Thursday, October 8
Cincinnati, Ohio
5 p.m.
University of Utah
at
Cincinnati
Photo by: John Zelinka/Utah Athletics
Six Points on the Line for Utah Against Cincinnati, No. 18 WVU
10/6/2026 11:48 AM | Soccer
Utes travel east to try to build momentum for late season run
SALT LAKE CITY – Six more conference points are on the line as the University of Utah women's soccer team prepares for another busy week that will consist of two challenging road fixtures, the first one coming on Thursday, when they'll visit the Cincinnati Bearcats for a 5 p.m. MT match at Gettler Stadium in Cincinnati, followed on Sunday by a 10 a.m. MT clash with the No. 16 West Virginia Mountaineers at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium in Morgantown, W.V.
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Last Time Out
The Utes have pocketed points in each of their last two contests and they'll have the opportunity to try and continue building positive momentum against the Bearcats and Mountaineers. Hideki Nakada's club currently sits just two points out of a spot in the Big 12 Tournament, which will include the conference's top eight squads and begin on Nov. 9.
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In their most recent showing, Utah owned the edge in total shots for the eighth time in 2026 and both Sophie Bellini and Shannon Davidson racked up six shots, which represented a new career-high for both players. Davidson's stat line included her third goal of the season, which is tied for the team lead and she also took the lead with nine total points. Bellini and Reese Clem both picked up assists on the goal and Clem has now moved into a tied for the second on the roster in points with seven.
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Scouting Cincinnati
The Bearcats wasted no time grabbing their first point of the conference year by drawing with Kansas on Sept. 18, but they've run the gauntlet since then and been handed consecutive losses by Texas Tech, Baylor and TCU. The good news for Cincinnati is they're returning home for the first time since their meeting with the Jayhawks and they still own an undefeated mark at Gettler Stadium in 2026. Thursday's meeting starts a season-ending stretch of five home matches out of seven for the Bearcats.
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Tiana Campbell has been Cincinnati's leading scorer so far in 2026 after arriving from Concord University, where she tallied 25 goals in two years. Campbell started her Bearcat career with a brace in her team's season-opening win over Eastern Kentucky and has since added scores against Northern Kentucky and Kansas.
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Cincinnati is of the programs Utah has only recently become acquainted with since joining the Big 12. The teams met for the first time in 2025 in Salt Lake City and that encounter ended in a scoreless tie.
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Scouting West Virginia
The Mountaineers capped a three-match road swing with consecutive 2-0 victories over Iowa State and Houston and now they're starting a stretch of three straight home bouts. Coach Nikki Izzo-Brown's team will be trying to improve on a home record that stands at 22-2-3 since the start of 2024. So far in 2026, WVU has compiled a record of 7-1-2.
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WVU has amassed one of the league's best records despite being tied for 12th in goals scored and its because they're tied for the fewest goals allowed in the Big 12. Goalkeeper Bailey Herfurth has played every minute of every match for the Mountaineers and she ranks in the top three in the conference in goals against average and her five clean sheets are tied for second-most in the league. Only one team has put multiple goals past Herfurth so far in 2026.
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Utah and West Viriginia also met for the first time in 2026, when the two sides tangled at Ute Field and ended up even at 1-1.
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Topping the Leaderboard
Shannon Davidson scored her third goal of the season in Utah's draw with Iowa State on Thursday, which tied her for the team lead in that statistic and she's also now the team leader in points with nine. In the six matches in which Davidson has recorded a point in 2026, the Utes have a record of 4-1-1.
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Under the Sun
The Utes have had success in the sunlight so far in 2026, going 2-0-1 in daytime matches. That mark includes a 3-0 win over Southern Utah on Aug. 22, as well as a 2-0 shutout of No. 23 UCF on Sept. 27.
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Sophie Strikes Early
Sophie Bellini got the Utes on the board in the third minute of their Sept. 27 win over No. 23 UCF. That represents Utah's earliest goal of the season and their earliest goal in any match since Bella Woods scored in the second minute against Arizona on Oct. 10, 2025.
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A Strong Start for Solomon
Prior to 2026, only one goalkeeper had posted clean sheets in each of Utah's first three matches and that was Lindsey Luke in 2013. Luke now has company, however, as Anna Solomon has started her first year as a Ute by blanking Weber State, Utah Valley and Southern Utah. Two different Utah keepers combined to shut out the program's first three opponents in 2005.
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Points-A-Plenty
Four different Utah players accumulated points in Utah's wins over Utah Valley and Southern Utah in August. Katie Callaway has goals in back-to-back games, Shannon Davidson and Maddie Stoddard have assists in consecutive contests and Julia Oka followed up her assist at UVU with a goal against SUU. This is the first time four or more Utes have gotten on the scoresheet in consecutive fixtures since 2023, when Kelly Bullock, Taliana Kaufusi, Courtney Brown and Maryn Granger combined to achieve the same feat.
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Solomon Named Big 12 Goalkeeper of the Week
After becoming the first Utah goalkeeper in more than a decade to start a season with consecutive clean sheets, Anna Solomon earned the year's first Big 12 Goalkeeper of the Week award, it was announced on Aug. 19. This is the first time a Utah keeper has ever been chosen as the Big 12's Goalkeeper of the Week. The last Utah keeper to receive such an honor was Carly Nelson in 2019.
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Super Subs
Both of Utah's goals against UVU on Aug. 17 were scored by substitutes, as Clem and Callaway came off the bench to get on the scoresheet. That marked the first time two Utah subs scored in the same game since a 5-0 win over Utah Valley on Aug. 30, 2023.
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Coaches CornerÂ
| THURSDAY'S MATCHUP Date | Time:Â Thursday, Oct. 8 | 5 p.m. MT Utah (4-5-3, 1-2-1) at Cincinnati (2-5-4, 0-3-1) Location:Â Cincinnati, Ohio | Gettler Stadium Live Stats:Â Click Here Live Stream: Click Here Twitter Updates:Â @UtahWSoccer |
SUNDAY'S MATCHUP Date | Time: Sunday, Oct. 11 | 10 a.m. Utah (4-5-3, 1-2-1) at West Virginia (7-1-2, 2-1-1) Location:Â Morgantown, W.V. | Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium Live Stats:Â Click Here Live Stream: Click Here Twitter Updates:Â @UtahWSoccer |
Last Time Out
The Utes have pocketed points in each of their last two contests and they'll have the opportunity to try and continue building positive momentum against the Bearcats and Mountaineers. Hideki Nakada's club currently sits just two points out of a spot in the Big 12 Tournament, which will include the conference's top eight squads and begin on Nov. 9.
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In their most recent showing, Utah owned the edge in total shots for the eighth time in 2026 and both Sophie Bellini and Shannon Davidson racked up six shots, which represented a new career-high for both players. Davidson's stat line included her third goal of the season, which is tied for the team lead and she also took the lead with nine total points. Bellini and Reese Clem both picked up assists on the goal and Clem has now moved into a tied for the second on the roster in points with seven.
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Scouting Cincinnati
The Bearcats wasted no time grabbing their first point of the conference year by drawing with Kansas on Sept. 18, but they've run the gauntlet since then and been handed consecutive losses by Texas Tech, Baylor and TCU. The good news for Cincinnati is they're returning home for the first time since their meeting with the Jayhawks and they still own an undefeated mark at Gettler Stadium in 2026. Thursday's meeting starts a season-ending stretch of five home matches out of seven for the Bearcats.
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Tiana Campbell has been Cincinnati's leading scorer so far in 2026 after arriving from Concord University, where she tallied 25 goals in two years. Campbell started her Bearcat career with a brace in her team's season-opening win over Eastern Kentucky and has since added scores against Northern Kentucky and Kansas.
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Cincinnati is of the programs Utah has only recently become acquainted with since joining the Big 12. The teams met for the first time in 2025 in Salt Lake City and that encounter ended in a scoreless tie.
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Scouting West Virginia
The Mountaineers capped a three-match road swing with consecutive 2-0 victories over Iowa State and Houston and now they're starting a stretch of three straight home bouts. Coach Nikki Izzo-Brown's team will be trying to improve on a home record that stands at 22-2-3 since the start of 2024. So far in 2026, WVU has compiled a record of 7-1-2.
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WVU has amassed one of the league's best records despite being tied for 12th in goals scored and its because they're tied for the fewest goals allowed in the Big 12. Goalkeeper Bailey Herfurth has played every minute of every match for the Mountaineers and she ranks in the top three in the conference in goals against average and her five clean sheets are tied for second-most in the league. Only one team has put multiple goals past Herfurth so far in 2026.
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Utah and West Viriginia also met for the first time in 2026, when the two sides tangled at Ute Field and ended up even at 1-1.
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Topping the Leaderboard
Shannon Davidson scored her third goal of the season in Utah's draw with Iowa State on Thursday, which tied her for the team lead in that statistic and she's also now the team leader in points with nine. In the six matches in which Davidson has recorded a point in 2026, the Utes have a record of 4-1-1.
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Under the Sun
The Utes have had success in the sunlight so far in 2026, going 2-0-1 in daytime matches. That mark includes a 3-0 win over Southern Utah on Aug. 22, as well as a 2-0 shutout of No. 23 UCF on Sept. 27.
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Sophie Strikes Early
Sophie Bellini got the Utes on the board in the third minute of their Sept. 27 win over No. 23 UCF. That represents Utah's earliest goal of the season and their earliest goal in any match since Bella Woods scored in the second minute against Arizona on Oct. 10, 2025.
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A Strong Start for Solomon
Prior to 2026, only one goalkeeper had posted clean sheets in each of Utah's first three matches and that was Lindsey Luke in 2013. Luke now has company, however, as Anna Solomon has started her first year as a Ute by blanking Weber State, Utah Valley and Southern Utah. Two different Utah keepers combined to shut out the program's first three opponents in 2005.
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Points-A-Plenty
Four different Utah players accumulated points in Utah's wins over Utah Valley and Southern Utah in August. Katie Callaway has goals in back-to-back games, Shannon Davidson and Maddie Stoddard have assists in consecutive contests and Julia Oka followed up her assist at UVU with a goal against SUU. This is the first time four or more Utes have gotten on the scoresheet in consecutive fixtures since 2023, when Kelly Bullock, Taliana Kaufusi, Courtney Brown and Maryn Granger combined to achieve the same feat.
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Solomon Named Big 12 Goalkeeper of the Week
After becoming the first Utah goalkeeper in more than a decade to start a season with consecutive clean sheets, Anna Solomon earned the year's first Big 12 Goalkeeper of the Week award, it was announced on Aug. 19. This is the first time a Utah keeper has ever been chosen as the Big 12's Goalkeeper of the Week. The last Utah keeper to receive such an honor was Carly Nelson in 2019.
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Super Subs
Both of Utah's goals against UVU on Aug. 17 were scored by substitutes, as Clem and Callaway came off the bench to get on the scoresheet. That marked the first time two Utah subs scored in the same game since a 5-0 win over Utah Valley on Aug. 30, 2023.
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Head coach Hideki Nakada's brain trust for 2026 includes two holdovers in Jackie Poortinga and Sam Gomez and one new addition in former University of Montevallo soccer player Emma Greenwood. Greenwood joins the Utes after spending the 2025 season at Cal Poly Pomona, where she helped the Broncos post an 18-3-3 record, win the conference regular season and West Region Championships and march all the way to the Final Four. The 2025 Broncos also produced three All-Americans and had nine players who earned academic all-district honors.
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Prior to her time at Cal Poly Pomona, Greenwood spent four years with Legends FC - San Diego, where she served as ECNL Director, Head Coach, and Administrative Lead. In these roles, she led player recruitment efforts, oversaw program development, and implemented team training periodization. She managed residential and youth camps throughout the year as well, contributing to the club's emergence as one of Southern California's top youth soccer environments. In 2024, Greenwood was selected to the West Region ODP staff, supporting talent identification and player evaluation across the region.
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Her coaching background also includes time with San Diego Surf Soccer Club (2020–2021), where she coached ECNL and ECRL teams, and with Palomar College (2021), where she contributed to all aspects of the collegiate program, including player development, team training, scouting, and game day operations.
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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.
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#ProUtes
The number of Utah soccer alums in the professional ranks continues to grow. Courtney Brown, with the Utah Royals, and Katie O'Kane, who plays for Racing Louisville, are both in the middle of their second NWSL seasons. The Royals recently added a second Ute to their roster with the signing of Ali Swensen and Kelly Bullock has become one of the newest member of Valadares Gaia FC. Rachel Bastone is currently playing for Vestri, a professional club in Iceland.
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FOLLOW THE UTES!
Fans can follow along on social media (Twitter: @UtahWSoccer | Instagram: @UtahWSoccer | Facebook: Facebook.com/Utahwsoccer).
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