Utes Return Home, Host TCU, No. 23 UCF

Thursday, September 24

Salt Lake City, Utah

7 p.m.

University of Utah

TCU

Photo by: John Zelinka/Utah Athletics

9/22/2026 12:50 PM | Soccer

Match Notes

Utah preparing to defend home turf from two talented conference opponents

SALT LAKE CITY – After nearly a month on the road, the University of Utah women's soccer team is returning to Ute Field for two Big 12 showdowns, first on Thursday night when they'll host TCU at 7 p.m., followed on Sunday by a 12 p.m. matchup against No. 23 UCF.

THURSDAY'S MATCHUP
Date | Time: Thursday, Sept. 24 | 7 p.m.
TCU (3-3-1, 0-1-0) vs. Utah (3-4-2, 0-1-0)
Location: Salt Lake City | Ute Field
Live Stats: Click Here
Live Stream: Click Here
Twitter Updates: @UtahWSoccer

SUNDAY'S MATCHUP
Date | Time: Sunday, Sept. 27 | 12 p.m.
No. 23 UCF (5-1-1, 0-0-1) vs. Utah (3-4-2, 0-1-0)
Location: Salt Lake City | Ute Field
Live Stats: Click Here
Live Stream: Click Here
Twitter Updates: @UtahWSoccer

Match Day Promotions
On Thursday, the Utes will be partnering with the Huntsman Mental Health Institute and Katie Saves on Mental Health Awareness night. The Huntsman Mental Health Institute will be giving away stress balls and Katie Saves will have keychains up for grabs. The MUSS will also be giving away 170 shirts. On Sunday, everyone can stick around after the final whistle for postgame autographs with the entire team.

Last Time Out
The Utes started Big 12 play with a difficult assignment against Arizona State and ended up suffering a 3-1 defeat, but there were some positives to take away. Reese Clem netted her third goal of the season, tying her for the team-high in goals and points. On that score, Sophie Bellini and Brooke Gardner picked up their first assists of the year, adding their names to a list of 10 Utah players who've contributed at least one assist in 2026.

Bellini has been one Utah's most consistent attackers, as evidenced by her 14 total shots, which ranks third on the roster, behind only Shannon Davidson, with 15 and Abby Affleck, who's been credited with 17. Julia Oka and Kori Pickelle have each contributed 13 shots. Davidson, Oka and Pickelle have all logged at least one shot in each of Utah's last five fixtures.

Scouting TCU
The Horned Frogs entered 2026 with high expectations after winning the Big 12 regular season title and making a run to the College Cup in 2025. They began 2026 as the favorites to climb to the top of the conference again and were ranked sixth nationally in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll. While their record currently stands at 3-3-1, TCU has knocked off a pair of ranked foes, including a road win at then-No. 22 Wisconsin to start the year.

2025 All-Big 12 selection Emma Yolinsky has been showing off her scoring prowess for the second straight year for the Horned Frogs. She scored nine times a season ago and has pocketed four goals so far in 2026, including a brace against Alabama and she tallied the game-winning score in her side's Aug. 27 win over Georgia. Yolinsky has recorded at least one point in four of her team's last six matches.

The Horned Frogs will be making their first visit to Salt Lake CIty since a 3-1 Ute victory in 2009. Overall, Utah leads the series between the programs 6-4, though TCU did come out on top by a 1-0 score in the 2025 meeting in Fort Worth.

Scouting UCF
The Knights have only had one bad day so far in 2026 and it came on Sept. 6, when they were outclassed by Brown to the tune of a 7-0 defeat, but that stands as their only loss of the year so far. Their resume also includes wins over No. 14 UAB and No. 21 LSU, as well as shutouts of South Florida and North Florida. In their first Big 12 tussle, they fought No. 19 Texas Tech to a 2-2 draw despite being limited to just two shots on goal.

One of UCF's scorers in their tilt with Texas Tech was Naomi Clark, who stands at the top of the Big 12 goals leaderboard with seven. A newcomer to the program after starting her collegiate career at Oklahoma, Clark has provided her squad with a welcome infusion of offense, scoring in four of UCF's seven matches, including a hat trick in their win over UAB. Only one player in the Big 12 has more points than Clark's 16 and her average of one goal per game ranks seventh in the country.

Sunday's meeting will represent the first time UCF has ever played in Salt Lake City. The Knights managed a 2-0 victory over the Utes when the program collided in Orlando in 2025.

Three Shutouts 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.

Points-A-Plenty
Four different Utah players have accumulated points in Utah's wins over Utah Valley and Southern Utah. 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.

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.

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.

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 has become one of the newest member of Valadares Gaia FC. Rachel Bastone is currently playing for Vestri, a professional club in Iceland.

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

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