Utes Earn Shutout Win Over No. 23 UCF

Sunday, September 27

Salt Lake City, Utah

12 p.m.

University of Utah

4-5-2, 1-2-0

No. 23 UCF

5-3-1, 0-2-1

Team	1	2	Final F
UCF	0	0	0
Utah	2	0	2

9/27/2026 4:55 PM | Soccer

Box Score

Utah’s 2-0 decision represents first win over ranked squad since 2023

SALT LAKE CITY - The University of Utah women's soccer team scored two goals in the first half, and Anna Solomon racked up four second-half saves to secure a 2-0 win over the No. 23 UCF Knights on Sunday afternoon in Big 12 Conference action at Ute Field in Salt Lake City.

The Utes are now 4-5-2 in 2026 and 1-2 in conference.

This goes down as the program's first triumph over a ranked team since they defeated No. 18 Arizona State 2-0 on Oct. 26, 2023. The Utes are also just the second team to blank the Knights in 2026.

"I'm really proud of our performance today," said coach Hideki Nakada. "Coming into this match, I've felt like we've been performing well enough to get better results, but things just hadn't quite gone our way. The team has done a great job sticking together through that, and today we put together a brilliant performance. I couldn't be happier for them to be rewarded with the result."

Utah wasted little time getting on the board, scoring in the third minute when passes from Shannon Davidson and Julia Oka found Sophie Bellini at the top of the box and Bellini's shot rippled the back of the net for the game's first goal. Bellini now has two goals for the season and while Oka moved into the team lead with three assists and seven points.

The Utes continued to generate chances throughout the opening half, which they would end with 11 total shots, and that hard work would lead to a second goal in the 30th minute. Utah doubled its advantage when a Nevaeh Peregrina corner kick found the head of Brooke Gardner at the back post and Gardner's header beat the keeper to make the score 2-0. Gardner's second score of 2026 also represented Peregrina's second assist. Defensively, the Utes held the Knights without a shot in the first half and took their two-goal edge into halftime.

UCF came out attacking in the second half, but Solomon kept the Knights off the scoreboard with four saves over the final 45 minutes. Solomon stopped Naomi Clark's close-in attempt in the 47th minute before making two more saves in the 60th and 62nd minutes. The latter of those denials was a another shot from close range that Solomon charged out of her net to block.

Utah continued to create opportunities as well, with Pickelle and David both putting shots on goal that were saved by Cesar. David's attempt came in the 65th minute and was followed by a shot from Brooke Gardner in the 67th. The Knights kept the pressure on Utah's defense late, but Solomon made another save on Clark in the 70th minute to preserve the shutout and that was the last chance the Utes gave UCF to get on the scoresheet.

"We executed the game plan really well in the first half," said Nakada, "and scored two fantastic goals from Sophie and Brooke. UCF challenged us in the second half, but Anna came up huge for us on several occasions, and collectively, we did a great job attacking and defending throughout the match.

"I'm really proud of the way this group stayed together, continued to believe, and ultimately got the result they deserved today."

For Solomon, her four saves matched her season-high and she's now totaled four clean sheets in 2026. The home team ended the afternoon with a 15-6 advantage in shots and a 6-4 edge in shots on goal. Kori Pickelle and Jastel David each contributed three shots, while Gardner and Bellini both added two.

Next Up
Utah will hit the road for their match against Iowa State on Thursday, October 1 at 6 p.m. in Ames, Iowa

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