Upcoming Event: Soccer versus Oregon State on September 14, 2025 at 1 p.m.
1 p.m.
Soccer
vs Oregon State
Thursday, October 27
Stanford, CA
5:00 PM
University of Utah
at
Stanford
Photo by: Eli Rehmer/Utah Athletics
Utah Soccer Travels West to Tangle with No. 7 Stanford, Cal
10/25/2022 3:38 PM | Soccer
Utes look to bounce back from Sunday setback
SALT LAKE CITY – After battling through one of the most challenging weeks of the season in which they took on two ranked teams, the University of Utah women's soccer team is getting set for a pair of road tests, first on Thursday when they'll visit the No. 7 Stanford Cardinal for a 5 p.m. match at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium in Stanford, Calif., followed by a Sunday afternoon meeting with the California Golden Bears scheduled for 4 p.m. at Edwards Stadium in Berkeley, Calif.
Scouting Stanford
The Cardinal enter the regular season's second-to-last week playing like the hottest club in the Pac-12, having rattled off seven straight victories, including three straight shutouts. The first link in that chain was a 1-0 triumph over No. 1 UCLA on Oct. 14. That marked the second time in program history Stanford dropped the nation's No. 1 team and it still stands as UCLA's only loss of the season. The last loss for the Cardinal came on Sept. 23 at USC.
The Bruins are the only team in the conference that has scored more goals and owns a better goals against average than Stanford, but no Pac-12 goalkeeper has racked up more clean sheets than Cardinal keeper Ryan Campbell, who's totaled seven. Stanford also possesses one of the league's best scorers in freshman Lumi Kostmayer, who is third in the conference with 10 goals. That total includes a hat trick on Sept. 15 in a win over San Diego.
All Time Against Stanford
The Cardinal are in possession of an 11-1-1 record against the Utes, a streak that includes seven wins in-a-row for Stanford, but the one Utah victory in the series did occur in California. The Utes scored a 2-1 triumph in 2006 thanks to goals that came from Emily Campbell and Adele Letro. The one tie between these two programs went into the books in 2014.
Last Time Against Stanford
This marks the third consecutive season the Utes have been tasked with playing Stanford on the road and in 2021, the Cardinal defended their home turf to the tune of a 3-0 win. Stanford outshot Utah 22-4 in that contest.
Scouting California
The Golden Bears have accumulated 13 points so far in the Pac-12 season, good enough for fourth in the conference with three fixtures left. They logged a win over Oregon State and a tie with Oregon on their most recent road trip and will be hosting Colorado on Oct. 27 before taking on the Utes. Cal's only home loss of the year came in their most recent home match, when they fell to USC on Oct. 14.
Defense has been the Golden Bears' greatest strength so far in 2022, as they rank fourth in the conference in goals against average and only Stanford and UCLA have recorded more shutouts. One year after being named Third-Team All-Pac-12, Angelina Anderson has started every match for California in goal and she started the season by allowing only four goals in her team's first nine games. Since conference play started, Anderson has kept the sheet clean against Arizona and Oregon State.
All Time Against California
The Utes have only topped the Golden Bears once in 14 meetings, but that one instance was in Berkeley in 2018, when goals by Makayla Christensen and Paola Van Der Veer made the difference in a 2-1 Utah triumph. Since then, California has defeated Utah three straight times.
Last Time Against California
Only one goal was scored when these sides met in Oct. of 2021 and it came from Karlie Lema in the 76th minute. That tally stood up in a 1-0 California win that came despite Utah outshooting the Golden Bears 11-6. Seven different Utes managed at least one shot on goal, but Utah could not find a way to get on the scoresheet.
Back to the Old Stomping Grounds
Thursday's match will represent the second time Hideki Nakada has traveled back to Stanford since becoming Utah's head coach after seven years as an assistant for the Cardinal. Stanford put together an overall record of 132-15-10 during Nakada's time on The Farm and they also captured two National Championships.
Consecutive Clean Sheets
The work of Utah's back line and goalkeeper Kasey Wardle helped the Utes post three consecutive shutouts against Oregon State, Arizona State and USC. This marked the first time since Utah blanked Boise State, Nevada, Butler and San Diego in-a-row in 2019 that they've collected three straight clean sheets.
Providing Assistance
Five different Utes have picked up multiple assists in 2022, the most in since the same number logged at least two assists in 2018. The team leader in that statistic is Ryann Cull, who has four, while Madeline Vergura, Kelly Bullock, Courtney Brown and Luisa Delgado have each contributed two. Cull's four helpers are the most by a Utah freshman since Natalee Wells also logged four in 2016.
Goals Galore
The Utes put together their best offensive showing of the season on Oct. 9, trampling Oregon State, 6-0, their highest goal total since 2017 and their 13 shots on goal were also Utah's most in five years. Included in that total were two scores from Brown, the first brace of her Ute career.
Make it a Dozen
The number of goal scorers for Hideki Nakada's team has reached 12 after Brooke Ahern, Kaitlyn Conley and Kaela Standish added their names to the list on Oct. 9. This is the first time since 2015 the Utes have had at least a dozen players score a goal in a season.
First Career Goals
Over Utah's first 12 fixtures, five Utes had recorded their first collegiate goals, but three more players joined the club on Oct. 9. Standish, Conley and Ahern all made their first appearances on the scoresheet. The list of players who've scored their first career goals in 2022 also includes Maryn Granger, Ryann Cull, Kyla Jennings, Brooklyn Blaylock and Madeline Vergura.
For Openers
By beating Arizona, Utah put up a win in their conference opener for the first time since 2016. That triumph also counted as their second come-from-behind win of the season and their second comeback victory in Pac-12 play under Hideki Nakada.
Regional Rankings
The seventh edition of the United Soccer Coaches Regional Poll placed the Utes 10th, three spots down from their previous ranking.
Winning at Home
The Utes are winning .589 percent of their home games since the 2016 season. Utah has won 29 home wins since 2016 and has not had a losing season at home. The Utes opened their home schedule on Sunday and defeated Colorado State, 3-0. Sunday was the first of 11 games at Ute Field. The Utes won eight home games during the 2016 season, the most during this span.
NCAA Appearances
Entering the 2022 season, the Utes will look for their ninth appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Utes last went to the NCAA Tournament during the 2019 season. Utah's best finish in the NCAA Tournament was 2016 when they reached the Sweet 16.
Pac-12 Opener
Utah will play eight non-conference matchups before they get into conference play. Utah will open conference play on Friday, Sept. 23, when they host Arizona at Ute Field. Utah will finish the season with 11 conference games. The Utes close out Pac-12 play on Friday, Nov. 4, at Colorado.
New Name, Same Face
Returning to the team this year is Courtney Talbot. However, this year she will be Courtney Brown. Last season, Brown led the team in goals (5) and points (11). Her five goals were a career-high. She has eight career goals. Last year her five goals came in five different games. Her biggest goal of the season came when she scored to earn a draw against No. 3 UCLA.
New Year, New Staff
The 2022 Utes will have a new look this season as they have a new member on their staff. Head coach Hideki Nakada announced on August 8th the hiring of Nuno Gourgel as the new volunteer assistant coach. Gourgel comes to Utah after spending the last year at Utah Valley University. Before Utah Valley, Gourgel was an assistant coach with Robert Morris University's women's soccer program. Gourgel's coaching credentials include four seasons as the men's and women's head coach at Snow College in Ephraim, Utah. He started both programs and won 108 games combined during his four seasons, including a 59-7-11 (.837) record with the women.
Preseason Pac-12 Coaches' Poll
On August 10th, the Pac-12 Conference announced the Coaches' Preseason Poll. The Cardinal of Stanford University was picked as the preseason favorite to win the league, while the Utes were picked to finish ninth.
Next Up
The Utes will close out their 2022 regular season on Nov. 4, when they visit the Colorado Buffaloes for a 3 p.m. match in Boulder, Colo.
FOLLOW THE UTES!
Fans can follow along on social media (Twitter: @UtahWSoccer | Instagram: @UtahWSoccer | Facebook: Facebook.com/Utahwsoccer).
| THURSDAY'S MATCHUP Date | Time: Thursday, Oct. 27 | 5:00 p.m. (MT) Utah (6-5-3) vs. Stanford (14-2-1) Location: Stanford, Calif. | Maloney Field at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium Live Stats: Click Here Live Stream: Click Here Twitter Updates: @UtahWSoccer |
SUNDAY'S MATCHUP Date | Time: Sunday, Oct. 30 | 4 p.m. (MT) Utah (6-5-3) vs. California (9-4-4) Location: Salt Lake City | Ute Field Live Stats: Click Here Live Stream: Click Here Twitter Updates: @UtahWSoccer |
Scouting Stanford
The Cardinal enter the regular season's second-to-last week playing like the hottest club in the Pac-12, having rattled off seven straight victories, including three straight shutouts. The first link in that chain was a 1-0 triumph over No. 1 UCLA on Oct. 14. That marked the second time in program history Stanford dropped the nation's No. 1 team and it still stands as UCLA's only loss of the season. The last loss for the Cardinal came on Sept. 23 at USC.
The Bruins are the only team in the conference that has scored more goals and owns a better goals against average than Stanford, but no Pac-12 goalkeeper has racked up more clean sheets than Cardinal keeper Ryan Campbell, who's totaled seven. Stanford also possesses one of the league's best scorers in freshman Lumi Kostmayer, who is third in the conference with 10 goals. That total includes a hat trick on Sept. 15 in a win over San Diego.
All Time Against Stanford
The Cardinal are in possession of an 11-1-1 record against the Utes, a streak that includes seven wins in-a-row for Stanford, but the one Utah victory in the series did occur in California. The Utes scored a 2-1 triumph in 2006 thanks to goals that came from Emily Campbell and Adele Letro. The one tie between these two programs went into the books in 2014.
Last Time Against Stanford
This marks the third consecutive season the Utes have been tasked with playing Stanford on the road and in 2021, the Cardinal defended their home turf to the tune of a 3-0 win. Stanford outshot Utah 22-4 in that contest.
Scouting California
The Golden Bears have accumulated 13 points so far in the Pac-12 season, good enough for fourth in the conference with three fixtures left. They logged a win over Oregon State and a tie with Oregon on their most recent road trip and will be hosting Colorado on Oct. 27 before taking on the Utes. Cal's only home loss of the year came in their most recent home match, when they fell to USC on Oct. 14.
Defense has been the Golden Bears' greatest strength so far in 2022, as they rank fourth in the conference in goals against average and only Stanford and UCLA have recorded more shutouts. One year after being named Third-Team All-Pac-12, Angelina Anderson has started every match for California in goal and she started the season by allowing only four goals in her team's first nine games. Since conference play started, Anderson has kept the sheet clean against Arizona and Oregon State.
All Time Against California
The Utes have only topped the Golden Bears once in 14 meetings, but that one instance was in Berkeley in 2018, when goals by Makayla Christensen and Paola Van Der Veer made the difference in a 2-1 Utah triumph. Since then, California has defeated Utah three straight times.
Last Time Against California
Only one goal was scored when these sides met in Oct. of 2021 and it came from Karlie Lema in the 76th minute. That tally stood up in a 1-0 California win that came despite Utah outshooting the Golden Bears 11-6. Seven different Utes managed at least one shot on goal, but Utah could not find a way to get on the scoresheet.
Back to the Old Stomping Grounds
Thursday's match will represent the second time Hideki Nakada has traveled back to Stanford since becoming Utah's head coach after seven years as an assistant for the Cardinal. Stanford put together an overall record of 132-15-10 during Nakada's time on The Farm and they also captured two National Championships.
Consecutive Clean Sheets
The work of Utah's back line and goalkeeper Kasey Wardle helped the Utes post three consecutive shutouts against Oregon State, Arizona State and USC. This marked the first time since Utah blanked Boise State, Nevada, Butler and San Diego in-a-row in 2019 that they've collected three straight clean sheets.
Providing Assistance
Five different Utes have picked up multiple assists in 2022, the most in since the same number logged at least two assists in 2018. The team leader in that statistic is Ryann Cull, who has four, while Madeline Vergura, Kelly Bullock, Courtney Brown and Luisa Delgado have each contributed two. Cull's four helpers are the most by a Utah freshman since Natalee Wells also logged four in 2016.
Goals Galore
The Utes put together their best offensive showing of the season on Oct. 9, trampling Oregon State, 6-0, their highest goal total since 2017 and their 13 shots on goal were also Utah's most in five years. Included in that total were two scores from Brown, the first brace of her Ute career.
Make it a Dozen
The number of goal scorers for Hideki Nakada's team has reached 12 after Brooke Ahern, Kaitlyn Conley and Kaela Standish added their names to the list on Oct. 9. This is the first time since 2015 the Utes have had at least a dozen players score a goal in a season.
First Career Goals
Over Utah's first 12 fixtures, five Utes had recorded their first collegiate goals, but three more players joined the club on Oct. 9. Standish, Conley and Ahern all made their first appearances on the scoresheet. The list of players who've scored their first career goals in 2022 also includes Maryn Granger, Ryann Cull, Kyla Jennings, Brooklyn Blaylock and Madeline Vergura.
For Openers
By beating Arizona, Utah put up a win in their conference opener for the first time since 2016. That triumph also counted as their second come-from-behind win of the season and their second comeback victory in Pac-12 play under Hideki Nakada.
Regional Rankings
The seventh edition of the United Soccer Coaches Regional Poll placed the Utes 10th, three spots down from their previous ranking.
Winning at Home
The Utes are winning .589 percent of their home games since the 2016 season. Utah has won 29 home wins since 2016 and has not had a losing season at home. The Utes opened their home schedule on Sunday and defeated Colorado State, 3-0. Sunday was the first of 11 games at Ute Field. The Utes won eight home games during the 2016 season, the most during this span.
NCAA Appearances
Entering the 2022 season, the Utes will look for their ninth appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Utes last went to the NCAA Tournament during the 2019 season. Utah's best finish in the NCAA Tournament was 2016 when they reached the Sweet 16.
Pac-12 Opener
Utah will play eight non-conference matchups before they get into conference play. Utah will open conference play on Friday, Sept. 23, when they host Arizona at Ute Field. Utah will finish the season with 11 conference games. The Utes close out Pac-12 play on Friday, Nov. 4, at Colorado.
New Name, Same Face
Returning to the team this year is Courtney Talbot. However, this year she will be Courtney Brown. Last season, Brown led the team in goals (5) and points (11). Her five goals were a career-high. She has eight career goals. Last year her five goals came in five different games. Her biggest goal of the season came when she scored to earn a draw against No. 3 UCLA.
New Year, New Staff
The 2022 Utes will have a new look this season as they have a new member on their staff. Head coach Hideki Nakada announced on August 8th the hiring of Nuno Gourgel as the new volunteer assistant coach. Gourgel comes to Utah after spending the last year at Utah Valley University. Before Utah Valley, Gourgel was an assistant coach with Robert Morris University's women's soccer program. Gourgel's coaching credentials include four seasons as the men's and women's head coach at Snow College in Ephraim, Utah. He started both programs and won 108 games combined during his four seasons, including a 59-7-11 (.837) record with the women.
Preseason Pac-12 Coaches' Poll
On August 10th, the Pac-12 Conference announced the Coaches' Preseason Poll. The Cardinal of Stanford University was picked as the preseason favorite to win the league, while the Utes were picked to finish ninth.
Next Up
The Utes will close out their 2022 regular season on Nov. 4, when they visit the Colorado Buffaloes for a 3 p.m. match in Boulder, Colo.
FOLLOW THE UTES!
Fans can follow along on social media (Twitter: @UtahWSoccer | Instagram: @UtahWSoccer | Facebook: Facebook.com/Utahwsoccer).
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Soccer
Midfielder
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Midfielder
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Forward
/ Soccer
Forward
/ Soccer
Midfielder/Forward
/ Soccer
Defender
/ Soccer
Midfielder
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Defender
/ Soccer
Midfielder
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Midfielder
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Midfielder/Forward
/ Soccer
Goalkeeper
/ Soccer
Defender
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