Who | Utah Tech (2-3-1) vs Northern Arizona (2-2-2) / Portland State (1-3)
When | Friday, Sept. 8 – 5 p.m. / Sunday, Sept. 10 – 12 p.m.
Where | Greater Zion Stadium – St. George, Utah
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X) + #UtahTechBlazers
 
Scouting the Competition:
The Northern Arizona Lumberjacks are 2-2-2 on the season and coming off a split weekend; after defeating the Oregon Ducks 3-2 at home, the Lumberjacks played Southern Utah to a 1-1 draw in Cedar City. Having scored seven goals this season by way of seven different players, NAU ranks third in the Big Sky with seven goals allowed this season.
 
Portland State is 1-3 in 2023 and coming off a split weekend at home. The Vikings fell, 4-0, to St. Thomas on Thursday before defeating Pacific (Ore.) 4-0. Abi Hoffman's two goals against the Boxers put her in the team-lead for scoring while PSU has deployed both Natalie Cunningham and Eden Millan between the posts. The Vikings are set to host Iowa State on Thursday before traveling to St. George for their first road game of the 2023 season.
 
A Weekend for the Record Books:
Trailblazer goalkeeper Brianna Frey stuffed the stat sheet this weekend, tying a career-high with seven saves on Thursday before coming within one stop of a program record on Sunday, making 12 saves against Gonzaga to take sole possession of the second-highest total in a single game in program history. Kayla Thompson holds the record after making 13 saves against Weber State in 2021, and Frey now sits ahead of both Adelle Brown (2019) and Abby Johnson (2012) who previously held the second spot with 10.
 
Home Stand:
Including this weekend's games, Utah Tech will play six of its next seven games at Greater Zion Stadium, heading to Fort Collins, Colo., for a road game next Thursday before hosting Idaho State (Sept. 17, 1:30 p.m.), Southern Utah (Sept. 22, 5 p.m.), California Baptist (Sept. 28, 7 p.m.) and Grand Canyon (Oct. 1, 1 p.m.).
 
After two on the road, the final regular season home games are slated for Oct. 12 and 15 before facing Utah Valley and Seattle U in late October to round out conference play.

How They Rank
Several Trailblazers rank among the top-10 in the WAC for a variety of statistical categories. Lacy Fox's 14 shots and average of 2.33 per game is tied for eighth, while Brynlee Rider is tied for ninth in the conference with an average of 0.83 points per game. Brianna Frey's 5.33 saves per game is third-best as the Trailblazers' 2-3-1 record puts them in fifth place in the conference standings.

A Constant at the Back:
The center back pairing of Gracie Knutzen and Michelle Rodriguez have played every single minute this season. Knutzen, a senior, and Rodriguez, a freshman, have combined to play over 1,000 minutes through six games. Knutzen played all 90 minutes in all but two games last season and ranked second on the team with 1,580 minutes played on her way to an All-WAC selection.
 
What's Next: Utah Tech will hit the road for a Thursday contest at Colorado State (Sept. 14, 7 p.m.) before hosting Idaho State three days later (Sept. 17, 1:30 p.m.).