Who | Utah Tech (8-6-5, 3-2-4 WAC) vs Grand Canyon (11-4-4, 5-1-3 WAC)
When | Sunday, Oct. 29 – 5 p.m. MT
Where | CBU Soccer Stadium – Riverside, Calif.
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X) + #UtahTechBlazers
 
Scouting the Competition:
The Grand Canyon Lopes found a groove late in the season, going unbeaten in the final seven games and winning three of the final four matchups. Forward Gianna Gourley enters the conference tournament as the third-leading scorer in the entire country with 18 goals this season, a mark that also leads the WAC. Bekah Valdez ranked second on the team with 18 points thanks to five goals and eight assists while DeAira Jackson averaged 2.9 saves per game.
 
Back-to-Back
For the first time in its Division-I era, Utah Tech has earned back-to-back berths into the WAC Women's Soccer Tournament. With an 18-12-7 record across two seasons, it marks the second time in program history that different coaches have taken a UT women's soccer team to the conference tournament in consecutive years, with Gerry Lucey and Steve Golas earning berths into the RMAC Women's Soccer Tournament in 2018 and 2019.
 
Improved Offense
The Trailblazer offense saw an uptick in goal scoring this season, putting 26 shots in the back of the net compared to 20 last season. While the team has continued to convert shots into goals at a similar rate (11.0% in 2023 vs 10.9% in 2022), an increase of 2.2 shots per game has helped the Trailblazer offense that was fifth in the WAC for scoring during conference play.
 
Clean Games
Utah Tech maintained a clean style of play in the 2023 regular season, having been given 16 yellow cards as a team while drawing 15 opponent cautions. No Trailblazers were given a red card while the team didn't draw a penalty kick all season.
 
Collegiate Debut
Parker LaMont earned her first collegiate action over the weekend, playing 74 minutes across appearances against Utah Valley and Seattle U. A freshman shot stopper from Palm Springs, Calif., LaMont made three saves in 29 minutes against Utah Valley on Thursday and played the whole second half against Seattle U on Sunday.
  
Super Seasons
Several veteran collegiate soccer players had career years in 2023 to help fuel the team's success this season.

Team captain Gracie Knutzen has played every single minute of the 2023 campaign, the only Trailblazer to accomplish that feat. Knutzen, who came to Utah Tech ahead of last season after playing two years at Snow College, was named WAC Defender of the Week on Oct. 3 after an unbeaten weekend against Grand Canyon and California Baptist; against the Lopes, Knutzen was credited with an assist after redirecting a corner kick to Brynlee Rider, who finished to put the team ahead.
 
Brynlee Rider led the Utah Tech offense in points (20), assists (six) and shots on goal (18) while tying for the team-lead in total shots (34) and goals (seven). Also named a team captain, Rider scored twice in the team's season-opening 3-1 road victory over South Dakota while also finishing with a goal and assist against both Idaho State (Sept. 17 – W, 4-3) and Abilene Christian (Oct. 15 – W, 3-1). Rider is now up to 13 goals and nine assists across 3,295 minutes played at Utah Tech.
 
Entering this season with one assist across two seasons of play, Emily Garbett finished just behind Rider with five assists in the 2023 campaign. Having played 1,241 minutes across 18 appearances (14 starts), Garbett scored in a 2-1 win over Nevada on Aug. 27, hammering home a free kick from 30 yards out. Garbett, who serves as the team's free kick specialist, finished the regular with two goals and five assists for nine total points, good for third on the team.
 
Tessa Thornton played a huge role in her first season at Utah Tech after transferring from Utah Valley, finishing with three goals and one assist playing atop the Trailblazer midfield. The Spokane, Wash., native finished the year on a high note, scoring in two of the team's last four regular season games, including the game-tying goal in a 3-1 victory over Abilene Christian on Oct. 15. Thornton finished tied for the team-lead in total shots (34) while playing 1,268 minutes across 17 appearances (16 starts).
 
How they Ranked
Lacy Fox finished eighth in the WAC with 2.27 shots per game… Rider's 20 points was fifth… Fox and Rider tied for fifth in the conference with seven goals… Garbett's five assists tied for eighth.
 
What's Next:
Should the Trailblazers claim the win against GCU on Sunday, the second-round matchup would take place Wednesday, Nov. 1, at 5 p.m. against Utah Valley.