Who | Utah Tech (1-0-1) vs Idaho (1-1) / Nevada (0-1-1)
When | Thursday, Aug. 24 – 7 p.m. MT / Sunday, Aug. 27 - 1 p.m. MT
Where | Greater Zion Stadium – St. George, Utah
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X) + #UtahTechBlazers
 
The First of Many: With a 3-1 victory in Thursday's season opener, head coach Lexi Brown was credited with the first victory in her coaching career after seven years as an assistant. With the win, she joins a long line of former Utah Tech coaches to win in their first competitive contest leading the program, with Linda Huddleston (2006), Gerry Lucey (2018) and Steve Golas (2019) all claiming victories.
 
Scouting the Competition: Thursday's contest will mark the first time that Utah Tech and Idaho have played. The Vandals have found success in recent years, finishing with 10 wins in 2021 before finishing 12-3-3 last season. UI split the opening weekend of play, defeating Seattle U 3-1 before falling 3-1 to the Washington Huskies. The team's four goals were all scored by four different players while four different players recorded assists as goalkeeper Kira Witte made eight saves across the two games played.
 
On Sunday, Utah Tech is set to face the 0-1-1 Nevada Wolfpack, who fell to No. 5 Virginia on opening night before paying Richmond to a scoreless draw; this is also the first time in program history these teams have met. UNR is coming off an offseason of change, with head coach Vanessa Valentine taking over the program last November. Goalkeeper Ally Larkin pitched a shutout in her first career game against Richmond after Emily McCue made 11 saves against the Cavaliers.
 
Shutting Out the Competition: After completing a 3-1 victory on opening night, Utah Tech traveled to Omaha, Neb., to face the reigning Summit League Champion Omaha Mavericks. In a balanced contest that saw both teams combine for 18 shots, sophomore goalkeeper Brianna Frey made four saves to complete the first shutout of her collegiate career. Sunday's result also marked the first clean sheet of 2023 for Utah Tech after finishing with nine last season.
 
Early Action: Several freshmen played key roles last weekend, with six Trailblazers making their collegiate debuts across two games. Michelle Rodriguez played all 180 minutes and is tied with Frey and Gracie Knutzen for the team-lead in minutes played while Mauri Ashman (160), Jordyn Denton (129), Ella Weathers (60), Ella Rusick (49) and Tara McDonald (20) all found their way on to the field.
 
Brace for a Game Winner: Brynlee Rider opened the Trailblazers' season with a bang, scoring less than four minutes into Thursday's game before adding the game-winner in the 60^th minute. Thursday's brace marked the second time in her collegiate career that the Layton, Utah native has scored twice in one game, as she scored both goals in a 2-1 victory over Southern Utah in the fall of 2021.
 
Creating Chances: Through two games, UT has out-shot opponents 21-19 (9-7 on goal), good for an average of 10.5 per game to the opposition's 9.5; last season, the Trailblazers were out-shot by an average of 11.4 to 10.2 attempts per game. Utah Tech's three goals against South Dakota also served as a milestone, as the Trailblazers finished with three or more goals just twice last season: during a 5-0 victory over South Dakota and again in a 3-1 victory against New Mexico State.
 
What's Next: Utah Tech will hit the road for a multi-team event in Spokane, Wash., next week, facing Montana on Thursday (Aug. 31 – 5 p.m. MT) before playing hosts Gonzaga on Sunday (Sept. 3 – 3 p.m. MT).