Completed Event: Soccer versus BYU on October 30, 2025 , Loss , 0, to, 2
Final Score
Soccer
0
vs BYU
2
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The University of Utah Athletics
Utah Soccer Kicks Off 2010 Season Friday vs. Gonzaga
8/16/2010 12:00 AM | Soccer
Aug. 16, 2010
This Week's Action...
The University of Utah women's soccer team kicks off the 2010 season this weekend in Pullman, Wash., at the Cougar Classic. The Utes will open up with a neutral-site contest against Gonzaga on Friday, Aug. 20, at 1 p.m. MT. They will then face tournament host Washington State on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. MT. All games will be played at Lower South Field.
Scouting the Opposition...
Gonzaga Bulldogs
Gonzaga is coming off an 8-12-0 season that saw them finish sixth in the West Coast Conference with a league record of 2-5.
The top returning Bulldog is junior forward Sarah Rhodes, who accounted for four goals and two assists to lead last year's squad with 10 points. GU also brings back junior forward Emma Dolcetti and senior midfielder Sheridan Jones, the second and third-leading point scorers, respectively. Dolcetti notched three goals and three assists for nine points, while Jones tallied two goals and four assists for eight points.
Gonzaga's goalkeeping battery consists of junior Lauren Ames, who returns from a redshirt year in 2009, sophomore Alicia Berggren and freshman Kailey Kiefus. Ames started 20 games for the Bulldogs in 2008, posting a goals-against-average (GAA) of 1.29 and a 7-10-3 record. Berggren started the only game she played last year, allowing two goals and taking a loss.
Gonzaga is coached by Amy Edwards, now in her second year at the helm.
Washington State Cougars
Washington State finished third in the Pac-10 Conference last year and made an appearance in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Cougars finished 2009 with a 14-6-2 overall record and 5-2-2 league mark.
The Cougars' top returning offensive threat is sophomore forward Brandi Vega, who netted five goals and logged three assists for 13 points, finishing third on the squad as a freshman. Junior midfielder Jacquelyn Roth tied for the team lead in assists with seven, adding two goals to finish fourth on the squad with 11 points.
WSU returns its top two goalkeepers from 2009, led by senior Meghan Berlingo, who gave up just 14 goals for a GAA of 0.72 and posted a 13-5-2 record between the pipes. Joining her is sophomore Ariana Byrd, who played in four games and allowed just one goal for a GAA of 0.46.
Washington State is coached by Matt Potter, now entering his eighth season at WSU with a 69-49-12 record.
The All-Time Series...
Utah holds a 2-1-1 all-time record against Gonzaga, including a 1-0-0 mark in neutral-site games. In their last meeting, the Utes topped the Bulldogs by a 2-1 score in Salt Lake City in 2004.
Against Washington State, Utah holds an all-time mark of 4-1-1, which includes a 1-0-1 mark on the Cougars' home field. Their last meeting was a 2007 slugfest in Pullman which ended in a 3-3 draw.
On the Attack...
Utah returns three of its top five offensive threats from last year, including leading goal-scorer Erin Dalley, who found the back of the net nine times and finished second overall with 18 points. Right behind Dalley was her senior strike partner, Lauren Hair, who tallied three goals and led the team with six assists, totalling 12 points. Junior midfielder Chelsea Forbes also returns to the lineup after chipping in two goals and three assists to finish fifth on the team with seven points.
Twin Towers Lead Ute Defense...
Junior center-backs Lauren Dudley and Lauren Porter return to anchor the Ute defense for the third straight year. Standing at 5-foot-10 and 5-foot-9 respectively, they make up one of the tallest center-back duos in the MWC, if not the entire western region. Both provide a tremendous heading presence in the back and offer a serious scoring threat going forward, combining for five goals in their first two years.
Preseason Prognostication...
Utah was selected second in the Mountain West Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, tying SDSU with 37 points. The Utes also received one first-place vote.
BYU was predicted to finish first, receiving 48 points and six of eight first-place votes to capture the top spot. SDSU received the only other first-place vote in the poll.
TCU and New Mexico were predicted to finish in fourth and fifth place with 35 and 24 points, respectively. Wyoming was ranked sixth (21 points), while UNLV (15 points) and Air Force (7 points) rounded out the top eight.
Utah's Mountain West Conference History...
Utah captured its first conference title in 1999, the inaugural year of the MWC. The Utes were named co-champions as they finished in a three-way tie with San Diego State and BYU.
Utah's next league title came in 2003, as the Utes swept both the MWC regular-season and tournament championships. Utah went undefeated in conference play for the first time in school history, posting a 6-0-0 record. The Utes then topped BYU by a 2-0 score in the tournament championship match, held in Salt Lake City. The successful 2003 campaign kicked off a string of four straight years in which either the regular season or conference tournament hardware would rest in the Utes' trophy case at season's end.
In 2004, Utah won its second consecutive MWC Tournament championship, advancing past San Diego State in the finals. The match was tied 1-1 following regulation and overtime play, but the Utes eventually conquered the Aztecs in penalty kicks to claim the title.
The 2005 season saw Utah finish atop the MWC standings in the regular season, posting another undefeated conference record at 6-0-1.
With another flawless year in 2006, registering a 7-0-0 record, Utah joined BYU as the only two programs in the MWC's history to post back-to-back unbeaten seasons. Utah and BYU also share the distinction of being the two most successful soccer programs in MWC history. Utah has captured either the regular-season or conference tournament championship five times, while BYU has claimed a title eight times. Both squads have also twice doubled up to sweep both titles in the same year.
Players Mentioned
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