Utah Soccer Set to Host Air Force in Exhibition Fixture

Monday, August 5

Salt Lake City, UT

12 p.m.

University of Utah

Air Force

Utah Soccer Set to Host Air Force in Exhibition Fixture

8/3/2024 11:53 AM | Soccer

Match Notes

Kick-off set for 12 p.m. on Monday

SALT LAKE CITY – Just days after beginning fall camp in preparation for the 2024 season, the University of Utah women's soccer team is preparing to take the field for the first time in the fall for a Monday afternoon exhibition match against the Air Force Falcons that will get underway at 12 p.m. at Ute Field in Salt Lake City.

MONDAY'S MATCHUP
Date | Time: Monday, August 5 | 12 p.m. (MT)
Utah (0-0-0) vs. Air Force (0-0-0) (Exhibition Match)
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah | Ute Field
Live Stats: Click Here
Twitter Updates: @UtahWSoccer

ABOUT THE MATCH
Monday's contest will be divided into three 30-minute halves.

2024 Utah Women's Soccer Roster
Coach Hideki Nakada has assembled a squad that consists of 13 returners and 12 newcomers. The list of players back in Utah Red include 2023 leading scorer Katie O'Kane and Taliana Kaufusi, who topped the team in goals in 2022. Brooklyn Blaylock and 2023 assists leader Kelly Bullock have also returned after starting all 20 matches a season ago, as has Kasey Wardle, who finished as one of the conference leaders in saves as a sophomore.

Among the many new Utes on Nakada's roster are true freshmen Callie Blaylock, Londyn Lovell, Mia Paugh, Siena Zunino, Katie Callaway and Bella Ganiere. The Utah staff also added six transfers, including sophomore Landen Matthews, junior Erin Gibbs, senior Devi Dudley and graduate students Grace Watkins, Rachel Bastone and Ava Hetzel.

2024 Schedule
Monday's meeting with the Falcons will be the first 13 chances fans will have to cheer on the Utes on their home field. They'll Southern Utah in another exhibition contest on August 10 before their 2024 home opener against Gonzaga, which will get underway at 7 p.m. Utah's first Big 12 match will take place at Ute Field on Sept. 12, when they'll square off with the Arizona Wildcats.

Tickets
Season tickets for 2024 are currently on sale, with single-match tickets going on sale on Aug. 12. Tickets can be purchased by visiting utahtickets.com/soccer/. All ticket sales are cashless and all tickets are digital, including MUSS Tickets. Pre-purchasing tickets will allow fans to obtain the best price. Those on the Utah player pass list will have their tickets added to their account associated with the email provided by the student-athletes.

To ensure a successful experience with digital ticketing, fans are encouraged to download their tickets to the wallet on their smartphone for presentation upon arrival at the stadium gates to expedite the entry process. Ticket sales and customer service will be available at the ticket office near the main entrance.

New Conference, Same Utes
The 2024 campaign will be Utah's first as members of the Big 12, the fourth different conference the Utes have competed in since the program's inception as members of the WAC in 1995. Utah posted a 7-8-2 mark during that initial season, then went 13-7 in 1999 when they played in the Mountain West Conference for the first time. Their first foray into Pac-12 play was in 2011, when they finished 10-9-1.

The list of new league foes the Utes will have to contend with include a Texas Tech team that won the conference's regular season title, then reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament, as well as a BYU squad that reached the College Cup for the second time in three seasons. Utah will also be taking the field against Iowa State and Kansas State for the first time in program history.

About Air Force
Monday's meeting will be the first time the Utes have faced the Falcons since the two programs were both in the MWC. During that time, the Utes won all 13 of their bouts against Air Force, the last of which was a 1-0 triumph in Colorado in 2010.

The current iteration of Air Force soccer is led by coach Laura Busby, who is entering her third season at the helm. Busby will be attempting to guide the Falcons to their first winning season since 2019 despite losing her leading scorer from 2023, as well as both starting goalkeepers. The 2024 includes 17 underclassmen, including nine freshmen.

NCAA Appearances
The Utes are heading into 2024 aiming for their ninth NCAA Tournament berth and their first since 2019. Utah's best showing the national postseason occurred in 2016, when victories over Texas Tech and Florida State propelled them to the Sweet 16.

New Year, New Staff
In addition to the new faces on the field for the Utes, coach Hideki Nakada also added two new coaches to his staff.

Assistant coach Travis Smith officially came on board in January after three seasons at Kansas, where he helped the Jayhawks rack up 20 victories, including wins over squads ranked as high as No. 9 in the nation. Smith also spent time at Brandeis High School, where his pupils included three all-state and seven all-region selections. He helped the squad to a district title in 2018 and, two years later, the Broncos finished the season ranked at No. 9 in the state.

Fellow assistant Jackie Poortinga was hired in May after a busy last several years that included functioning as Phoenix Rising's Director of Goalkeeping, a position she's held since 2021. Her responsibilities there included overseeing the development of the organization's goalkeepers, developing and implementing the team's goalkeeper training curriculum and identifying talent for the purposes of improving the roster. She also functioned as an Assistant Goalkeeper Coach for the Phoenix Rising FC Men's USL Championship team.
Next Up
The Utes will host Southern Utah in their final exhibition tune-up on Aug. 10 at 7 p.m. before meeting the Gonzaga Bulldogs in their regular season opener at Ute Field at 7 p.m. on Aug. 15

FOLLOW THE UTES!
Fans can follow along on social media (Twitter: @UtahWSoccer | Instagram: @UtahWSoccer | Facebook: Facebook.com/Utahwsoccer).