Thursday, October 30
Salt Lake City, Utah
7 p.m.
University of Utah
vs
BYU
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Soccer
Forward
/ Soccer
Midfielder
/ Soccer
Forward
/ Soccer
Defender
/ Soccer
Midfielder
/ Soccer
Midfielder
/ Soccer
Defender
/ Soccer
Goalkeeper
/ Soccer
Defender
/ Soccer
Defender
/ Soccer
Midfielder
/ Soccer
Goalkeeper
/ Soccer
Forward
/ Soccer
Forward
/ Soccer
Midfielder
/ Soccer
Forward
/ Soccer
Midfielder
/ Soccer
Midfielder/Defender
/ Soccer
Utah’s Regular Season Concludes with Clash Against BYU
10/29/2025 8:46 AM | Soccer
One more home fixture on the docket for the Utes
SALT LAKE CITY – One more regular season match remains on the schedule for the University of Utah women's soccer team in 2025 and that final fixture pits the Utes against their rivals from down south, the BYU Cougars, who Utah will host on Thursday at 7 p.m. at Ute Field in Salt Lake City.
Utah Outlook
The eighth and final spot in the 2025 Big 12 Soccer Tournament Presented by Allstate remains up for grabs and the Utes still have a shot to snag it, though their Thursday will have to involve some scoreboard watching. The most important link in the chain of events that would lead to postseason soccer for Utah is the Utes finding a way to defeat their in-state rivals. It would the be program's first triumph over the blue side since a 1-0 result in 2014.
It will be the last chance to play at home for Utah's senior class of Brooklyn Blaylock, Ryann Cull, Kelly Bullock, Erin Gibbs, Alex Schoenstadt, Ali Swensen, Grace Watkins, Devi Dudley and Ava Hetzel. That group includes five of Utah's top six players in minutes player in 2025, led by Gibbs' 1620 and Hetzel's 1615. Bullock's nine points put her at the top of the Utah leaderboard in that statistic, while Watkins has contributed six assists, good enough to put her in the top 10 in the Big 12.
Scouting the Cougars
The Cougars also have designs on reaching the conference tournament and they'll be attempting to rebound from consecutive defeats to Kansas and UCF. Coach Jennifer Rockwood's team only has one road conference victory to their credit so far in 2025, a 4-1 defeat of Oklahoma State on Oct. 6.
The most dangerous scorer on Rockwood's roster has been junior Ellie Walbruch, who is currently tied for fourth in the league with 11 goals. She's put her name on the scoreline in five of BYU's last six matches, including an Oct. 16 hat trick against Arizona, making her the first Cougar to accomplish that since 2021. Mika Krommenhoek has contributed six assists to BYU's cause, including three in her squad's last four matchups.
Senior Class
The Utes have plenty of experience on their roster, which includes seven seniors, Erin Gibbs, Brooklyn Blaylock, Alex Schoenstadt, Kelly Bullock, Ryann Cull, Sophie Bellini and Ali Swensen, and three graduate students, Devi Dudley, Grace Watkins and Ava Hetzel.
Blaylock, Bullock and Cull are all entering their fourth season at Utah and have appeared in 158 total matches during their collegiate careers. Blaylock and Cull have been fixtures on the back line for the Utes, combining for 82 starts, while Bullock is coming off an all-conference season and will add to her total of 54 starts from 2022-24.
Schoenstadt came to Salt Lake City in time for the start of the 2023 season and will be back in action after an injury knocked her out for 2024. Gibbs, Dudley, Watkins and Hetzel are all in their second year with the Utes while Swensen and Bellini will be in their initial Utah campaign.
New Utes
Bellini and Swensen are two of 12 new players Hideki Nakada added to his roster during the offseason, a group comprised of two seniors, one sophomore and nine freshman. Malaspina is the newest addition to the goalkeeper room after starting her career at UC Colorado Springs and defender Madison Encinas also came out of the portal after spending a redshirt year at Baylor.
From the prep ranks, the Utes added goalkeeper Emeline McClenahan, defender Reese Kennel, midfielder and defender Mimi Yamamoto, midfielders Shannon Davidson, Eliza Smith and Addison Lockerby and forwards Julia Oka and Abby Affleck.
Oh Captains, My Captains
Utah will be led by its three graduate students this season. Devi Dudley, Grace Watkins and Ava Hetzel will serve as the team's three captains during the 2025 campaign. The trio has combined to play in 245 collegiate games.
Coaches Corner
Last season, head coach Hideki Nakada hired a pair of new assistant coaches in Travis Smith and Jackie Poortinga. The two return for their second seasons with Utah in 2025 and will be joined by new assistant coach Sam Gomez.
Gomez brings with him a wealth of experience that includes time as the Girls Director of Coaching at the Utah Athletic Academy and head coach of the girls soccer team at Highland High School. Gomez has also honed his skills as a coach at Port Orchard FC, Impact United and Kitsap Alliance FC.
Prior to moving into the coaching ranks, he played professionally in the Honduran 1st Division with Real CD Espana, as well as with San Diego 1904 FC in the NISA. This followed a collegiate career at Cal State University Bakersfield, where he was an academic all-conference selection and earned a degree in Kinesiology.
NCAA Tournament History
The Utes enter 2025 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.
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. 30 | 7:00 p.m. (MT) Utah (7-9-3, 2-6-2) vs. BYU (8-6-3, 3-5-2) Location: Salt Lake City | Ute Field Live Stats: Click Here Live Stream: ESPN+ Twitter Updates: @UtahWSoccer |
Utah Outlook
The eighth and final spot in the 2025 Big 12 Soccer Tournament Presented by Allstate remains up for grabs and the Utes still have a shot to snag it, though their Thursday will have to involve some scoreboard watching. The most important link in the chain of events that would lead to postseason soccer for Utah is the Utes finding a way to defeat their in-state rivals. It would the be program's first triumph over the blue side since a 1-0 result in 2014.
It will be the last chance to play at home for Utah's senior class of Brooklyn Blaylock, Ryann Cull, Kelly Bullock, Erin Gibbs, Alex Schoenstadt, Ali Swensen, Grace Watkins, Devi Dudley and Ava Hetzel. That group includes five of Utah's top six players in minutes player in 2025, led by Gibbs' 1620 and Hetzel's 1615. Bullock's nine points put her at the top of the Utah leaderboard in that statistic, while Watkins has contributed six assists, good enough to put her in the top 10 in the Big 12.
Scouting the Cougars
The Cougars also have designs on reaching the conference tournament and they'll be attempting to rebound from consecutive defeats to Kansas and UCF. Coach Jennifer Rockwood's team only has one road conference victory to their credit so far in 2025, a 4-1 defeat of Oklahoma State on Oct. 6.
The most dangerous scorer on Rockwood's roster has been junior Ellie Walbruch, who is currently tied for fourth in the league with 11 goals. She's put her name on the scoreline in five of BYU's last six matches, including an Oct. 16 hat trick against Arizona, making her the first Cougar to accomplish that since 2021. Mika Krommenhoek has contributed six assists to BYU's cause, including three in her squad's last four matchups.
Senior Class
The Utes have plenty of experience on their roster, which includes seven seniors, Erin Gibbs, Brooklyn Blaylock, Alex Schoenstadt, Kelly Bullock, Ryann Cull, Sophie Bellini and Ali Swensen, and three graduate students, Devi Dudley, Grace Watkins and Ava Hetzel.
Blaylock, Bullock and Cull are all entering their fourth season at Utah and have appeared in 158 total matches during their collegiate careers. Blaylock and Cull have been fixtures on the back line for the Utes, combining for 82 starts, while Bullock is coming off an all-conference season and will add to her total of 54 starts from 2022-24.
Schoenstadt came to Salt Lake City in time for the start of the 2023 season and will be back in action after an injury knocked her out for 2024. Gibbs, Dudley, Watkins and Hetzel are all in their second year with the Utes while Swensen and Bellini will be in their initial Utah campaign.
New Utes
Bellini and Swensen are two of 12 new players Hideki Nakada added to his roster during the offseason, a group comprised of two seniors, one sophomore and nine freshman. Malaspina is the newest addition to the goalkeeper room after starting her career at UC Colorado Springs and defender Madison Encinas also came out of the portal after spending a redshirt year at Baylor.
From the prep ranks, the Utes added goalkeeper Emeline McClenahan, defender Reese Kennel, midfielder and defender Mimi Yamamoto, midfielders Shannon Davidson, Eliza Smith and Addison Lockerby and forwards Julia Oka and Abby Affleck.
Oh Captains, My Captains
Utah will be led by its three graduate students this season. Devi Dudley, Grace Watkins and Ava Hetzel will serve as the team's three captains during the 2025 campaign. The trio has combined to play in 245 collegiate games.
Coaches Corner
Last season, head coach Hideki Nakada hired a pair of new assistant coaches in Travis Smith and Jackie Poortinga. The two return for their second seasons with Utah in 2025 and will be joined by new assistant coach Sam Gomez.
Gomez brings with him a wealth of experience that includes time as the Girls Director of Coaching at the Utah Athletic Academy and head coach of the girls soccer team at Highland High School. Gomez has also honed his skills as a coach at Port Orchard FC, Impact United and Kitsap Alliance FC.
Prior to moving into the coaching ranks, he played professionally in the Honduran 1st Division with Real CD Espana, as well as with San Diego 1904 FC in the NISA. This followed a collegiate career at Cal State University Bakersfield, where he was an academic all-conference selection and earned a degree in Kinesiology.
NCAA Tournament History
The Utes enter 2025 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.
FOLLOW THE UTES!
Fans can follow along on social media (Twitter: @UtahWSoccer | Instagram: @UtahWSoccer | Facebook: Facebook.com/Utahwsoccer).
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