Game #16
Who | Utah Tech (4-6-5, 3-1-2 WAC) vs. Utah Valley (8-3-2, 2-3-1 WAC)
When | Friday, Oct. 31 - 6 p.m.
Where | Greater Zion Stadium - St. George, Utah
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X) + #UtahTechBlazers

CAMPOLI NAMED WAC GK OF THE WEEK
Freshman goalkeeper Luca Campoli was named the WAC Goalkeeper of the Week, the conference announced on Tuesday. He led UT men's soccer to an undefeated week, propelling the Trailblazers to a tie for first place in the conference. It's Utah Tech's sixth WAC men's soccer weekly honor this season and Campoli's second career selection. He totaled a career-high eight saves on 22 shots faced against No. 25 California Baptist, helping the Trailblazers to a 2-1 win. It was Utah Tech's first program win over a ranked Division I opponent. His eight saves are a Trailblazer record for single-game saves by a freshman in the DI era and a single-game high for a UT goalkeeper this season. Campoli also posted three saves on 15 shots faced in a 2-2 draw at Grand Canyon. He allowed just one goal in the run of play, with the Lopes' other goal coming from the penalty spot. 

CLINCHED
With its 2-1 win at No. 25 California Baptist on Sunday night, Utah Tech has clinched a spot in the 2025 WAC Tournament in Riverside, California. The Trailblazers were the first WAC side to secure a berth in this year's tourney. It will be UT's third-straight WAC Tournament appearance, dating back to the program's first appearance in 2023.

WHAT'S ON THE LINE?
With a win, Utah Tech could claim its first WAC championship in program history, depending on the result of the California Baptist-San Diego State game on Saturday. The Trailblazers enter Friday's match tied for first place in the conference with San Diego State, each at 11 points. With a first- or second-place finish, Utah Tech would receive a bye to the WAC Tournament semifinals for the first time in program history. 

The Trailblazers could also play spoiler to Utah Valley, which needs a better result than UNLV (at Grand Canyon, Saturday) to secure the final spot in the WAC Tournament.

OLD HAMMER RIVALRY
Starting in 2021, the Old Hammer Rivalry has quickly become one of the fiercest matchups on Utah Tech's schedule each season. Three of the four meetings have been won with a goal in the last 20 minutes, and it's the only in-state men's soccer competition in the Beehive State. 

Friday's match is the fifth all-time meeting between the sides, and Utah Valley holds a 3-1-0 lead all-time. The series is tied at 1-1-0 in St. George. The Wolverines won last year's meeting, 2-1, in Orem. With UT set to join the Mountain West and UVU the Big West, this will be the last conference game rendition of the Old Hammer for the foreseeable future. 

RECORD SETTERS
Utah Tech has set Division I era records for goals (20), assists (23) and points (63) with one game remaining in the regular season. Head coach Jonny Broadhead has won at least three WAC games in three straight seasons and looks to tie the 2023 squad's four conference wins with a victory on Friday.

With its 2-1 win at No. 25 California Baptist on Sunday, Utah Tech posted its first DI win over a ranked opponent, its first win over a ranked opponent since 2012 and its second all-time win over a ranked opponent. 

AT THE PEAK IN 2026
Utah Tech will join the Mountain West Conference as an affiliate in men's soccer and baseball in 2026, as announced on Wednesday. The Trailblazers will join current conference mates, Air Force, Grand Canyon, San José State and UNLV. Also tagging along is UC Davis, which will leave the Big West to become a non-football member of the MW. UT has a 13-19-3 record all-time against its future conference mates. The MW is the first conference to add men's soccer since the Ohio Valley Conference in 2023. 

RELIABLE ROGERS
Sophomore forward Taylor Rogers leads the Trailblazers with 17 points, six goals and five assists. His 17 points are fifth in the WAC and 52nd nationally. Rogers's six goals are fifth in the conference and 65th in the nation. His five assists are tied for fourth in the WAC and 75th nationally.

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 DI records in points (17), totaling the best mark since Medina's 26 in 2019, and assists (5), besting Bryce Backlund's four in 2024. 

NIELSEN IS ON TARGET
Sophomore midfielder Dunes Nielsen leads all qualified Trailblazers with a 54.2% shot accuracy. That ranks second in the WAC and 31st nationally. His 1.08 shots on goal per game are fourth in the conference and 95th in the nation. 

As a team, Utah Tech leads the WAC and ranks 40th nationally with a 46.1% shot accuracy.

LAST TIME OUT
Behind two corner kick goals, Utah Tech upset No. 25 California Baptist, 2-1, on Sunday night at CBU Soccer Stadium. The Trailblazers reclaimed first place in the WAC standings and clinched a spot in the WAC Tournament with the win. UT secured its first win over the Lancers in the Division I era, snapping a nine-game CBU series win streak. It was also Utah Tech's first win over a DI-ranked opponent, first victory over a ranked opponent since 2012 and second all-time win over a ranked opponent. California Baptist started the scoring in the 18th minute with sophomore Blake D'Agostino capitalizing on a breakaway. The Trailblazers answered off a corner kick in the 21st minute. Sophomore midfielder Denilson Velasquez sent a low cross in to senior midfielder Jerod Allen. Allen backheeled it to senior defender Anthony Godinez, setting him up for a diving header to score his first goal of the season. Redshirt freshman forward Stetson Coy scored the game-winning goal in the 85th minute. On a corner kick, he tracked down a cross from sophomore forward Taylor Rogers and headed it into the right side of the back of the net, giving Utah Tech a 2-1 lead. It was Coy's first career goal and Rogers' fifth assist of the season. Freshman Luca Campoli sealed the victory with a career-high eight saves. The Lancers outshot the Trailblazers 22-12 with a 9-4 advantage in shots on goal. 

SCOUTING UTAH VALLEY
The Wolverines fell to San Diego State, 1-0, at home on Monday night. It was the first time Utah Valley was shut out this season. UVU is seeking its first win since knocking off San José State, 2-1, on Oct. 11. The Wolverines are winless on the road in WAC play, totaling a 0-1-1 mark this season.

Sophomore midfielder Isaac Emojong and junior forward Nil Garu lead UVU with five goals and 12 points apiece. They tie for sixth in the WAC in goals and sixth in points.

Redshirt junior defender Keegan Oyler leads the WAC in assists, tying for eighth in the nation. He averages 0.62 assists per game to lead the conference and rank seventh nationally.

In net, redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Kolby Sessions leads the WAC in goals against average, posting a 0.556 to rank 10th nationally, while his 0.828 save percentage is second in the WAC and 15th nationally. He also ties for the conference lead in shutouts (6), tying for 31st in the nation. 

Nationally, as a team, Utah Valley ranks tied for sixth in red cards (3), 12th in shots per game (16.08), 13th in scoring offense (2.23), 17th in points per game (6.69), 20th in assists per game (2.23), 29th in goal differential (+15), 30th in yellow cards (36), 30th in total goals (29), 32nd in total points (30) and 32nd in total assists (29).

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
The WAC Tournament begins on Sunday, Nov. 9, at CBU Soccer Stadium in Riverside, California. The quarterfinal round begins at 5 p.m. (MT), and all matches will be broadcast on ESPN+. The No. 1 and No. 2 seeds will receive a bye and play the quarterfinal winners in the semifinals on Wednesday, Nov. 12.