Game #12
Who | Utah Tech (5-3-3, 1-0-1 WAC) at Tarleton State (6-5-2, 0-3-0 WAC)
When | Sunday, Oct. 5 - Noon (MT) 
Where | Tarleton State Soccer Complex (Stephenville, Texas)
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X) + #UtahTechBlazers

ASSIST ADEPT
Senior midfielder Kyah Le leads the Trailblazers with six assists this season, tying for first in the WAC and 28th in the nation. Her 0.55 assists per game tie for first in the conference and 30th in the country. With goals against UC Riverside, Utah and Southern Utah, Le has the sixth-most points (12) in the WAC.

FRESHMAN FIREPOWER
Utah Tech leads the conference in goals scored by freshmen, accounting for two 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.

Forward Jocelyn Wright (3), forward Brooke Hendricks (2) and defender Abby Olsen (1) have each contributed to the goal column. Wright is tied with seniors Lacy Fox and Kyah Le for the team lead in goals, with all three tying for seventh individually in the WAC.

BOOTS AT THE READY
Utah Tech is outshooting its opponents 166-127 this season, including a 67-45 edge in shots on goal. UT's 15.1 shots per game are second in the WAC and 72nd in the nation. Redshirt sophomore forward Lataya Brost is leading the charge, totaling 35 shots to lead the Trailblazers. Her 3.18 shots per game rank second in the WAC and 68th in the nation. 

The Trailblazers have outshot or tied their opponents' shot total in eight of their 11 games this season. Defensively, UT has limited its opponents to 10 or fewer shots five times this season.

LAST TIME OUT
Utah Tech tied with Abilene Christian, 1-1, on Thursday night at Elmer Gray Stadium. Senior forward Lacy Fox scored her third goal of the season to help the Trailblazers remain undefeated in WAC play. Fox found pay dirt roughly 30 yards from goal to give Utah Tech a 1-0 lead in the 23rd minute. Senior midfielder Kyah Le stole the ball from a Wildcat, giving it to Fox, who played a pass to redshirt sophomore forward Lataya Brost. She quickly sent it to Le, who set up Fox from distance. The senior took one touch and blasted a right-footed shot over the goalkeeper and under the crossbar for the Trailblazers' third goal of conference play. In the 90th minute, the referee awarded Abilene Christian a penalty kick. He determined that a collision in the box was the fault of senior goalkeeper Brianna Frey when she came to the ground after jumping for an attempted save. ACU graduate midfielder Abby Smith scored from the spot to tie the game. Utah Tech outshot Abilene Christian 12-10, with a 5-2 advantage in shots on goal. 

SCOUTING TARLETON STATE
The Texans host Utah Tech after falling to Southern Utah, 2-0, at home on Thursday night. The Thunderbirds put in two goals in just under a minute in the 58th and 59th minutes to put the game away. 

TSU is on a three-game losing streak and remains the only WAC team without a single point in conference play. The Texans have yet to score a goal in WAC play after ending their non-conference slate with 27 total goals, including nine against Division III Schreiner University. 

Despite a recent drought, senior forward Stevie Reynolds remains the WAC's leading scorer with nine goals. She also leads the conference in points (22) and is tied for fourth in shots (27). Tarleton State also boasts four Texans with three goals apiece.

In non-conference play, goalkeepers senior Mikayla Kendall and redshirt sophomore Emma Barnes split time in net for TSU. Kendall, the 2025 WAC Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year, has played the full 90 in the last two matches. The pair has combined for three shutouts, while Barnes has added two more of her own. Combined, the Texan goalkeepers have a 1.17 goals against average and a .789 save percentage.

SERIES HISTORY
Sunday's match will be the fourth all-time meeting between Utah Tech and Tarleton State. UT is undefeated against the Texans, holding a 2-0-1 advantage all-time. In Stephenville, the Trailblazers have posted a 1-0-1 record. Last season's meeting was a 2-1 Utah Tech win at Tarleton State Soccer Complex.

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), tied for ninth in points (44), 10th in shots (110) and 10th in shots on goal (52). 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 (195), first all-time in career minutes (3,915), tied for fifth all-time in career shutouts (6) and 10th all-time in career goals against average (1.50). 

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. Sophomore forward Ella Cotter is Utah Tech's homegrown product, claiming St. George as her hometown and graduating from Crimson Cliffs High School in Washington, Utah. Freshman defender Macie Burton hails from the small, unincorporated town of Mountain Green, Utah, in the Wasatch Back.

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 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 return to St. George for their WAC home opener against in-state rival Utah Valley on Thursday, Oct. 9. The second game of a doubleheader with UT men's soccer, kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at Greater Zion Stadium.