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Friday, November 18
Los Angeles, Calif.
12:00 PM
University of Utah
vs
Florida State
No. 23 Utah Plays No. 10 FSU in NCAA Second Round
11/14/2016 5:41 PM | Soccer
Utes and Seminoles meet in Los Angeles Friday afternoon
No. 23 Utah vs. No. 10 FSU
Date: Friday, November 18
Location: Los Angeles, Calif.
Kickoff: 11 a.m. PT
TV: Pac-12 Networks
No. 23 Utah Soccer will play No. 10 Florida State in the second round of the 2016 NCAA Division I Women's College Cup. Kick-off is scheduled for Friday at 11 a.m. PT in Los Angeles.
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This is the third time the Utes have advanced to the second round and first since 2006. Utah has never advanced past this round in NCAA Tournament play. The winner of this contest moves on to the third round Sunday and will face either No. 7 USC or Texas A&M.
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Utah, making its seventh appearance in the tournament and second in four years, was one of six teams from the Pac-12 to earn a berth. The Utes placed fourth in the conference this season with its highest point total (22) since joining in 2011. Utah has also racked up 12 wins, it's most since 2007.
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Pac-12 Postseason Awards
Sophomore forward Hailey Skolmoski became the first Ute to earn First Team status since the school joined in 2011.Senior midfielder Katie Rogers was selected to the second team and gave the Utes a pair of All Pac-12 selections for just the second time ever. Defender Tavia Leachman was appointed to this year's All-Freshman Team marking the sixth-straight season a Utah player has earned a spot on that particular roster
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NCAA History
In 2002, head coach Rich Manning's first year at the helm, Utah made its inaugural appearance in the NCAA Tournament. In their opening game, the Utes not only captured their first tournament win, but also captured the first victory over BYU in team history. Utah took an overtime thriller, 3-2, on the Cougars' home field in Provo, Utah.
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The Utes advanced through the first round for the second time in 2006, on the back of a 3-2 overtime victory against Idaho State. In both second-round appearances, the Utes' fell to Portland University.
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The 2002 NCAA tournament appearance began a streak of five consecutive tournament berths for the Utes as they reached postseason play every year from 2002 to 2006. Utah also hosted first and second round action at Ute Field three times, in 2003, 2005 and 2006.
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Last Weekend
Katie Rogers scored off a corner kick in overtime as Utah defeated Texas Tech in Salt Lake City, 1-0. The Utes, hosting their first NCAA Tournament game in a decade advanced to the second round for a third time, with all the victories coming via an overtime period.
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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.
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Skolmoski is now in fourth place on the single-season charts with 13 goals this year. That total also ranks 23rd in the nation and is tops among Pac-12 players. She is also the first player to score at least five goals in conference play since Letro in 2006 when the Utes were in the Mountain West. Her seven game-winning goals also pace the Pac-12
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Her 29 points also pace the conference and her totals are the most for a Utah player since Adele Letro in 2007Â (17 G, 39 P). One more point would put her fifth on the single-season scoring list, passing Amy Kofoed (2001) and Katie Tate (2000).
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Skolmoski is also having a successful year in the classroom as she was recently named CoSIDA Academic All-District 8 for 2016. 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.
Rogers Recognized for Weekly Award
Utah's Katie Rogers was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week on Nov. 1. This was the first weekly honor of Rogers' career and the 12th for Utah Soccer.
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A three-time Pac-12 All-Academic selection, Rogers 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 nine goals and 10 assists during her career
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Steady Sophomore Shutting Out Foes
Goalkeeper July Mathias has the third-best single-season goals-against average in team history at 0.63, which ranks 21st in the nation. Ashley Mason holds the school record with a 0.30 GAA in 2003.
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After blanking Texas Tech, Mathias is third on Utah's single-season list with seven shutouts. One more would see her pass Mason for second in the record book. Mathias also ranks among the top 25 nationally in save percentage at .855
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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 13 goals in its 20 contests (0.61 GAA, 14th nationally) with 11 shutouts to its credit.
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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.
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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.
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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
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Goalkeeper Carly Nelson, a freshman from Lindon, was stepping up in goal with three shutouts to her credit before suffering an injury and being replaced in the starting lineup. A Deseret News two-time First Team All-State goalkeeper she helped Timpanogos reach the 4A state title game three years in a row.
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Regular Season Rankings
Utah closed the regular season by being ranked No. 23 in the nation by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. Meanwhile, it stayed in the Soccer America National Poll for a fourth-straight week at No. 19. The Utes were also ranked No. 15 by HeroSports.com, No. 22 by TopDrawerSoccer.com and the team's RPI was 21st n the nation.
Glance at Florida State
The 2014 national champions have reached the College Cup, soccer's Final Four, for the last five seasons. The Seminoles recently won their fourth-straight Atlantic Coast Conference title and have qualified for the NCAA Tournament every year since 1999. FSU advanced to today's contest with a 4-0 victory over Southern Conference champion Samford in Tallahassee and improved to 54-14-2 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, the second-best postseason winning percentage of all time (trailing only North Carolina).
The Noles rank second in the nation with a 0.336 goals against average and have given up only seven goals during the 2016 season, trailing only Northwestern (6) for the fewest goals allowed in the nation. Florida State led the ACC with six members on the three postseason teams, highlighted by senior defender Kirsten Crowley on the First Team; freshman forward Deyna Castellanos, sophomore midfielder Megan Connolly, sophomore defensive midfielder Natalia Kuikka and junior goalkeeper Cassie Miller on the Second Team; and junior defender Emma Koivisto on the Third Team.
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Series History
This will be the first meeting between Utah and FSU. The Utes have only played one contest against an ACC team in program history, a 2-1 overtime loss at No. 21 Wake Forest in 2008. Utah is 2-1-0 all-time vs. teams from The Sunshine State with wins against Florida and USF.
Trying to Snap the Streak
Utah is winless in its last 26 matches away from home against nationally ranked foes. That streak dates back to a 1-0 victory at No. 14 BYU on October 13, 2007.
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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 and suited up 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.Â
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.Â
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.Â
Players Mentioned
Forward/Defender
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Goalkeeper
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Defender/Midfielder
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