Upcoming Event: Soccer at Arizona on October 10, 2025 at 8 p.m.
8 p.m.
Soccer
at Arizona
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Thursday, October 27
Salt Lake City, Utah
7:00 PM
University of Utah
vs
USC
Utah Soccer Set for Top-10 Clashes This Weekend
10/25/2016 9:27 AM | Soccer
Utes welcome No. 5 USC and No. 9 UCLA
RV/No. 24 Utah vs. 4/4USC
Date: Thursday, Oct. 27
Location: Ute Field
Kickoff: 7 p.m. MT
Blackout | Trunk or Treat
RV/No. 24 Utah vs. No. 9/12 UCLA
Date: Sunday, Oct. 30
Location: Ute Field
Kickoff: 2 p.m. MT
Senior Day
RV/No.24 Utah Soccer will play its final two games at Ute Field this weekend when it welcomes No. 4/4 USC (Thurs., 7 p.m. MT) and No. 9/12 UCLA (Sun., 2 p.m. MT, Pac-12 Network). The game against the Trojans is the annual Blackout match for Utah and then the team will honor its six seniors prior to the contest against the Bruins.
The Utes are in search of their 11th win of the season, a mark not reached since 2008. Utah is also trying to surpass its previous program standard of six conference wins and 20 points, both done in 2013. That was also the only time Utah has reached the NCAA Tournament since joining the conference in 2011.
Utah will also look to put two dubious streaks to bed this weekend. The Utes have not beaten a team ranked in the NSCAA Top 25 in their last 26 contests dating back to a 1-0 victory over Oregon State on October 14, 2011. This was also their first game against a Top 25 team as a member of the Pac-12
Last Weekend
Utah best start to a season since joining the Pac-12 in 2011 ended with a 2-0 loss at No. 3 Stanford on Sunday. Prior to that, the Utes got an early goal from Taylor Slattery in a 1-1 draw at No. 10 Cal
Rising in the Rankings
For the third week in a row, Utah is receiving votes in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Top 25. Meanwhile, it stayed in the Soccer America National Poll for a second-straight week at No. 24. The Utes are currently ranked No. 19 by HeroSports.com, No. 23 by TopDrawerSoccer.com and the team's RPI continues to hold steady at No. 25 in the nation.
Skolmoski Pacing the Pac-12
Utah's Hailey Skolmoski was named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season on Oct. 11, the first Ute to ever achieve this honor on a pair of occasions.
She now has 11 goals on the season, which ranks 26th in the nation. That number is second among Pac-12 players. Her 24 points pace the conference and both totals are the most for a Utah player since Adele Letro in 2007 (17 G, 39 P). She is also the first player to score five goals in conference play since Letro in 2006 when the Utes were in the Mountain West.
With two more goals, she will pass Amy Kofoed (1999) and Staci Burt (1998) for fourth place on the single-season charts. Six more points would put her fifth on the single-season scoring list, passing Kofoed and Katie Tate (2000).
Skolmoski was the 2014 Utah Gatorade Player of the Year after scoring a school record 28 goals at Riverton HS and winning a pair of regional titles.
Senior Snapshots
Katie Rogers (3.61, Exercise and Sport Science), a three-time Pac-12 All-Academic selection, moved into a more defensive midfield role last season and has started all but one contest over the last three seasons. The NSCAA Academic All-Region selection has seven goals and 10 assists during her career
Taylor Slattery (3.55, Human Development and Family Studies) is a two-time Pac-12 All-Academic selection that has played in 72 games at forward during her career. Five of her eight goals during her Utah career have been game-winners. Cabria Turang (3.49, Special Education) is also a two-time Pac-12 All-Academic selection and is having her best season as a Ute, playing every game in the midfield. She scored the first goal of her career earlier this year in a win over North Dakota State.
Mikayla Elmer (3.32, Accounting) is a Pac-12 All-Academic selection and played every game as a sophomore and junior after transferring from Portland. Hannah Hyde (3.32, Communications) had her best season in 2015 as a defender for the Utes and the same can be said for Addie Jensen (3.29, Health, Society and Policy) who played up front after transferring from Columbia University
Steady Sophomore Shutting Out Foes
Goalkeeper July Mathias has the fifth-best single-season goals-against average in team history at 0.71, which ranks 35th in the nation. Ashley Mason holds the school record with a 0.30 GAA in 2003. Two more shutouts form Mathias would place her third on Utah's single-season list
Series History
Utah is 2-6-0 all-time against USC with both wins occurring Salt Lake City. In 2013, Utah defeated the Trojans, 1-0 at Ute Field and it has blanked USC the last two times at this venue.
The Utes hold a 1-5-1 all-time record against the Bruins winning the first meeting at UCLA in 2004. Since then, Utah has been out-scored 12-2 by the So Cal squad.
Freshmen Leading From the Back
Three freshmen, Aleea Gwerder, Tavia Leachman and Natalee Wells have helped this team's transformation by creating a solid defensive corps. Utah has only allowed 11 goals in its 16 contests (0.66 GAA) with nine shutouts to its credit.
Leachman, a center back, led powerhouse Long Beach Poly to three-consecutive Moore League titles and has played all but 30 minutes this season. Wells was ranked as the no. 5 recruit in the state of Utah by MaxPreps and has moved back from a midfield role at the start of the season to serve as Leachman's partner in the middle.
Gwerder led Washington Premier to a U18 Rainier Challenge championship and is joined on the outside by Janie Kearl a junior who started last season primarily in the midfield. A former First Team All-State selection, she helped lead East HS to a pair of regional championships.
Another newcomer, Holly Daugirda, has also started at outside back for the Utes. She spent her summer in New Zealand where she suited up for the U.S. Under-19 Women's National Team. She was also named the 2015 Utah Gatorade Player of the Year
Goalkeeper Carly Nelson, a freshman from Lindon, was stepping up in goal with three shutouts to her credit before missing the last five games with an injury. A Deseret News two-time First Team All-State goalkeeper she helped Timpanogos reach the 4A state title game three years in a row.
Utah Making an IMPACT
Utah Soccer, in coordination with Team IMPACT, an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for children facing life-threatening and chronic illnesses through the power of team, has announced the addition of Ariauna Christensen, a 13-year old from West Valley.
Christensen, who has been diagnosed with Fanconi Anemia, a disease that affects the bone marrow and results in decreased production of blood cells, signed with the Utes last Thursday and suited up for Friday's contest against Washington State
How I Spent My Summer
Utah Soccer traveled to Germany for three matches during a 10-day stretch in mid-May. The Utes traveled to a number of cities including Frankfurt, Munich and Augsburg while also making a jaunt into the Alps. Utah played matches against SC Opel 06 Ru¨sselheim, MTV Dießen and FC Staad.
The group took in a Bundesliga match between FC Augsburg and Hamburger SV, visited a TSV Hoffenheim practice at its training ground and took a tour of the Allianz Arena, home of German champion Bayern Munich.
Utah Soccer Earns NSCAA Academic Award
The Utah women's soccer team earned a NSCAA Team Academic Award for the 2015-16 academic year. To qualify for the award, the team must have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 or higher for the entire academic year.
Eleven Pac-12 teams qualified for the award with Utah placing fourth with a 3.43 team GPA. The Utes were third last season with a 3.41 team GPA.
Players Mentioned
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Utah Soccer's Lilliah Blum - ESPN+ Feature
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