Game #16
Who | Utah Tech (3-6-5, 2-1-2 WAC) at No. 25 California Baptist (8-2-3, 3-1-1 WAC)
When | Sunday, Oct. 26 - 8:30 p.m. (MT)
Where | CBU Soccer Stadium - Riverside, Calif.
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X) + #UtahTechBlazers

RELIABLE ROGERS
Sophomore forward Taylor Rogers leads the Trailblazers with 16 points and six goals. His 16 points tie for fourth in the WAC and 48th nationally. Rogers's six goals are tied for fourth in the WAC and 54th in the nation. His two game-winning goals are tied for fourth in the conference and 49th nationally. Rogers and fifth-year defender Colby Lee lead Utah Tech with four assists, tying for sixth in the WAC and 104th in the nation. 

Rogers is the first Trailblazer to score at least six goals in UT's Division-I era, netting the most goals since Moises Medina totaled 10 in 2019. Rogers has also set the D-I record with 16 points, totaling the best mark since Medina's 26 in 2019.

TRAILBLAZERS VS. RANKED OPPONENTS
Utah Tech is 1-19-1 all-time against ranked teams. That includes a 1-2 overtime loss to No. 10 California Baptist in 2017. UT's only win over a ranked team came against No. 8 Cal State LA, 2-1, in 2012. In the Division-I era, the Trailblazers are 0-4-1 against ranked teams, posting a 1-1 draw at No. 18 Portland last season.

ANYONE'S WAC TO WIN
Just three points separate the top of the table and the sixth-place team in the WAC standings entering Sunday's matches. CBU leads the pack with 10 points, but Utah Tech, San Diego State and Grand Canyon are tied for second with eight points apiece. Only Air Force has been eliminated from the WAC Tournament with two matches remaining. 

NIELSEN IS ON TARGET
Sophomore midfielder Dunes Nielsen leads all qualified Trailblazers with a 54.2% shot accuracy. That leads the WAC and ranks 33rd nationally. His 24 shots lead UT and tie for 10th in the conference.

LAST TIME OUT
Utah Tech men's soccer battled to a 2-2 draw at Grand Canyon on Thursday evening at GCU Stadium. The Trailblazers earned their eighth point of WAC play to tie for second in the conference with two matches to play. GCU struck first, taking a 1-0 lead with the first shot on goal of the game in the 31st minute. UT leveled the contest with a penalty kick goal in the 35th minute. Freshman midfielder Jacob Cinelli was fouled in the box by GCU freshman midfielder Diego Sanchez, giving sophomore forward Taylor Rogers an opportunity from the spot. Utah Tech claimed a 2-1 lead in the 65th minute. After an initial shot by Rogers was saved by Ibarra, redshirt freshman midfielder/defender Mitch Williams cleaned up, scoring his second career goal with a right-footed shot on the loose ball. Junior defender Cihan Caliskan fouled Lope freshman forward Junior Diouf just inside the box in the 85th minute. The WAC's leading scorer converted the PK down the middle after a stutter step. The Lopes outshot the Trailblazers 15-9, but each side logged six shots on goal. Each team was called for 13 fouls and one offside.

SCOUTING CALIFORNIA BAPTIST
The Lancers host the Trailblazers after posting a 3-0 win at Air Force on Thursday. CBU is on a three-match win streak and finds itself ranked, tied for 25th in the United Soccer Coaches' Poll, for the first time at the Division I level. California Baptist's lone WAC loss came at the hands of San José State, 3-1, a team Utah Tech bested, 3-1, for its first conference win.

Sophomore striker Blake D'Agostino leads CBU with nine goals, ranking second in the WAC and tying for 12th in the nation. His 22 points also rank second in the conference, while tying for 19th nationally. D'Agostino makes the most of his chances, posting a 53.6% shot accuracy rate to rank second in the WAC and 40th in the nation. His two game-winners are tied for fourth in the conference and 49th nationally.

California Baptist focuses on set pieces, leading the WAC in corner kicks per game with 6.62, ranking 14th nationally. CBU's +12 goal differential is second in the WAC and 35th nationally, powered by a 2.00 scoring offense, ranking second in the conference and 25th in the nation. 

In net, junior goalkeeper Hugo Do Rego leads the WAC with 53 saves, ranking 29th nationally. He's posted a 1.08 goals against average with a .791 save percentage and four shutouts this season. 

SERIES HISTORY
Thursday's match is the 17th all-time meeting between CBU and UT, dating back to the teams' Division II days. The matchup is Utah Tech's most-played opponent all-time, tied with Grand Canyon at 16 meetings. California Baptist holds a 13-2-1 lead all-time with a 7-0-1 mark in Riverside. The Trailblazers are seeking their first win over the Lancers since 2016 to snap a nine-game CBU win streak.

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 hosts in-state rival Utah Valley in the regular season finale on Friday, Oct. 31, at Greater Zion Stadium in St. George. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. on Halloween night.