Utah Soccer at USC in NCAA Third Round

No. 23 Utah vs. No. 7 USC
Date: Sunday November 20
Location: Los Angeles, Calif.
Kickoff: 12 p.m. PT

This Weekend
No. 23 Utah Soccer will play No. 7 USC in the third round of the 2016 NCAA Division I Women's College Cup. Kick-off is scheduled for Sunday at 12 p.m. PT in Los Angeles.

The Utes advanced to the third round for the first time in program history with a 2-1 win over No. 10 FSU on Friday. Natalie Vukic opened the scoring for the Utes but FSU quickly countered the goal. Haylee Cacciacarne would eventually score the winner in the 87th minute. Both goals were the first of the season for the two Utah scorers.

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 13 wins, it's most since 2006.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Her 29 points also pace the conference and her totals are the most for a Utah player since Adele Letro in 2007 (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).

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.

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

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.

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

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 14 goals in its 21 contests (0.61 GAA, 14th nationally) with 11 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 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.

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.

Series History
Utah is 2-6-1 all-time against USC with both wins occurring Salt Lake City. In 2013, Utah defeated the Trojans, 1-0 at Ute Field for its last victory in the series. Earlier this year, the teams played out a 1-1 draw in SLC.

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