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Friday, November 3
Salt Lake City, UT
2:00 PM
University of Utah
vs
Colorado
Photo by: Liv Medivitz/Utah Athletics
Utah Soccer’s Regular Season Comes to a Close Against Colorado
11/1/2023 1:32 PM | Soccer
Utes aim to finish 2023 strong
SALT LAKE CITY – On Friday, the University of Utah women's soccer team will be taking the field for the final time in the 2023 regular season and the final team on the docket for the Utes is the Colorado Buffaloes, who they'll face at 2 p.m. at Ute Soccer Field in Salt Lake City.
Game Day Promotions
The Utes will be thanking their fans for their support by offering discounted admission for faculty and staff and Crimson Club members. Fans can also bring their ticket to the Utah-Colorado football game on Nov. 25 to get in for free. The first 200 fans will receive a free Utah Holiday Card and free hot chocolate will be available for the first 100 fans.
Scouting Colorado
Colorado's overall total of 12 wins stands as third-highest mark in the Pac-12 and their most victories since 2019. They'll also be carrying momentum from back-to-back wins into Friday's fixture, having ended their home schedule with triumphs over Arizona and Arizona State. The Buffaloes didn't allow a goal in either contest, marking the third time in 2023 they've posted consecutive clean sheets.
Overall, Colorado has blanked eight different opponents and Jordan Nytes has been in goal for every one of them. That number is second in the Pac-12 and puts Nytes in the top 50 nationally. She's also in the top five in the conference in save percentage and goals against average, while her 68 saves rank seventh.
Offensively, only UCLA and Stanford rank ahead of the Buffaloes in goals and 14 different players have appeared on the scoresheet at least once. The most dangerous scorer on coach Danny Sanchez's roster has been senior Shyra James, whose 13 scores lead the Pac-12 and are tied for 10th in the nation. James has found a goal in 11 of her teams' last 15 matches, including one stretch in which she found the back of net in seven straight clashes. James is also the conference leader in points with 28 and is in the top three in shots and shots on goal.
All Time Against Colorado
Friday's fixture will be the 21st time these programs have met and Colorado has captured half of those matchups, while Utah has won six times with four ties. The Utes won the first meeting in 1998 by a 1-0 margin, but CU took the next six bouts. Since that win streak by the Buffaloes, however, Utah has held a 5-4 edge and the teams have finished even four times, including their last two tilts.
Last Time Against Colorado
The Utes and Buffaloes met in the final fixture of 2022 for both squads and the back-and-forth affair ended in a 2-2 draw. Katie O'Kane got the Utes on the board first in the 20th minute, only for CU to respond with a pair of scores to move in front before halftime. Haley Farrar brought Utah level in the 67th minute by tallying her team's final goal of the year.
Stopping the Sun Devils
The Utes earned their first win of the season over a ranked team by topping No. 18 Arizona State on Oct. 26. Kelly Bullock and Taliana Kaufusi scored goals in Utah's 2-0 triumph and Utah permitted only a single shot on goal, the lowest total they've allowed in 2023.
Kan't Stop Katie
Katie O'Kane has entrenched herself at the top of the Utah leaderboard in several statistics, including goals, where her eight are the most by a Utah player since Paola van der Veen also tallied eight in 2017. Her 61 shots and 17 points are also the most by a Ute since van der Veen in 2017.
Kasey's a Keeper
Kasey Wardle has started in goal for the Utes 13 times in 2023 and she currently owns a .791 save percentage, which would be the highest for a Utah keeper for a full season since 2018. She's also collected 72 saves are also tied for fifth-most in the Pac-12.
Racking Up Results on the Road
For the first time in program history, the Utes posted an undefeated record through their first eight road fixtures. That streak included shutouts of College of Charleston, Utah State and Colorado State, the highest number of clean sheets for the club away from home since 2019. Their four road triumphs are the most by the Utes since 2018.
Penalty Kickers
The Utes have earned seven penalty kicks so far in 2023, the most by a Utah team in a single season in program history. Utah's previous high was six, which they set in 2008. The only team that has taken more PKs so far in 2023 is UCLA with eight.
Bullock's Early Breakthrough
Kelly Bullock put the Utes on the board in the third minute in what became a 5-0 trouncing of Utah Valley on Aug. 30. Bullock's score at the 2:21 mark goes down as the program's earliest goal since Natalie Vukic's tally 40 seconds into a match against Utah State in 2017.
First Half Fireworks
Utah's attack was also responsible for three first period tallies in their rout of the Wolverines. Those three first half scores represented their highest total in the opening 45 minutes since they scored four times in the first half against North Dakota State on Aug. 27, 2017.
Ring the Bella
Bella Woods tallied Utah's first goal of the season in the team's Aug. 17 meeting with N.C. State. That made her the first Utah freshman to register the program's season-opening score since Erin Dalley in 2007. Woods also picked up an assist in the Utes' win over College of Charleston.
NCAA Tournament History
The Utes are aiming to reach the NCAA Tournament for the ninth time in school history and the first time since 2019. Utah put together its best postseason finish in 2016, when they forged a path all the way to the Sweet 16.
By The Numbers
The list of players back in the fold for Hideki Nakada's club includes just about all of the team's statistical leaders from 2022. Taliana Kaufusi, who piled up a team-high six goals, is back for her senior campaign, while assist leader Ryann Cull has returned after collecting four helpers a season ago. Kaufusi also led the squad in shots in 2022 with 41, followed by fellow returners Katie O'Kane, who racked up 28, and Courtney Brown, who posted 26.
In goal, all four of Utah's keepers, Evelyn Vitali, Kasey Wardle, Megan Quiggle and Taylor Prigge, are back for another season. No one on the roster collected more saves than Vitali's 48 in 2022, while Wardle crafted a 0.70 goals against average. Utah's keepers combined to record seven shutouts a season ago.
Senior Six
Utah's six-person senior class is comprised of Courtney Brown, Brooke Hale, Katie O'Kane, Taliana Kaufusi, Megan Quiggle and Ragan Vanschalkwyk. This group has combined to take the field in over 200 matches for the Utes and Brown is the one player remaining from the 2019 squad that reached the NCAA Tournament.
New Utes
Utah's 2023 roster includes seven new faces and that list of newcomers is comprised of freshmen Kennedy Schoennauer, Lilliah Blum, Bella Woods, Rylan Park, Mia Becarevic and Izzy Smith and sophomore transfer Alex Schoenstadt.
Woods, Becarevic and Smith were all part of an Alta High School squad that made a run to the state playoffs in 2022, while Schoennauer helped her squad capture the CCA Division II Championship, Blum was named her conference's player of the year and Park was an all-league selection.
Schoenstadt played her freshman season with Ole Miss and helped the Rebels achieve a winning record, as well as record nine clean sheets.
Pac-12 Preseason Coaches Poll
The Pac-12 released its preseason coaches poll on Aug. 14 and the UCLA Bruins garnered nine first place votes and landed in the top spot in the poll. The Utes were ranked 10th.
FOLLOW THE UTES!
Fans can follow along on social media (Twitter: @UtahWSoccer | Instagram: @UtahWSoccer | Facebook: Facebook.com/Utahwsoccer).
| FRIDAY'S MATCHUP Date | Time: Friday, Nov. 3 | 2:00 p.m. Utah (6-7-6) at Colorado (12-4-3) Location: Salt Lake City | Ute Field Live Stats: Click Here Live Stream: Click Here Twitter Updates: @UtahWSoccer |
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Game Day Promotions
The Utes will be thanking their fans for their support by offering discounted admission for faculty and staff and Crimson Club members. Fans can also bring their ticket to the Utah-Colorado football game on Nov. 25 to get in for free. The first 200 fans will receive a free Utah Holiday Card and free hot chocolate will be available for the first 100 fans.
Scouting Colorado
Colorado's overall total of 12 wins stands as third-highest mark in the Pac-12 and their most victories since 2019. They'll also be carrying momentum from back-to-back wins into Friday's fixture, having ended their home schedule with triumphs over Arizona and Arizona State. The Buffaloes didn't allow a goal in either contest, marking the third time in 2023 they've posted consecutive clean sheets.
Overall, Colorado has blanked eight different opponents and Jordan Nytes has been in goal for every one of them. That number is second in the Pac-12 and puts Nytes in the top 50 nationally. She's also in the top five in the conference in save percentage and goals against average, while her 68 saves rank seventh.
Offensively, only UCLA and Stanford rank ahead of the Buffaloes in goals and 14 different players have appeared on the scoresheet at least once. The most dangerous scorer on coach Danny Sanchez's roster has been senior Shyra James, whose 13 scores lead the Pac-12 and are tied for 10th in the nation. James has found a goal in 11 of her teams' last 15 matches, including one stretch in which she found the back of net in seven straight clashes. James is also the conference leader in points with 28 and is in the top three in shots and shots on goal.
All Time Against Colorado
Friday's fixture will be the 21st time these programs have met and Colorado has captured half of those matchups, while Utah has won six times with four ties. The Utes won the first meeting in 1998 by a 1-0 margin, but CU took the next six bouts. Since that win streak by the Buffaloes, however, Utah has held a 5-4 edge and the teams have finished even four times, including their last two tilts.
Last Time Against Colorado
The Utes and Buffaloes met in the final fixture of 2022 for both squads and the back-and-forth affair ended in a 2-2 draw. Katie O'Kane got the Utes on the board first in the 20th minute, only for CU to respond with a pair of scores to move in front before halftime. Haley Farrar brought Utah level in the 67th minute by tallying her team's final goal of the year.
Stopping the Sun Devils
The Utes earned their first win of the season over a ranked team by topping No. 18 Arizona State on Oct. 26. Kelly Bullock and Taliana Kaufusi scored goals in Utah's 2-0 triumph and Utah permitted only a single shot on goal, the lowest total they've allowed in 2023.
Kan't Stop Katie
Katie O'Kane has entrenched herself at the top of the Utah leaderboard in several statistics, including goals, where her eight are the most by a Utah player since Paola van der Veen also tallied eight in 2017. Her 61 shots and 17 points are also the most by a Ute since van der Veen in 2017.
Kasey's a Keeper
Kasey Wardle has started in goal for the Utes 13 times in 2023 and she currently owns a .791 save percentage, which would be the highest for a Utah keeper for a full season since 2018. She's also collected 72 saves are also tied for fifth-most in the Pac-12.
Racking Up Results on the Road
For the first time in program history, the Utes posted an undefeated record through their first eight road fixtures. That streak included shutouts of College of Charleston, Utah State and Colorado State, the highest number of clean sheets for the club away from home since 2019. Their four road triumphs are the most by the Utes since 2018.
Penalty Kickers
The Utes have earned seven penalty kicks so far in 2023, the most by a Utah team in a single season in program history. Utah's previous high was six, which they set in 2008. The only team that has taken more PKs so far in 2023 is UCLA with eight.
Bullock's Early Breakthrough
Kelly Bullock put the Utes on the board in the third minute in what became a 5-0 trouncing of Utah Valley on Aug. 30. Bullock's score at the 2:21 mark goes down as the program's earliest goal since Natalie Vukic's tally 40 seconds into a match against Utah State in 2017.
First Half Fireworks
Utah's attack was also responsible for three first period tallies in their rout of the Wolverines. Those three first half scores represented their highest total in the opening 45 minutes since they scored four times in the first half against North Dakota State on Aug. 27, 2017.
Ring the Bella
Bella Woods tallied Utah's first goal of the season in the team's Aug. 17 meeting with N.C. State. That made her the first Utah freshman to register the program's season-opening score since Erin Dalley in 2007. Woods also picked up an assist in the Utes' win over College of Charleston.
NCAA Tournament History
The Utes are aiming to reach the NCAA Tournament for the ninth time in school history and the first time since 2019. Utah put together its best postseason finish in 2016, when they forged a path all the way to the Sweet 16.
By The Numbers
The list of players back in the fold for Hideki Nakada's club includes just about all of the team's statistical leaders from 2022. Taliana Kaufusi, who piled up a team-high six goals, is back for her senior campaign, while assist leader Ryann Cull has returned after collecting four helpers a season ago. Kaufusi also led the squad in shots in 2022 with 41, followed by fellow returners Katie O'Kane, who racked up 28, and Courtney Brown, who posted 26.
In goal, all four of Utah's keepers, Evelyn Vitali, Kasey Wardle, Megan Quiggle and Taylor Prigge, are back for another season. No one on the roster collected more saves than Vitali's 48 in 2022, while Wardle crafted a 0.70 goals against average. Utah's keepers combined to record seven shutouts a season ago.
Senior Six
Utah's six-person senior class is comprised of Courtney Brown, Brooke Hale, Katie O'Kane, Taliana Kaufusi, Megan Quiggle and Ragan Vanschalkwyk. This group has combined to take the field in over 200 matches for the Utes and Brown is the one player remaining from the 2019 squad that reached the NCAA Tournament.
New Utes
Utah's 2023 roster includes seven new faces and that list of newcomers is comprised of freshmen Kennedy Schoennauer, Lilliah Blum, Bella Woods, Rylan Park, Mia Becarevic and Izzy Smith and sophomore transfer Alex Schoenstadt.
Woods, Becarevic and Smith were all part of an Alta High School squad that made a run to the state playoffs in 2022, while Schoennauer helped her squad capture the CCA Division II Championship, Blum was named her conference's player of the year and Park was an all-league selection.
Schoenstadt played her freshman season with Ole Miss and helped the Rebels achieve a winning record, as well as record nine clean sheets.
Pac-12 Preseason Coaches Poll
The Pac-12 released its preseason coaches poll on Aug. 14 and the UCLA Bruins garnered nine first place votes and landed in the top spot in the poll. The Utes were ranked 10th.
FOLLOW THE UTES!
Fans can follow along on social media (Twitter: @UtahWSoccer | Instagram: @UtahWSoccer | Facebook: Facebook.com/Utahwsoccer).
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Players Mentioned
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