Game #15
Who | Utah Tech (4-6-4, 1-4-0 WAC) vs. Abilene Christian (2-6-7, 0-4-1 WAC)
When | Sunday, Oct. 20 - 12 p.m. (MT)
Where | Elmer Gray Stadium - Abilene, Texas
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X) + #UtahTechBlazers

LAST TIME OUT
​​Utah Tech women's soccer scored twice to earn its first conference win 2-1 over Tarleton State on Thursday night at the Tarleton Soccer Complex. The victory snapped a four-game losing streak for UT. Senior Emily Garbett converted her second shot into the first goal for Utah Tech in the 18th minute. After a misguided header for a clearance by a Tarleton State defender, Garbett gathered the ball stepped to her right, and fired it to the upper-right corner of the net. The ball drifted in the air and over diving Texan goalkeeper Mikayla Kendall for the Trailblazers' first score of the night. Freshman Bre Koscielski put in the eventual game-winning goal on a header, with the ball just falling over Kendall's out-reached arms in the 52nd minute. Junior Lacy Fox assisted Koscielski with a cross from the right side of the field into the box. In the 53rd minute, UT goalkeeper Brianna Frey tallied back-to-back saves to keep the Texans off the board. Twenty minutes later, Tarleton State scored a goal off a corner kick. The ball ping-ponged around the six-yard box to senior Nicole Fels who put the ball into the net in the bottom-right side for the Texans' only notch of the night. Sophomore Michelle Rodriguez preserved the win, stopping a near-certain goal with a sliding clearance by the left post in the 87th minute. Tarleton State outshot Utah Tech 16-10, but both teams tied with four shots on goal each. The Texans committed seven fouls to UT's three, while the Trailblazers had the only three offsides offenses. Frey totaled three saves to Kendalls' two. 

SCOUTING ABILENE CHRISTIAN
The Wildcats host Utah Tech after drawing with Southern Utah 1-1 at home on Thursday evening. The tie gave ACU its first point in WAC play this season as its conference record now sits at 0-4-1. This season, Abilene Christian has recorded wins over Texas A&M - Corpus Christi and Prairie View A&M, both on the road. The Wildcats are 0-2-4 at Elmer Gray Stadium this season.

Abilene Christian has a balanced offense with three Wildcats (Peyton Hill, Chayse Thorn and Amelia Miller) all scoring two goals and five other WIldcats each scoring one. Hill and Thorn lead ACU in points with five apiece. Goalkeeper Lili Ross has totaled 53 saves and two shutouts through 12 starts this season. 

ACU is second in the WAC in saves per game (5.67), shot accuracy (.478) and corner kicks per game (5.40). The Wildcats rank 41st in the nation in saves per game (5.67).

SERIES HISTORY
Sunday's match will be the third all-time meeting between UT and ACU. The Trailblazers hold a 2-0-0 advantage, winning last year's contest 3-1 in St. George. In Abilene, Utah Tech leads 1-0-0 after a 2-1 win in 2022.

UT BY THE NUMBERS
Utah Tech ranks 46th in the nation in saves per game (5.57) and 61st in fouls per game (7.79). The Trailblazers are tied for the national and WAC lead in penalty kick percentage (1.000) and are third in the WAC in saves per game (5.57). 

'FOX,' NO PRINTER
Junior Lacy Fox is tied for the best penalty-kick percentage in the nation, converting PKs against UNLV and at Idaho for a perfect 100% rate this season. Fox is third in the WAC in total goals (7) which ranks 86th in the nation. Fox is also third in the conference in goals per game (0.50) and points per game (1.07).

FRESHMAN PHENOM
Freshman Lataya Brost is making a name for herself with the 10 points she has accumulated this season. That is first among all freshmen in the WAC and eighth in the conference. Brost's four goals also lead all WAC freshmen and tie for fourth in the conference. Brost's breakout game came against Utah Valley where the native of Orem, Utah, registered five points (two goals and an assist) against her hometown Wolverines. 

TRY TO GET PAST FREY
Junior Brianna Frey is second in the conference in total saves (73), which comes in at 41st in the nation. Frey is also second in the WAC in saves per game (5.21), which ranks 46th in the country. Frey has posted two shutouts this season.

CHASING HISTORY
Among Utah Tech's career records, junior Brianna Frey ranks second in saves (142), sixth in goalkeeper minutes (2,565), tied for ninth in shutouts (4) and 10th in wins (9). Junior Lacy Fox is tied for sixth all-time in game-winning goals (5) and tied for eighth in goals (15).   

WHAT'S NEXT
Utah Tech will finish the regular season at Southern Utah on Saturday, Oct. 26. First touch is set for 1 p.m. and the contest will be broadcast on ESPN+.