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5 p.m.
Soccer
at UCF
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Friday, September 23
Seattle, Wash.
8:00 PM
University of Utah
at
Washington
Utah Opens Pac-12 Play at Washington
9/20/2016 2:32 PM | Soccer
Utes and Huskies kick-off conference action Friday evening
Utah at Washington
Date: Friday, Sept. 23
Location: Seattle, Wash.
Kickoff: 7Â p.m. PT
This Weekend
Utah Soccer (5-2-1) opens Pac-12 play this Friday evening at Washington (5-2-1). The Utes and Huskies will kick-off at 7 p.m. PT
Last Weekend
After playing a scoreless, double-overtime contest at Utah Valley on Friday night, the Utes responded with a victory over UC Irvine on Sunday, 1-0.
Hailey Skolmoski scored the winner after a lovely flick-on from freshman Tavia Leachman. The Utes blanked consecutive opponents for the second time this season and now have five shutouts on the year.
Skolmoski Named Pac-12 Player of Week
Utah's Hailey Skolmoski was named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week on Aug. 30. The sophomore netted twice in the Ute wins over San Diego and then once more in a victory at Utah State
This was the first weekly honor for Skolmoski and she became Utah's first Offensive Player of the Week in program history. This was Utah's 10th Pac-12 weekly honor since joining the conference.
Skolmoski leads the Pac-12 with 14 points and six goals scored. That total is also the highest mark for a Utah player since Erin Dailey scored seven goals in 2011.Â
This past weekend, she netted the game-winner vs. UC Irvine, giving her three this season. That's the highest total of match deciders for a Ute since Kelly Islieb scored four in 2008.
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.Â
Facilitating Feet
Utah is currently second in the league in assists as Skolmoski, joins Katie Rogers, Taylor Slattery, Cabria Turang along with newcomers Aleea Gwerder, Tavia Leachman and Holly Daugirda with multiple helpers.
Rogers, a three-time Pac-12 All-Academic selection, moved into a more defensive midfield role last season and started all but one contest for the Utes. Slattery had a double-digit point output as a freshman and gained a starting spot last season, with 13 contests up front.
Turang has already graduated with a degree in Human Development and Family Studies with a minor in Disability Studies.
Freshmen Leading From the Back
With Gwerder and Daugirda on the outside, two other freshmen, Leachman and Natalee Wells have helped this team's transformation by creating a solid center back pairing. Utah is third in the Pac-12 with only six goals allowed through eight contests.
Gwerder led Washington Premier to a U18 Rainier Challenge championship and Daugirda 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
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.
How I Spent My Summer
 Utah Soccer traveled to Germany for three matches during a 10-day stretch in mid-May.Â
"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.Â
"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.
Series History
The Utes are 4-5-0 all-time against Washington, 1-3-0 in Seattle. Utah has lost the last three meetings overall and has not scored a goal over the last 270 minutes against the Huskies. The last win at UW occurred in 1998
Players Mentioned
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