as well, which trails only Colorado's Brooke Goerish among Big 12 keepers.

Utah and Texas Tech have met twice prior to Sunday, with each side taking one encounter. The first instance took place in the 2016 NCAA Tournament, when Katie Rogers' overtime winner sent the Utes through to the second round. In 2024, Utah's first Big 12 road fixture took them to Lubbock, where Texas Tech earned a 2-0 victory.

Topping the Leaderboard
Shannon Davidon scored her fourth goal of the season on Oct. 11 at West Virginia, 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.

Ranked Dub
On Sept. 27, the Utes put together an upset of No. 23 UCF, the program's first win over a ranked opponent since an Oct. 26, 2023 defeat of No. 18 Arizona State. This victory was owed to first-half goals by Sophie Bellini and Brooke Gardner, as well as a four-save clean sheet by Anna Solomon.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Coaches Corner
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.

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.

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.

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.

#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.

FOLLOW THE UTES!
Fans can follow along on social media (Twitter: @UtahWSoccer | Instagram: @UtahWSoccer | Facebook: Facebook.com/Utahwsoccer).

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