Game #12
Who | Utah Tech (2-5-4, 1-0-1 WAC) vs. Air Force (1-8-2, 0-2-0 WAC)
When | Sunday, Oct. 12 - 11 a.m. 
Where | Greater Zion Stadium - St. George, Utah
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X) + #UtahTechBlazers

SENIOR SEND-OFF
Utah Tech will honor eight seniors before Sunday's match: forwards Colby Lee and Andre Saucedo; midfielders Jerod Allen, Tyson Nguyen and Oliver Stone; defenders Cole Bradley and Anthony Godinez; and goalkeeper Stockton Short. These Trailblazers have combined to play over 16,200 minutes, totaling six goals, 14 assists, 26 points, five WAC Player of the Week nods and 13 academic all-WAC selections for Utah Tech. 

GODINEZ EARNS WAC HONOR
Senior defender Anthony Godinez was named the WAC Defensive Player of the Week, the conference announced on Tuesday. He helped the Trailblazers shut out UNLV, 0-0, in the team's conference opener on Saturday night.

Godinez, a native of Hillsboro, Oregon, played the full 90 minutes and recorded a shot in the draw. With his assistance, the UT defense limited the Rebels to just five shots, with one shot on goal. Both stats are single-game season lows for a Utah Tech opponent. It was Utah Tech's third shutout of the season.

Joining teammates sophomore midfielder Taylor Rogers and senior goalkeeper Stockton Short, Godinez is the third Trailblazer to earn a WAC men's soccer weekly honor this season. The selection is Godinez's first career weekly honor.

STARTING OUT HOT
Utah Tech is off to its best WAC start since 2023, posting a 1-0-1 record and totaling four points to sit at second in the standings through two games. Two seasons ago, the Trailblazers opened conference play with a three-game win streak.

RELIABLE ROGERS
Sophomore forward Taylor Rogers leads the Trailblazers with four goals, tying for fourth in the WAC and 91st in the nation. His two game-winning goals are tied for fourth in the conference and 33rd nationally. Rogers put in a brace against Cal State Bakersfield on Sept. 6 to help Utah Tech earn its first win of the season. It was Roger's first career multi-goal match. With two assists, Rogers' 10 points tie for fifth in the WAC and 114th in the nation.

ASSIST AGENT
Fifth-year forward Colby Lee leads Utah Tech with four assists, tying for fourth in the WAC and 59th in the nation. He assisted on the game-winner against San José State on Thursday night, tallying his first helper since August.

LAST TIME OUT
Utah Tech toppled RV San José State, 3-1, on Thursday evening at Greater Zion Stadium. The Trailblazers collected their first win in WAC play by defeating a receiving votes opponent for the first time since 2020. Sophomore midfielder Dunes Nielsen scored on his second shot to give UT a 1-0 lead in the 14th minute. Nielsen caught up to a through ball by sophomore forward Taylor Rogers and put a left-footed shot into the back of the net. SJSU senior midfielder Angel Iniguez tied the match with a right-footed blast in the 27th minute. Rogers reclaimed the lead for the Trailblazers in the 62nd minute. Fifth-year forward Colby Lee sent a cross into Rogers, who dribbled to the right and fired a right-footed shot to beat the GK at his near post. Redshirt freshman midfielder/defender Mitch Williams netted an insurance goal to put Utah Tech up 3-1 in the 83rd minute. Redshirt freshman forward Stetson Coy and freshman midfielder Zach Taylor assisted on the goal. Freshman goalkeeper Luca Campoli finished his night with a career-high five saves in his fifth career start and his first career win. 

SCOUTING AIR FORCE
The Falcons visit St. George on a four-game losing streak, seeking their first point in WAC play. On the road, Air Force is 0-5-1 this season, achieving a 2-2 tie at UC Riverside on Sept. 1. 

Sophomore forward Marcos Goni leads AF in several categories with three goals, seven points, 20 shots and 10 shots on goal. The Falcons' lone game-winner this season was netted by freshman forward Sean Odle in a 2-1 win over Mercer on Sept. 11. 

Sophomore midfielder Oliver Becker leads Air Force with four assists, tying for fourth in the WAC and 59th in the nation. Becker scored his first career goal in a 2-1 loss at Utah Valley on Thursday night.

In net, freshman goalkeeper Caydence Robinson made his first career start on Thursday at UVU, logging five saves and two goals allowed on the Wolverines' 29 shots (eight on goal). Sophomore GK Brody Smith had started the first 10 matches of the season before sitting out on Thursday. He's totaled 36 saves and allowed 21 goals with a .632 save percentage and a 2.10 goals against average this season.

SERIES HISTORY
Sunday's match will be the sixth all-time meeting between Utah Tech and Air Force. The Falcons hold a 3-2-0 series lead with a 2-1-0 edge in games played in St. George. UT defeated Air Force 3-2 at the USAF Academy in last season's contest (10/24/24). The Trailblazers have won the last two meetings with a score of 3-2.

CHASING HISTORY
Among Utah Tech's career records, junior Stockton Short is third in saves (210), third in minutes played (4,120), third in goals against average (1.45) and fourth in shutouts (7).

SHORT NAMED WAC PRESEASON GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR
Senior goalkeeper Stockton Short is the 2025 WAC Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year, the Western Athletic Conference announced on Aug. 15, based on voting by WAC head coaches. Short was also named to the Preseason All-WAC Team with teammate Samir Cuevas. The pair are the first Trailblazers in program history to earn preseason honors from the WAC. 

Short led the nation in saves with 105 stops last season, setting the Utah Tech single-season record. The native of Pleasant View, Utah, played all 1,620 minutes of last season, starting 18 matches in goal in 2024. Short logged two shutouts and was named WAC Goalkeeper of the Week on Oct. 14 after setting the UT Division I era single-game record for saves with 11 at Seattle U.

CUEVAS MAKES PRESEASON ALL-WAC TEAM
Junior forward Samir Cuevas and senior goalkeeper Stockton Short were named to the Preseason All-WAC Team as announced by the league on Aug. 15. The pair are the first-ever Trailblazers to earn preseason WAC honors. 

A Second Team All-WAC honoree in 2024, Cuevas led Utah Tech in goals (4), points (8), shots (25) and shots on goal (12) last season. The native of Valera, Venezuela, scored the game-winning goal in a 2-1 victory over UNLV to earn UT's spot in the WAC Tournament. Cuevas also made the All-WAC Freshman Team in 2023, scoring three goals, including two game-winners.

2024 RECAP
Utah Tech made its second-straight WAC Tournament appearance after finishing sixth in the regular season with 1.22 points per conference game. The Trailblazers surged in the latter half of the season, totaling 10 points in their final five matches with three wins and a draw to clinch the final tournament spot. Overall, UT went 4-10-4 with a 3-4-2 mark in league play. Utah Tech received three all-WAC selections with junior forward Samir Cuevas (Second Team) and redshirt sophomore defender Tanner Dutra (Freshman Team) returning for this season. 

RETURNING PRODUCTION
The Trailblazers bring back 11 letter winners and three squad members from the 2024 team. UT's returners were responsible for 53% of goals (9-of-17), 23% of assists (3-of-13) and 45% of points (21-of-47) in 2024. 

Senior goalkeeper Stockton Short returns after leading the WAC in saves (105) and saves per game (5.83), while ranking second in save percentage (.784). His 105 saves last season tied for the national lead.

Additionally, previous letter winners in sophomore forward Taylor Rogers (2022), sophomore midfielder Dunes Nielsen (2022) and senior forward Andre Saucedo (2023) return for the Trailblazers. Rogers led the 2022 squad in points (5) with two goals and an assist in 18 appearances with 10 starts. Nielsen led the team in shots (18) and tied with Rogers for the most shots on goal (7), while adding three assists in 18 appearances with six starts. In 2023, Saucedo recorded an assist across eight appearances with three starts.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
UT welcomed 10 newcomers, including four transfers and six freshmen, for its 2025 season.

Junior defender Cihan Caliskan joins the Trailblazers after winning an NJCAA national championship with Iowa Western Community College in 2024. Caliskan has totaled 33 appearances with 21 starts, logging seven goals and 14 assists through two seasons. He is the first Trailblazer men's soccer player from Germany. 

Junior midfielder Landon Huebner came to St. George after earning First Team All-American and First Team All-Region honors at Salt Lake Community College (NJCAA) in 2024. Huebner started 19 of his 20 appearances and tallied his career-first assist on a game-winning goal against Snow College. 

Fifth-year forward Colby Lee transferred from Hawai'i-Hilo (DII) this offseason. He started 30 of his 32 appearances over two seasons in the Aloha State, totaling seven goals (with two game-winners) and eight assists for 22 points. The 2023 All-PacWest Second Team honoree left Hawai'i-Hilo ranking fifth all-time in points (22) and sixth all-time in assists (8). 

Redshirt freshman midfielder/defender Mitch Williams left Cal State Fullerton for Utah Tech. Williams redshirted 2024, but was a three-time First Team all-district pick at Lake Highlands High School in Dallas, Texas.

Utah Tech's freshman class consists of two defenders, two goalkeepers and two midfielders. 

WHAT'S NEXT
Utah Tech begins a three-game conference road swing at San Diego State on Saturday, Oct. 18, in San Diego, California. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. (MT) at SDSU Sports Deck.