(St. George, Utah – Sept. 14, 2023) Utah Tech men's soccer hosted the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners on Thursday night, falling 1-0 at Greater Zion Stadium. The result drops the team's record to 2-3 with a home contest against Gonzaga scheduled for Sunday.
After defeating Lindenwood 3-0 on the road last weekend, the Trailblazers carried momentum into the first half against the Roadrunners. Bubu Medina missed high on a shot in the 5th minute before Austin Wallace forced a CSUB save in the 12th. Despite forcing the Bakersfield goalkeeper to make four saves in the first half, UT was unable to find a breakthrough and the game was level at half.
Sparks flew early in the second half as Bakersfield broke things open with a goal in the 47th minute. 10 minutes later, a Roadrunner was shown a straight red card, putting Utah Tech up a man for the final 32 minutes of play. With the advantage, Utah Tech would ramp up the pressure and looked close to scoring in the 68th minute off the boot of Bryce Backlund.
After the Trailblazer offense got behind Bakersfield's backline, Backlund had two shots on an open net get blocked by CSUB defenders to keep the game level.
That pressure continued into the final 10 minutes of action as the Trailblazers attempted seven more shots to force a number of saves and blocks, but Utah Tech was unable to find a leveler as the game went final in favor of the visitors.
Sami Cuevas led all Trailblazers with five shots (three on goal) as Utah Tech out-shot CSU Bakersfield 17-14. The Trailblazers would draw 17 Roadrunner fouls while committing just 11, and Stockton Short tied a career-best mark for saves with seven.
Utah Tech is back in action this Sunday, hosting Gonzaga. Kickoff against the Bulldogs is scheduled for 11 a.m.
