Utah vs. Weber State
Date: Friday, Aug. 19
Location: Ute Field
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. MT
Utah at Minnesota
Date: Sunday, Aug. 21
Location: Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium
Kickoff: 1 p.m. CT
Weekend at a Glance
Utah Soccer opens the season with a contest against in-state foe Weber State on Friday evening before traveling to Minneapolis for a match with Minnesota on Sunday afternoon.
Pac-12 Postseason Recognition
Utah soccer had two players honored by the Pac-12 Conference to close the 2015 season and freshman sensation
Paola van der Veen was one of them.
Van der Veen became the fifth Ute to be named to the All-Freshman Team. She joined Avery Jenkins (2011),
Lindsey Luke (2012),
Katie Rogers (2013) and
Mariah Elmer (2014). In her first season playing collegiate soccer, Van der Veen paced Utah with five assists and finished second on the team in scoring. A veteran of the Dutch youth national teams, Van der Veen suited up for ADO den Haag prior to her arrival in Salt Lake City.
How I Spent My Summer
Utah Soccer traveled to Germany for three matches during a 10-day stretch in mid-May.
"It was an amazing trip because we got to go to a different country and experience things as a team," senior
Katie Rogers stated. "We already had tight unit off the field and that translated to our play this spring. This experience only improved our team's chemistry."
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.
"This trip was an incredible opportunity for our players and staff," head coach
Rich Manning said. "We played quality teams and watched some top-level matches that involved the best European soccer has to offer."
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.
How I Spent My Summer (Part 2)
Utah soccer newcomer
Holly Daugirda spent her summer in New Zealand where she suited up for the U.S. Under-19 Women's National Team.
After training camp in Chula Vista, California, Daugirda and the U19's traveled to New Zealand for three matches in 12 days. Daugirda started for the U19's at right back in a 2-1 win over the New Zealand National Team and a 4-4 draw against the New Zealand U20's. The Salt Lake City native is attempting to earn a spot on the U.S. U20 squad, which will take part in the World Cup this November in Papua New Guinea.
The U-19's also traveled to Spain in March and picked up a pair of 1-0 wins over Norway and England while playing out a goalless draw with Denmark. Daugirda started in defense for both victories and entered as a substitute in the draw.
The reigning NSCAA and Gatorade Player of the year for the state of Utah, Daugirda led Skyline High School to an 18-1-1 record and the Class 4A state championship in 2015. The Deseret News Class 4A MVP and a three-time First Team All-State selection, Daugirda concluded her prep soccer career with 76 goals.
Talent in Utah's New Class
The Utes brought in 11 newcomers this season and all of them were successful in high school and at the club level. In addition to Daugirda, the Utes boast
Haylee Cacciacarne, the Deseret News' Ms. Soccer 2015,
Ireland Dunn, the 2015 Deseret News 5A Most Valuable Player,
Tavia Leachman, who led powerhouse Long Beach Poly to three-consecutive Moore League titles and
Carly Nelson, a two-time First Team All-State goalkeeper.
Ella Ballstaedt scored 40 goals during her high school career,
Kristin Fairbairn spent three years with the BC Provincial Team at the National training Center,
Isabel Jones was a two-time Deseret News All-State performer,
Natalie Kump was First Team All-Area, All-League, All-State, League MVP and Offensive Player of the Year at Elko HS in Nevada,
Natalee Wells was ranked as the no. 5 recruit in the state of Utah by MaxPreps and
Aleea Gwerder led Washington Premier to a U18 Rainier Challenge championship
Manning Makes History
With a victory over Oregon State last year,
Rich Manning earned his 150th career win at Utah. During his tenure, Manning has established Utah soccer as an elite program in the west.
Manning has coached the Utes to an NCAA Tournament berth in six of his years at the helm. Prior to joining the Pac-12, Manning directed Utah to three Mountain West Conference regular-season championships (2003, `05, `06) and a pair of league tournament titles (2003, `04).
Series History
Utah is 10-3 all-time vs. Weber State having won four in a row and nine of 10 against the Wildcats. The Utes have won five of the seven meetings on their home pitch, out-scoring Weber in the wins 17-0. The last meeting here occurred in 2013 with Utah winning 4-0. The Utes are 20-2-1 against Big Sky opponents at home, 33-6-2 overall.
Utah is 2-4-1 against Big Ten foes and has never conquered one on the road in four tries (0-4-0), out-scored 12-3. The Utes have not played a Big Ten team in a decade, dropping two contests on the road in 2006 at Purdue and Illinois. During the previous season, Utah topped Purdue, 2-1, in Salt Lake City.
Scouting the Opposition
Weber State has had winning campaigns two of the last three seasons and defeated Colorado College in an exhibition contest this past weekend, 2-1. The Wildcats lost their top two goal scorers from last season but are paced by sophomore Morgan Quarnberg (4G) and senior Chansi Crompton (10A, 16P). Weber State must replace its entire backline but does bring back goalkeeper Nikki Pittman (1.48 GAA, 3 SO)
Last season, the Gophers finished with their best record in five years (11-7-3) and advanced to the NCAA Championships Round of 32. Senior Gophers Rashida Beal, Simone Kolander and Josee Stiever were named to the Big Ten preseason honors list, voted on by the conference coaches. Kolander was recently named to the MAC Hermann Watch List, the most prestigious individual award in collegiate soccer, and was the 2015 Big Ten Forward of the Year. Stiever was named the team's Offensive MVP.
Utah Success in the Classroom
Ten members of the Utah soccer team earned Pac-12 Conference academic honors in 2015.
Katie Rogers was honored for a third-straight year while
Taylor Slattery and
Cabria Turang earned awards for a second-straight season. Listed below are the returning award winners.
Utah's Second Team honoree:
Janie Kearl, 3.81, Exercise and Sport Science
Utah's Honorable Mention honorees:
Mikayla Elmer, Business Administration
Katie Rogers, Exercise and Sport Science
Taylor Slattery, Human Development and Family Studies
Cabria Turang, Human Development and Family Studies
Natalie Vukic, Graphic Design
Since joining the Pac-12 in 2011, Utah women's soccer has had 57 players earn academic honors from the conference, including 10 student-athletes last season. In order to earn All-Academic status, student-athletes must have a minimum of a 3.0 GPA and either be a starter or significant contributor.
Luke Leaves Legacy
The Seattle Reign selected Utah goalkeeper
Lindsey Luke in the fourth round of the 2016 National Women's Soccer League College Draft.
She is the fourth draft pick for the Utes and first since 2010 Kelly Isleib. Former Ute Allie Wisner played with the Reign last season.
No Utah player earned more accolades from the Pac-12 in program history than Luke. She was named the Pac-12 Goalkeeper of the Week seven times during her career, most for any Ute in program history.
An All-Pac-12 performer and NSCAA All-Region selection, Luke set the single-season shutout mark for Utah during her sophomore season with nine blankings and finished with 25 in her career.
She also finished six saves shy of setting a new career record for Utah goalkeepers and her 367 stops placed her eighth among all current Division 1 goalkeepers (74 total games).
Season Ticket Scarves
Season tickets are $10 and come with a Utah Soccer Scarf. Your scarf serves as your season ticket and will get you admission to all home games. All seating is general admission. To get your 2016 season ticket scarf, visit http://utahtickets.com/soccer/#single-games or call 801-581-UTIX.