SALT LAKE CITY -
Hailey Skolmoski struck again for Utah Soccer (9-2-2, 4-0-1) in a 1-0 win over Oregon (6-7-1, 0-5-0) this afternoon. The sophomore netted her 10
th goal of the season as the Utes stayed unbeaten in Pac-12 play.
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In the 63
rd minute,
Max Flom drew a foul on the left wing near the end line and then tapped her free kick to
Natalee Wells. The freshman fired a ball to the back post that met
Katie Rogers who tapped it back across the goal for Skolmoski to tap in.
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"We're always excited to get points in Pac-12 play," head coach
Rich Manning said. "This team competes hard each game and plays together well. We did enough of that to earn the win. It was exciting to see the goal created by alert play from Max and Natalee, taking the free kick quickly in the corner, and Katie and Hailey were there to finish it off. Â We're looking forward to the next challenge and another week of getting better."
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Right from the opening kick, Utah attacked the Oregon goal.
Natalie Vukic tested UO keeper Halla Hinriksdottir immediately and Skolmoski flashed one wide a few moments later.
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Utah's defenders were busy in the first half, blocking five shots and keeping
July Mathias from making a lot of plays in net. The sophomore did deny Bayley Bruner on a header in the 15
th minute to keep the match scoreless.
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Skolmoksi fired another one wide in the 22
nd minute before
Taylor Slattery just missed one over the bar. In the 31
st minute, Rogers met a Wells corner but an Oregon defender got in the way of her goal bound header.
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After Utah went ahead 1-0, Utah quickly stole the ball back from the Ducks and earned a corner. Wells sent the attempt into the box where
Tavia Leachman headed high. In the 75
th minute, Mathias made a pair of huge saves, stopping Kyra Fawcett off a corner and then holding on to a Marissa Everett effort.
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Utah is back in action on Friday at 7 p.m. when it hosts Washington State. The game will be streamed live via Pac-12 Plus.
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