Game #14
Who | Utah Tech (5-4-4, 1-1-2 WAC) vs. California Baptist (7-6-1, 3-1-0 WAC)
When | Sunday, Oct. 12 - 1:30 p.m. 
Where | St. George, Utah (Greater Zion Stadium)
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X) + #UtahTechBlazers

OLSEN RECOGNIZED BY TDS
Freshman defender Abby Olsen was named to the TopDrawerSoccer Midseason Women's Freshmen Top 100, as announced by TDS on Friday. Olsen is the first Trailblazer in program history to make the prestigious list, recognizing the top 100 freshmen in the country. Olsen has played in all 13 games this season, starting in 12 matches and playing 810 minutes. She scored her first career goal at CSUN on Aug. 28 and tallied her first assist on the Trailblazers' game-winning goal at Southern Utah on Sept. 28. Olsen helped UT shut out UC Riverside on Aug. 17 and was named the WAC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 23.

ASSIST ADEPT
Senior midfielder Kyah Le leads the Trailblazers with seven assists this season, tying for second in the WAC and 17th nationally. Her 0.54 assists per game are second in the conference and 23rd in the country. With four goals, Le's 15 points lead UT and tie for fifth in the WAC and 108th nationally. 

FRESHMAN FIREPOWER
Utah Tech's seven freshmen goals lead the conference and account for three more than all five other teams' first-year goal totals combined. Southern Utah (2) and Tarleton State (2) are the only other WAC schools that have had at least one goal scored by a freshman this season. Forwards Jocelyn Wright (4) and Brooke Hendricks (2) and defender Abby Olsen (1) have each made a tally in the goal column. Wright is tied for the team lead and seventh in the WAC in total goals.

BOOTS AT THE READY
Utah Tech is outshooting its opponents 191-164 this season, including an 84-63 edge in shots on goal. UT's 14.7 shots per game are second in the WAC and 80th in the nation. Redshirt sophomore forward Lataya Brost is leading the charge, totaling 39 shots to lead the Trailblazers. Her 3.00 shots per game rank second in the WAC and 86th in the nation. 

The Trailblazers have outshot or tied their opponents' shot total in nine of their 13 games this season. Defensively, UT has limited its opponents to 10 or fewer shots six times this season.

LAST TIME OUT
Utah Tech kept pace with Utah Valley, 3-3, to draw the WAC leaders on Thursday night at Greater Zion Stadium. The Trailblazers snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Wolverines and spoiled a three-game UVU win streak with the draw. Freshman forward Jocelyn Wright gave the Trailblazers a 1-0 lead in the 23rd minute. Senior midfielder Kyah Le set up Wright on the left side of the attacking third. From over 40 yards out, Wright dribbled past her defender and into the box, where she rocketed a right-footed shot to the left upper 90. UVU tied the game in the 38th minute on a right place, right time rebound goal. The Wolverines took a 2-1 lead in the 49th minute on a penalty kick goal. In the 67th minute, junior midfielder Teagan Jaussi leveled the match at 2-2 with a right-footed goal. Junior forward Ella Rusick collected the loose ball after a UVU save in the 66th minute and sent a low cross right to Jaussi near the penalty mark. She buried the shot to score her first career Division I goal. Utah Valley capitalized on a corner kick, forcing a UT own goal in the 68th minute to go up 3-2. Le scored the equalizer for Utah Tech in the 73rd minute. On the right side of the attacking third, Fox dribbled into the box and centered a ball toward Le, who hit a one-timer past the keeper toward the left post and into the back of the net. It was Le's fourth goal and Fox's fourth assist of the season. Senior goalkeeper Brianna Frey finished the match with a season-high nine saves. Utah Valley outshot Utah Tech 28-13 and held a 13-9 advantage in shots on goal.

SCOUTING CALIFORNIA BAPTIST
CBU takes on UT after shutting out Southern Utah, 1-0, on Thursday evening in Cedar City, Utah. The Lancers have won three of their last four to start WAC play, with their lone loss to UVU, 7-1.

Junior forward/defender Ava Westlund leads the Lancers with six goals, ranking fourth in the WAC and tying for 96th nationally. With two assists, Westlund's 14 points rank sixth in the conference and 143rd nationally. She also leads CBU in shots (35) and shots on goal (19), with an impressive 54.3% shot accuracy. 

Senior forward Kaylee Hauck's goal pushed California Baptist over SUU on Thursday. Her three game-winning goals this season are second in the conference and tied for 31st in the nation. 

In net, senior goalkeeper Mikayla O'Brien has played the vast majority of minutes for CBU, starting 12 matches. Her 54 saves rank second in the WAC and 76th in the nation. With five shutouts, O'Brien leads the conference and ties for 48th nationally. She has allowed 17 goals this season, logging a .761 save percentage and a 1.46 goals against average with 153 shots faced. 

SERIES HISTORY
Sunday's contest is the 19th installment in a matchup that dates back to both schools' Division II days. CBU holds a 14-3-1 lead all-time with a 6-2-1 lead in St. George. The Lancers took last year's meeting 1-0 at Greater Zion Stadium. Utah Tech is looking for its first win over California Baptist since 2021. 

CHASING HISTORY
In Utah Tech's all-time career record book, senior forward Lacy Fox ranks sixth in game-winning goals (6), sixth in career goals (19), eighth in points (46), eighth in shots (115) and 10th in shots on goal (54). The native of Highland, Utah, recorded UT's most recent hat trick against UNLV last season.

Senior goalkeeper Brianna Frey ranks first all-time in career saves (205), first in career minutes (4,095) and tied for fifth in career shutouts (6).

THREE TRAILBLAZERS ON 2025 PRESEASON ALL-WAC TEAM
Senior forward Lacy Fox, senior midfielder Kyah Le and junior defender Michelle Rodriguez were selected to the 2025 Preseason All-WAC Team. This trio is the first Trailblazers named to the Preseason All-WAC Team since Karli Heaton was picked in 2023. Three honorees is the most UT has ever placed on the Preseason All-WAC team, topping one selection in 2023 (Heaton) and 2021 (Whitley Griffiths). 

Fox earned Second Team All-WAC honors in 2024 after leading the Trailblazers in goals (8, second-most in the WAC), points (18, third-most in the WAC), shots (40), shots on goal (18), and game-winning goals (2). Fox started 16 of her 17 appearances, totaling 1,086 minutes on the pitch, the most by any Trailblazer forward.

Le returns after starting all 17 games and playing 1,435 minutes on the pitch in 2024. Le tallied the second-most assists (3) and fourth-most points (5) on the 2024 Utah Tech squad. A veteran leader, Le is the only senior midfielder and one of three upperclassmen in the midfield for UT.

Rodriguez also started all 17 games last season, totaling 1,427 minutes and helping the Trailblazers shut out three opponents. 

UTAH TECH PICKED THIRD IN COACHES' POLL
The Trailblazers tied for third with 15 points in the 2025 WAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, the highest placement UT has ever garnered, besting fifth-place nods in 2023 and 2024. Utah Tech finished sixth in the WAC regular season standings last year with a 2-4-1 mark in conference play and a 5-75 record overall. The Trailblazers made their third-straight WAC Tournament appearance, falling to Seattle U, 2-0 in the quarterfinals. 

Utah Valley (24 points and four first-place votes) is the preseason favorite, predicted by the league's coaches to repeat as regular-season champions. California Baptist, the 2024 WAC Tournament champs, came in second (22 points, two first-place votes). Tarleton State tied with UT with 15 points. Abilene Christian (fifth, eight points) and Southern Utah (sixth, six points) rounded out the poll. 

2024 RECAP
Utah Tech made its third-straight WAC Tournament appearance after finishing sixth in the conference with seven points. After four straight losses to start conference play, UT rallied to secure points in each of its last three games on the road. Overall, the Trailblazers went 5-7-5 in their second year under head coach Lexi Brown. UT garnered four all-WAC selections with senior forward Lacy Fox and sophomore Bre Koscielski returning for the 2025 campaign. 

RETURNING PRODUCTION
The Trailblazers bring back 12 letter winners and four squad members from the 2024 team. Utah Tech's returners were responsible for 83% of goals (19-of-23), 58% of assists (11-of-19) and 75% of points (49-of-65) in 2024. Two 2024 All-WAC honorees remain in senior forward Lacy Fox (Second Team) and sophomore midfielder Bre Koscielski (All-WAC Freshman Team). 

Senior goalkeeper Brianna Frey returns after leading the WAC in saves per game (5.38), posting three shutouts and earning two WAC Goalkeeper of the Week selections in 2024.

Senior Tessa Thornton returns to action after missing the 2024 season due to injury. The five-foot-six forward totaled seven points on three goals and an assist in 2023. 

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
UT welcomed 11 newcomers, including two transfers and nine true freshmen, to its 2025 roster. 

Junior midfielder Teagan Jaussi transferred from DII Ouachita (Wah-CHI-tah) Baptist, where she led the Tigers in goals (6), assists (5) and points (17) on her way to earning United Soccer Coaches All-Central Region Team, D2 Conference Commissioners Association All-Region First Team and unanimous First Team All-Great American Conference honors. 

Redshirt freshman midfielder Liv Leonard defected from Grand Canyon after redshirting the 2024 campaign in Phoenix, Arizona. Leonard helped GCU go undefeated, playing in all matches during the Lopes' spring slate this offseason.

Utah Tech's freshman class features four forwards, two midfielders, three defenders and a goalkeeper. Freshman Rachel Boren is a forward and midfielder.

REPRESENTING THE 801
Two-thirds of Utah Tech's roster hails from the Beehive State. 16 of those 18 student-athletes' hometowns are on the Wasatch Front, a long and relatively narrow strip of land to the west of the Wasatch Mountains, where approximately 80% of Utahns live. 

THE SPOKANE CONNECTION
Head coach Lexi Brown was an assistant at Gonzaga for five seasons prior to accepting the top job in St. George. While in Spokane, Washington, Brown coached senior midfielder Kyah Le (GU 2022-23) and first-year assistant coach Lauren Towne (GU goalkeeper 2020-24). Additionally, sophomore midfielder Bre Koscielski and senior forward Tessa Thornton hail from Spokane. 

BIG SKY BOUND
Utah Tech announced this offseason that it will become a full member of the Big Sky Conference on July 1, 2026. The Trailblazers will join a robust women's soccer cohort that includes Eastern Washington, Idaho, Idaho State, Montana, Northern Arizona, Northern Colorado, Portland State and Southern Utah (The Thunderbirds will rejoin the Big Sky in 2026). The Big Sky has sent a team to the NCAA College Cup every season since 1999, with three squads making it as far as the second round. UT has a combined record of 12-5-6 all-time against its future conference mates, including three wins and a draw this season.

WHAT'S NEXT
The Trailblazers continue their homestand next week by hosting Tarleton State on Thursday, Oct. 16, at Greater Zion Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.