Utah to Host Kansas State in 2026 Finale - University of Utah Athletics

SALT LAKE CITY – The University of Utah women's soccer team is preparing to take the field one last time in 2026 and they'll be looking to notch one final victory on Thursday night, when they'll host the Kansas State Wildcats at Ute Field at 7 p.m.

THURSDAY'S MATCHUP
Date | Time: Thursday, Nov. 5 | 7 p.m. MT
Kansas State (6-7-5, 1-7-2) vs. Utah (4-9-5, 1-6-3)
Location: Salt Lake City | Ute Field
Live Stats: Click Here
Live Stream: Click Here
Twitter Updates: @UtahWSoccer

Status Report
Kori Pickelle was the most recent addition to Utah's list of scorers when she netted her first goal as a Ute on Friday at BYU. Reese Kennel's assist on the score made her the 13th Ute to register at least one point in 2026. Shannon Davidson has led the team in goals and assists while putting together a breakout sophomore season. Davidson spent her first season mainly as a substitute, but she's more than doubled her total minutes in 2026 while jumping from five points to 14. Three of those goals have come in conference play, most recently Oct. 22 in a draw with Oklahoma State.

Katie Callaway has returned to her scoring ways in her junior year, setting a new career-high with four goals and matching her freshman year total of nine points. Reese Clem's scoring prowess has led to three goals, while Julia Oka has continued improving as a sophomore logging a pair of scores and three assists.

Scouting Kansas State
Thursday will also represent the final match of Kansas State's season, as they closed out their home schedule on Friday with a 1-1 draw with UCF. Allison Marshall scored the Wildcats' only goal in that contest, while Rilyn Rintoul booted in the game-winner in KSU's most recent victory, which came on Oct. 22 against Iowa State. Gabby Demers has been K-State's most prolific goal scorer, logging a team-high six tallies to go with three assists.

The Utes and the Wildcats have tangled just once and that meeting ended in a 2-1 Utah win in Manhattan in 2024. The Utes trailed at halftime before a Katie Callaway goal helped fuel a comeback by the visitors.

Topping the Leaderboard
Shannon Davidon scored her fifth goal of the season against Oklahoma, increasing her lead on the squad in goals and points. In the eight matches in which Davidson has recorded a point in 2026, the Utes have a record of 4-2-2.

Turning Out the Knights
On Sept. 27, the Utes earned their first win over a ranked squad since Oct. 26, 2023, defeating No. 23 UCF 2-0. Sophie Bellini and Brooke Gardner got on the scoresheet for the Utes, while Anna Solomon collected four saves in the shutout.

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).

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Sophie Bellini

Kelly Bullock

Katie Callaway

Reese Clem

Shannon Davidson

Brooke Gardner

Reese Kennel

Julia Oka

Kori Pickelle

Anna Solomon

Maddie Stoddard

Ali Swensen

Bella Woods

Footer