Who | Utah Tech (5-4-4, 0-0-3) at SFA (1-11-1, 0-3-1) / UTRGV (3-7-2, 1-3)
When | Thursday, Oct. 5 – 7 p.m. MT / Sunday, Oct. 8 – 11 a.m. MT
Where | Nagadoches, Texas / Edinburg, Texas
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X) + #UtahTechBlazers
 
Scouting the Competition:
The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks enter this week's game with a 1-11-1 record on the season, falling to Seattle U and Utah Valley during a pair of road games last weekend. Jayme Bailey's two goals leads the team while a trio of SFA goalkeepers have combined to make 68 saves across 13 games; Lydia Sattler, who leads the trio with nine appearances, is averaging 5.1 saves per game.
 
Utah Tech and Stephen F. Austin have only matched up once in program history, with the Trailblazers taking a 2-0 victory last season in St. George. Karli Heaton scored twice while both McKinley Barney and Brynlee Rider were credited with assists.
 
Against UTRGV, Utah Tech is 2-1, winning 1-0 in the last matchup on Sept. 18, 2022. Emily Garbett scored a game-winner in the 86^th minute as Utah Tech held a 14-4 advantage in shots. 
 
This season, UTRGV is 3-7-2 and 1-3 in conference play, defeating Abilene Christian on Sept. 21 before falling to Tarleton State, Seattle U and Utah Valley. Linnea Eld leads the team in points thanks to two goals and two assists, while three players have scored at least twice. The Vaqueros are slated to host Southern Utah on Thursday before Sunday's game against Utah Tech.
 
A Pair of Draws
Utah Tech's unbeaten streak was extended to six games with a pair of draws over the weekend. It started with a 2-2 result against California Baptist on Thursday that saw the Trailblazers score two equalizing goals – one of which was in the 84^th minute – before playing an 8-4-1 Grand Canyon side to a 1-1 draw. With the results, UT is now unbeaten in its last six games, a stretch that includes three victories and three draws.
 
Player of the Week
Gracie Kntuzen was named TicketSmarter WAC Women's Soccer Defender of the Week on Tuesday for the first time in her Trailblazer career.
 
The Mapleton, Utah, native started and played every single minute across two games against California Baptist and Grand Canyon over the weekend. Against CBU on Thursday, Utah Tech's defense held the Lancers below their season average of six shots on goal per game, and that momentum carried into a huge defensive effort against GCU on Sunday.
 
Knutzen made an early impact against the Lopes, redirecting a corner kick into the path of Brynlee Rider who scored to put Utah Tech ahead 1-0 just 25 minutes into the game. With Knutzen captaining the back line, Utah Tech blocked seven Grand Canyon shots in the second half alone to finish with nine total, holding GCU to just one goal despite the team entering Sunday's contest with an average of 1.9 per game. 

Rider's Big Weekend
Brynlee Rider was a catalyst for the Trailblazer offense over the weekend, scoring twice across 151 total minutes of play. In a come-from-behind draw against California Baptist on Thursday, she scored the equalizing goal in the 84^th before scoring to put UT ahead against Grand Canyon just 12 minutes into Sunday's game. The Layton, Utah native has now scored in three of her last four appearances and is up to five goals and five assists this season. 

Assists
While Utah Tech's goals against California Baptist and Grand Canyon were scored by some familiar attacking faces, two defenders popped up with key assists despite playing on the back line. Michelle Rodriguez recorded her second assist of the season on Lacy Fox's 60^th minute goal against CBU before Gracie Knutzen's headed effort on a corner kick against GCU led to Rider's goal; Knutzen's assist was her first of the season and second in her Utah Tech career.

Not In My House
Grand Canyon entered the weekend boasting the league's leading scorer and arguably the most potent attack in the WAC, but Utah Tech's defense came up with one of its best performances of the season. With nine blocked shots – seven of which came in the second half – and multiple goal line saves, head coach Lexi Brown described the effort as "Everything you want to see in a defensive performance."

Stepping Up
Several Trailblazers stepped up in a big way against the Lopes, be it in different positions or coming off the bench. Ella Carmody, who has started 10 of 13 appearances, played Sunday's game as part of the team's center back pairing despite usually playing out wide and accounted for one of the aforementioned goal line clearances. Kearney Hoggan, usually a wide attacker, started at the nine while Bryanna Hofheins came in and made four big saves.
 
Emma Carver, who entered the weekend with four appearances on the season, played 75 minutes across both games in the Trailblazer midfield while Hannah Petteys earned time on the pitch in her fourth-straight game and played a season-high 21 minutes in the Utah Tech attack.
 
A Young Roster
Utah Tech has seen nine different underclassmen play in over 50% of the team's 13 games. Mauri Ashman has started every game while Ella Rusick's goal and assist this season put her as the leader in points among the team's freshmen; Lacy Fox currently leads the team in scoring with seven goals as a sophomore.

How They Rank in the WAC
Lacy Fox's seven goals is fourth-most… Fox and Brynlee Rider are tied for fourth in the WAC with 15 points apiece… Rider's five assists is third-highest… Emily Garbett is tied for eighth in the conference for assists per game.

What's Next:
The Trailblazers are back at home for the last time in the 2023 season next week, hosting Tarleton State (Oct. 12, 7 p.m.) and Abilene Christian (Oct. 15, 10 a.m.).