Game #14
Who | Utah Tech (3-6-4, 2-1-1 WAC) at Grand Canyon (8-3-2, 2-1-1 WAC)
When | Thursday, Oct. 23 - 5 p.m. (MDT)
Where | GCU Stadium - Phoenix, Ariz.
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X) + #UtahTechBlazers

NOT SO LONELY AT THE TOP
Utah Tech is tied for first in the WAC with California Baptist, Grand Canyon and San Diego State entering week four of conference play. With seven points on two wins and a draw, this opening four-game stretch is UT's best start to WAC play in program history, and its best conference start since winning three of its first four to open RMAC play in 2019.

RELIABLE ROGERS
Sophomore forward Taylor Rogers leads the Trailblazers with 13 points and five goals, while tying for second on the team with three assists. His 13 points rank fifth in the WAC and 91st nationally. Rogers's five goals are fourth in the WAC and tie for 81st in the nation. His two game-winning goals are tied for fourth in the conference and 48th nationally.

ASSIST AGENT
Fifth-year defender Colby Lee leads Utah Tech with four assists, tying for fifth in the WAC and 96th in the nation. He assisted on the game-winner against San José State on Oct. 9, tallying his first helper since August.

LAST TIME OUT
Utah Tech came up short at San Diego State, 2-1, on Saturday night at SDSU Sports Deck. It was UT's first loss in WAC play this season, snapping a three-game unbeaten streak. San Diego State took a 1-0 lead in the 65th minute. Redshirt junior defender Tanner Dutra responded for UT in the 72nd minute. Off a Trailblazer corner kick, fifth-year defender Colby Lee set up freshman Jacob Cinelli for a bicycle kick. That went off the head of a Trailblazer to the left side of the penalty area. Dutra pounced on the opportunity with a left-footed goal for his second score of the season. Redshirt freshman midfielder/defender Mitch Williams earned his first career assist on the goal. Aztec senior defender Tristan Viviani reclaimed the lead for SDSU in the 89th minute. A long throw-in deflected off a couple of Trailblazers in the box and right to the feet of Viviani, who blasted a left-footed one-timer to the top right corner of the net. Utah Tech outshot San Diego State 16-12, with a 6-3 edge in shots on goal. 

SCOUTING GRAND CANYON
The Lopes take on the Trailblazers after drawing San José State, 1-1, at home on Saturday. GCU opened WAC play with two wins and received votes for two weeks in the United Soccer Coaches Poll, but fell out in this week's poll. 

Freshman forward Junior Diouf is Grand Canyon's leading scorer, netting 11 goals to lead the WAC and rank sixth in the nation. His 26 points also lead the conference and rank sixth nationally. Among the NCAA, Diouf ranks second in game-winning goals (4), fifth in goals per game (0.92), fifth in points per game (2.17), 13th in shots per game (3.50) and ninth in shots on goal per game (1.67). Hailing from Thies, Senegal, Diouf is a two-time WAC Offensive Player of the Week, making the MAC Hermann Trophy Midseason Watch List and ranking No. 1 on the TopDrawerSoccer Midseason Freshman Top 100. 

Graduate forward Ben Assane leads GCU in assists with five, ranking fourth in the WAC and tied for 48th nationally. His seven points are the second-most for the Lopes.

In net, graduate goalkeeper Daniel Ibarra leads the WAC in save percentage (.854) and ranks second in saves per game (3.73) and goals against average (0.67).

SERIES HISTORY
Thursday's match is the 16th all-time meeting between GCU and UT, dating back to the teams' Division II days. The matchup is Utah Tech's second-most-played opponent all-time, behind California Baptist at 16 meetings. Grand Canyon leads the series 10-5-0 with a 6-2-0 lead in Phoenix. Last season's meeting was a 1-0 shutout win for the Trailblazers in St. George. Utah Tech has won the last three meetings dating back to 2022, giving the Trailblazers a 3-2-0 series lead in WAC play. 

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, as 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. He 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.

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.

Previous letter winners 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 defender 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 plays its last regular-season road match at California Baptist on Sunday, Oct. 26. Kickoff is slated for 8:30 p.m. (MT) at CBU Soccer Stadium in Riverside, California.