Women's Soccer | 8/14/2024 6:31:00 PM
Who | Utah Tech (0-0) at Weber State (0-0)
When | Thursday, Aug. 15 – 7 p.m. MT
Where | Wildcat Soccer Field - Ogden, UT
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X) + #UtahTechBlazers
Getting Ready for Kickoff: Thursday's match against Weber State kicks off the beginning of the 2024 regular season for second-year head coach Lexi Brown. After a 8-7-5 finish and a 5th place finish in the conference last year, the Trailblazers are eager to get back on the pitch with the return of assistant coaches Tyler Brown, Juli Nield, and Nick Vorberg.
Know Your Foe: Utah Tech and Weber State currently hold a 1-1-0 record against each other in past matchups. The Trailblazers last meeting against the Wildcats came in 2022 where a near last-minute goal from Karli Nyland sealed the 1-0 victory for Utah Tech. Weber State is entering the 2024 regular season coming off a 1-9-5 season last year and are led by head coach Craig Sanders.
New and Familiar Faces: Along with adding 14 new players to the roster during the offseason, the Trailblazer squad will also see 23 returning players from last season. The new class in St. George includes Gonzaga transfer Kyah Le, Colorado Northwestern Community College transfer Cadie Young, Utah State transfer Heidi Wilstead, and nine true freshmen. The class includes four midfielders (Le and Young along with Bre Koscielski and Jenna McDonnell), three forwards (Wilstead along with Emily Blanchard and Ella Cotter), four defenders (Ali Warner, Lexi Nelson, Adele Faller, Allison Flies), and one goalkeeper (Emma McIff).
Exhibition Play: Utah Tech went undefeated in their two exhibition matches against USU-Eastern and Snow College at home prior to the start of the regular season. With a 6-0 victory over the Eagles on Aug. 8 and a 2-0 win over the Badgers on Aug. 10, the Trailblazers are excited to get into regular season action.
Road Warriors: Starting the regular season on the road is familiar territory for the Trailblazers as they hit the road for two away games to kickoff the 2023 season. The road trip resulted in a 1-0-1 result with a win against South Dakota and a tie against Omaha. Brynlee Rider and Kearney Hoggan opened up the scoring in the first 3-1 victory over South Dakota while goalkeeper Brianna Frey made four saves in the 0-0 draw against Omaha.
Scoring Machine: Lacy Fox, last season's co-leading scorer, is back for another season in St. George. The junior forward from Highland, UT notched 15 points last season with seven goals and one assist, and led the team with three game-winning goals.
What's Next: Utah Tech will host their first home matches of the regular season next week as UNLV (Aug. 22, 7 p.m.) and Omaha (Aug. 25, 7 p.m.) come to visit Greater Zion Stadium.
