Game #19
Who | Utah Tech (7-7-4, 3-4-2 WAC) vs. Southern Utah (3-11-3, 2-6-1 WAC)
When | Sunday, Nov. 2 - 6 p.m.
Where | St. George, Utah (Greater Zion Stadium)
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X) + #UtahTechBlazers

SENIOR SEND-OFF
Utah Tech will honor seven seniors playing their final match at Greater Zion Stadium on Sunday, including goalkeeper Brianna Frey, defender Indie Winterton, midfielder Kyah Le, and forwards Tessa Thornton, Lox Neves, Kearney Hoggan and Lacy Fox. Combined, they have totaled 16,625 minutes, 32 goals, 26 assists and 9 academic All-WAC honors at Utah Tech.

CLINCHED
Following WAC results on Thursday, Utah Tech has clinched the third spot in the 2025 WAC Women's Soccer Tournament. The Trailblazers will face No. 2-seed California Baptist in the semifinals on Wednesday, Nov. 5, at 3 p.m. The tourney will be hosted by No. 1 Utah Valley at UCCU Stadium in Orem, Utah. 

WHAT'S AT STAKE?
The Trailblazers could play spoilers to rival Southern Utah, which is seeking the fourth and final spot in the WAC Tournament. Tied with Tarleton State at seven points, they need to equal or better TSU's result against Utah Valley, and stay above Abilene Christian (six points) to obtain the final spot based on a head-to-head results tiebreaker. Should ACU, which is hosting California Baptist, force a three-way tie-breaker, things will get a bit more complicated.

ASSIST ADEPT
Senior midfielder Kyah Le leads the Trailblazers with eight assists this season, ranking third in the WAC and 30th nationally. Her eight assists this season are a UT Division I-era record and tie for third all-time. Le's 0.44 assists per game are third in the conference and 47th in the country. With four goals, Le's 16 points lead UT and rank sixth in the WAC.

FRESHMAN FIREPOWER
Utah Tech's nine freshman goals lead the conference and account for four more than all five other teams' first-year goal totals combined. Southern Utah (3) 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 (5) and Brooke Hendricks (2) and defender Abby Olsen (2) have each made tallies in the goal column. Wright leads the Trailblazers and is tied for sixth in the WAC in total goals.

BOOTS AT THE READY
Utah Tech is outshooting its opponents 249-237 this season, including an 114-91 edge in shots on goal. UT's 13.8 shots per game are second in the WAC and 114th nationally. Redshirt sophomore forward Lataya Brost is leading the charge, totaling 46 shots to lead the Trailblazers and rank fourth in the WAC.

The Trailblazers have outshot or tied their opponents' shot total in 11 of their 18 games this season. Defensively, UT has limited its opponents to 10 or fewer shots eight times this season.

OLSEN RECOGNIZED BY TDS
Freshman defender Abby Olsen was named to the TopDrawerSoccer Midseason Women's Freshmen Top 100, as announced on Oct. 10. 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 18 games this season, starting in 17 matches and totaling five points and 1,179 minutes. Olsen was named the WAC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 23 and Oct. 21.

LAST TIME OUT
Utah Tech women's soccer dropped its road finale at Utah Valley, 3-0, on Monday night at UCCU Stadium. Senior goalkeeper Brianna Frey totaled eight saves in the effort. Utah Valley took an early 1-0 lead in the 13th minute. UVU senior midfielder/forward Ruby Hladek hit a right-footer into the right side of the goal from just outside the penalty area. Hladek scored a brace in the 74th minute to extend the Utah Valley lead to 2-0. Just left of the penalty spot, Hladek buried a right-footer past Frey for her second goal of the night. UVU graduate forward Faith Webber added an insurance goal in the 83rd minute, extending the Wolverines' lead to 3-0. She headed in a cross just inside the penalty area by the left post. Utah Valley outshot Utah Tech 32-12 with a 12-6 edge in shots on goal.

DÉJÀ VU
With WAC play in a double-round robin format this season, Southern Utah is the final opponent to rematch Utah Tech in 2025. It's the first year Utah Tech has played opponents twice during the regular season since 2021, when UT played its West Division foes twice in WAC conference play.

Behind two first-half goals, Utah Tech women's soccer outlasted Southern Utah, 2-1, in its WAC opener on Sept. 28 at Thunderbird Soccer Field. The Trailblazers extended their all-time series lead to 4-0-2 to remain undefeated against rival SUU with the victory. Senior midfielder Kyah Le put the Trailblazers up 1-0 in the 17th minute. Le corralled a loose ball in the attacking third and launched a right-footed shot from distance that dipped just under the crossbar and into the back of the net. It was Le's third goal of the season. The Trailblazers extended their lead to 2-0 courtesy of freshman forward Jocelyn Wright in the 37th minute. Freshman defender Abby Olsen threw in the ball to sophomore midfielder Bre Koscielski, who played it back to Wright. She blasted a shot toward the bottom left corner, and the ball skipped off Brass and into the goal. SUU came out of the break strong, scoring on a counterattack in the 47th minute. SUU senior forward Whitney Gardner played a through ball in front of T-Bird junior forward Kayleigh Acree. Frey made an initial challenge, stopping Acree's initial advance at the top of the box, but Acree recovered and scored on a right-footed shot. Both teams totaled nine shots with five on goal. 

SCOUTING SOUTHERN UTAH
The Thunderbirds visit St. George on a two-game losing skid after falling at Utah Valley (8-0) and California Baptist (3-0). SUU is 1-6-1 on the road this season, including a 1-3-0 mark in conference play. Southern Utah can secure a postseason bid with a win; anything else, and the T-Birds put their fate out of their own hands. 

Senior forward Sarah Assumma leads SUU with four goals and 11 points, while tying for second with three assists. Junior defender Nao Yasuda leads the Thunderbirds with four assists.

Redshirt senior forward Whitney Gardner leads the T-Birds with 43 shots, ranking fifth in the WAC. Her 53.5% shot accuracy is third in the conference and 90th nationally.

In net, Jazmyn Brass has posted a 2.28 goals against average with a .653 save percentage in 16 starts. Her 64 saves rank fourth in the WAC and 122nd nationally. She was sent off in SUU's Oct. 9 match against California Baptist. That makes her the only GK in the WAC with a red card this season. 

Southern Utah has the best shot accuracy in the WAC, ranking ninth in the nation with 53.8% this season. The Thunderbirds also tie for the sixth most red cards in the country, standing as the only WAC team with any red cards this season.

SERIES HISTORY
Sunday's contest is the 7th regular-season meeting between Utah Tech and Southern Utah. The Trailblazers are undefeated against the Thunderbirds, holding a 4-0-2 lead all-time, but the series is tied 0-0-2 in St. George. UT is looking for a season-series sweep in the Battle for the Ax after posting a 2-1 win in Cedar City to start WAC play.

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 (20), eighth in points (49), eighth in shots (124) and eighth in shots on goal (61). 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 (225), first in minutes (4,545) and fourth in shutouts (8).

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. 

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
No. 3-seed Utah Tech begins the 2025 WAC Women's Soccer Tournament in the semifinal round against No. 2 California Baptist on Wednesday, Nov. 5. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. at UCCU Stadium in Orem, Utah. The championship game is slated for Saturday, Nov. 8, at 4 p.m.