Who | Utah Tech (5-4-2, 0-0-1) vs California Baptist (6-1-4, 1-0-1) / Grand Canyon (7-4-1, 1-1)
When | Thursday, Sept. 28 – 7 p.m. / Sunday, Oct. 1 – 1 p.m.
Where | Greater Zion Stadium – St. George, Utah
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X) + #UtahTechBlazers
 
Scouting the Competition:
California Baptist currently sits atop the WAC standings thanks to a 6-1-4 record after drawing with Utah Valley and beating Seattle U during the opening weekend of conference play. The Lancers have controlled the all-time series with UT dating back to its Division-II days, though the Trailblazers claimed a 3-2 victory on Oct. 21, 2021, with Kearney Hoggan scoring her first career goal. CBU's Marcella Brooks leads the team in goals with five while the team's defense has allowed just six goals this season.
 
Against Grand Canyon, Utah Tech is 6-8-2 all-time. The Lopes currently boast a 7-4-1 record and sit at fourth in the WAC standings, having defeated Seattle U on Thursday before falling to Utah Valley on Sunday. GCU's attack is led by Gianna Gourley, who is up to 11 goals this season and is tied for the conference lead; after scoring against Seattle U on Thursday she has scored in eight different games this season. Leah Pirro's nine assists also leads all WAC attackers.
 
The Lopes are slated to face Southern Utah on Thursday before playing in St. George on Sunday.
 
Derby Day Draw
The Trailblazers played in-state rivals Southern Utah on Friday, playing the Thunderbirds to a 1-1 draw at Greater Zion Stadium. Lacy Fox scored her sixth goal of the season in the 25^th minute as Utah Tech out-shot SUU, 17-9. Goal number two looked imminent as Utah Tech would continue creating chances, but the visitors struck back against the run of play in the 77^th minute as the game went final at 1-1. Brianna Frey made three saves as UT controlled 55% of possession.
 
Chances
Despite the 1-1 draw, UT's offense created a ton of chances against Southern Utah. The Trailblazers' 17 shots rank second-highest for a single game this season while the team took a season-high eight corner kicks.
 
A Strong Connection
Lacy Fox's connection with fellow attacker Brynlee Rider has been a key part of the Utah Tech offense. Four of Fox's team-leading six goals have come off Rider assists, with the pair connecting in the team's game-winner against Nevada, second goal against Colorado State, another game-winner against Idaho State, and again to open the scoring against SUU on Friday.
 
Fox also assisted one of Rider's two goals in a season-opening victory over South Dakota on Aug. 17, and the duo currently sit at No. 1 and No. 2 on the roster for points scored this season.

Four Unbeaten
Coming off a three-game winless streak early in the season, Utah Tech has responded with a four-game unbeaten streak, defeating Portland State, Colorado State and Idaho State before drawing with SUU on Friday. UT has scored nine goals across those four contests and pitched a shutout against Portland State.

The Home Stretch
Utah Tech has played 10 of its 18 scheduled regular season games and will face WAC opposition for the remaining four weekends of play. The team will play four of those games at home and four on the road, ending the regular season with a trip up north to face Utah Valley (Oct. 19) and Seattle U (Oct. 22). The 2023 WAC Women's Soccer Tournament is scheduled for Oct. 29 – Nov. 4 at Lancer Soccer Field in Riverside, Calif.
 
A Team Effort
Key to the Trailblazer offense this season has been playing together, with 15 assists on 14 goals this season. Brynlee Rider leads the team with five assists while Emily Garbett and Jordyn Denton both have two; six other players have also assisted UT's seven different goal scorers this season.

How They Rank
Lacy Fox ranks fourth in the WAC for points scored (13), fourth in goals (6) and fifth in shots (29)… Brynlee Rider's five assists is second-most in the conference while her 11 total points is fifth-most… Emily Garbett's 0.2 assists per game is tied for ninth… Brianna Frey ranks third in total saves (48) and saves per game (4.36).

What's Next:
Utah Tech hits the road for its next two contests, heading to Texas to face Stephen F. Austin and UTRGV next weekend. Kickoff against the Lumberjacks is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday while UT will face the Vaqueros at 11 a.m. on Sunday.