Monday, August 17
Orem, Utah
7:30 p.m.
University of Utah
at
Utah Valley
Photo by: Davis Kuhn/Utah Athletics
Utah’s First Road Match of 2026 Pits Them Against Utah Valley
8/15/2026 8:00 AM | Soccer
Utes will try to earn their first win of 2026 on Monday
SALT LAKE CITY – Just a few days after starting the new year by tangling with one in-state foe, the University of Utah women's soccer team is preparing to meet another local adversary in the Utah Valley Wolverines, who the Utes will visit on Monday for a 7:30 p.m. match at UCCU Stadium in Orem, Utah.
Last Time Out
The Utes opened the year with a scoreless draw against Weber State that goes down the program's first season-opening clean sheet since 2016. In her first appearance as a Ute, goalkeeper Anna Solomon logged a pair of saves and the team's back line permitted only four total shots.
Offensively, Utah piled up 17 total shots, led by Sophie Bellini's five tries and Maddie Stoddard was credited with two. Abby Affleck added three total shots, with two of them being on target. The Utes also logged a 58-42 advantage in possession and kept an undefeated record in season openers under Hideki Nakada, who holds a 3-0-3 mark in such fixtures at the U.
Scouting Utah Valley
One year after piling up 14 wins and earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, Utah Valley started its 2026 campaign with a rare Wolverines vs. Wolverines matchup as UVU hosted Michigan in a match that ended in a 1-1 tie. A goal by Addie Olson gave UVU a first-half lead before Michigan leveled the score on a 54th minute penalty kick. In goal, UVU's Madeleine Boucher helped her team hold on to that draw by making five saves.
The Utes and the Wolverines are familiar adversaries and Monday's meeting will make the fourth straight season they've squared off. The Utes rolled to a 5-0 victory in Salt Lake City in 2023, but the last two clashes ended in 2-0 victories for the Wolverines, including in 2025, when UVU opened UCCU Stadium by defeating the Utes. Overall, the Utes own a 7-2-1 advantage in the series.
Strong Start for Solomon
The Utes hadn't recorded a shutout in their season opener since 2016 before Anna Solomon started her Utah career with a clean sheet against Weber State on Aug. 12. She made two clutch stops against the Wildcats as the Utes began the year with a scoreless draw. Overall, it was the ninth time the Utes have blanked their first opponent of the season.
First Road Trip
Utah started its 2025 season by earning a come-from-behind road triumph over Gonzaga and a victory over Utah Valley would give the program wins in its first road match in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2014-15. Under Nakada, the Utes are 1-1-3 in their first road match of the year.
Scanning the Schedule
Utah's 2026 slate consists of 19 matches, including eight home fixtures at Ute Field. The team's Big 12 schedule begins with a Sept. 18 visit to Arizona State and includes 11 matchups against conference foes, concluding with a home clash with Kansas State on Nov. 4.
Prev-U
The Big 12 Conference released its Big 12 preseason poll on Aug. 3 and the Utes were picked to finish 11th in the league. TCU was picked to win the conference for the second consecutive year and received 13 of a possible 16 first-place votes.
| MONDAY'S MATCHUP Date | Time: Monday, Aug. 17 | 7:30 p.m. Utah (0-0-1) vs. Utah Valley (0-0-1) Location: Orem, Utah | UCCU Stadium Live Stats: Click Here Live Stream: Click Here Twitter Updates: @UtahWSoccer |
Last Time Out
The Utes opened the year with a scoreless draw against Weber State that goes down the program's first season-opening clean sheet since 2016. In her first appearance as a Ute, goalkeeper Anna Solomon logged a pair of saves and the team's back line permitted only four total shots.
Offensively, Utah piled up 17 total shots, led by Sophie Bellini's five tries and Maddie Stoddard was credited with two. Abby Affleck added three total shots, with two of them being on target. The Utes also logged a 58-42 advantage in possession and kept an undefeated record in season openers under Hideki Nakada, who holds a 3-0-3 mark in such fixtures at the U.
Scouting Utah Valley
One year after piling up 14 wins and earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, Utah Valley started its 2026 campaign with a rare Wolverines vs. Wolverines matchup as UVU hosted Michigan in a match that ended in a 1-1 tie. A goal by Addie Olson gave UVU a first-half lead before Michigan leveled the score on a 54th minute penalty kick. In goal, UVU's Madeleine Boucher helped her team hold on to that draw by making five saves.
The Utes and the Wolverines are familiar adversaries and Monday's meeting will make the fourth straight season they've squared off. The Utes rolled to a 5-0 victory in Salt Lake City in 2023, but the last two clashes ended in 2-0 victories for the Wolverines, including in 2025, when UVU opened UCCU Stadium by defeating the Utes. Overall, the Utes own a 7-2-1 advantage in the series.
Strong Start for Solomon
The Utes hadn't recorded a shutout in their season opener since 2016 before Anna Solomon started her Utah career with a clean sheet against Weber State on Aug. 12. She made two clutch stops against the Wildcats as the Utes began the year with a scoreless draw. Overall, it was the ninth time the Utes have blanked their first opponent of the season.
First Road Trip
Utah started its 2025 season by earning a come-from-behind road triumph over Gonzaga and a victory over Utah Valley would give the program wins in its first road match in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2014-15. Under Nakada, the Utes are 1-1-3 in their first road match of the year.
Scanning the Schedule
Utah's 2026 slate consists of 19 matches, including eight home fixtures at Ute Field. The team's Big 12 schedule begins with a Sept. 18 visit to Arizona State and includes 11 matchups against conference foes, concluding with a home clash with Kansas State on Nov. 4.
Prev-U
The Big 12 Conference released its Big 12 preseason poll on Aug. 3 and the Utes were picked to finish 11th in the league. TCU was picked to win the conference for the second consecutive year and received 13 of a possible 16 first-place votes.
1. TCU – 222 (13)
2. Colorado – 187 (1)
3. Kansas – 182
West Virginia – 182 (1)
5. Texas Tech – 180 (1)
6. BYU – 164
7. Baylor – 153
8. UCF – 127
9. Arizona State – 111
10. Houston – 84
11. Utah – 77
12. Arizona – 70
13. Oklahoma State – 62
14. K-State – 48
15. Cincinnati – 42
16. Iowa State – 29
2. Colorado – 187 (1)
3. Kansas – 182
West Virginia – 182 (1)
5. Texas Tech – 180 (1)
6. BYU – 164
7. Baylor – 153
8. UCF – 127
9. Arizona State – 111
10. Houston – 84
11. Utah – 77
12. Arizona – 70
13. Oklahoma State – 62
14. K-State – 48
15. Cincinnati – 42
16. Iowa State – 29
Coaches Corner
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.
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.
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.
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.
#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 was just announced as the newest member of Valadares Gaia FC.
FOLLOW THE UTES!
Fans can follow along on social media (Twitter: @UtahWSoccer | Instagram: @UtahWSoccer | Facebook: Facebook.com/Utahwsoccer).
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