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Friday, August 17
Salt Lake City, UT
7:00 PM
University of Utah
vs
Minnesota
Photo by: Steve C. Wilson
Utes Open Season with Minnesota, Weber State
8/13/2018 2:10 PM | Soccer
Utah home on Friday evening before traveling to Ogden on Sunday night
Utah vs. Minnesota
Date: Friday, August 17
Location: Ute Field
Kickoff: 7 p.m. MT
Promotion: Friday's For the Girls, MUSS Tailgate
Date: Sunday, August 19
Location: Ogden, Utah
Kickoff: 8Â p.m. MT
KICKOFF
Utah Soccer starts the 2018 season on Friday evening when it welcomes Minnesota to town for a game televised live on the Pac-12 Mountain Network. The Utes then travel up to Ogden on Sunday for an 8 p.m. kickoff with Weber State
The Utes return seven starters from last year's squad including All-Pac-12 performers Paola van der Veen, Hailey Skolmoski and Tavia Leachman. Utah has 16 players back that saw action last season and adds 12 newcomers to the roster.Â
Get your Utah Soccer Season Ticket Scarf for the season opener vs. Minnesota. Visit https://utahtickets.com/soccer/ and get yours today for only $5 with our Back to School sale going on this week.
QUICK KICKS
- Utah ranked fourth in the Pac-12 with 27 goals (1.4 per contest)
- Hailey Skolmoski tied for the team lead with Paola van der Veen at eight goals apiece, ranking fourth in the Pac-12
- Utah matched the school record for goals in a match during its 9-0 victory over NDSUÂ last season
- Haylee Cacciacarne led Utah with five assists and also scored Utah's first Pac-12 goal of the season at No. 2 UCLA
PO PICKS UP PAIR OF HONORS
Paola van der Veen was recognized by the Pac-12 Conference as a postseason award winner and was also named All-West Region by the United Soccer Coaches.
A native of The Netherlands, Van der Veen responded to an injury-plagued sophomore season with an outstanding junior year. Van der Veen finished fourth in the conference with eight goals and fifth in the league with 20 points, pacing the Utes in both categories.
This was the second Pac-12 postseason honor for Van der Veen. She earned a spot on the All-Freshman team in 2015 when she paced Utah with six assists, ranking sixth in the Pac-12.
UTAH TABBED NINTH IN PRESEASON POLL
The University of Utah soccer team has been picked to finish ninth in the Pac-12 Conference this season, according to a preseason poll of the league's coaches
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The Utes return seven starters from last year's squad including All-Pac-12 performers Paola van der Veen, Hailey Skolmoski and Tavia Leachman. Utah has 16 players back that saw action last season and adds 12 newcomers to the roster.Â
UTES RACK UP ACADEMIC AWARDS
Utah Soccer placed a pair of student-athletes on the Pac-12 All-Academic First Team and had 16 Utes honored by the conference due to their academic success
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Max Flom (3.99, Political Science) earned First Team honors for a second time. Hailey Skolmoski (3.90, Human Development and Family Studies), who was a First Team selection in 2016, was named to the second team last year.
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Paola van der Veen was honored for the second year in a row while Haylee Cacciacarne, Holly Daugirda, Ireland Dunn, Aleea Gwerder, Tavia Leachman, Carly Nelson, and Kristin Fairbairn were all recognized. Since joining the Pac-12, Utah has 85 all-academic honorees.
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SERIES HISTORY
Utah lost the only previous meeting to Minnesota, 3-0 in Minneapolis during the opening weekend of the 2016 season. The Utes are 2-0-1 against Big Ten teams at home with wins over Michigan (4-1 in 2003) and Purdue (2-1 in 2005).
Utah is 11-3-0 against Weber State with five straight wins in the series, including the last two in Ogden. The Utes have out-scored the Wildcats 10-0 over the last four meetings, dating back to 2011. In 2016, Holly Daugirda and Hailey Skolmoski both netted goals with Max Flom and Aleea Gwerder registering assists.Â
Players Mentioned
Defender/Midfielder
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Defender
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Forward/Defender
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Defender
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Forward
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Forward/Midfielder
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Defender
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Defender
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Defender
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Defender
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Goalkeeper
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Forward
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Forward
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Forward/Defender
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Midfielder
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Midfielder
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