Game #11
Who | Utah Tech (1-5-4, 0-0-1 WAC) vs. RV San José State (8-1-2, 1-0-0 WAC)
When | Thursday, Oct. 9 - 5 p.m. 
Where | Greater Zion Stadium - St. George, Utah
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X) + #UtahTechBlazers

TRAILBLAZERS IN CONFERENCE HOME OPENERS
All-time in conference home openers, Utah Tech is 7-8-2 with a 2-3-0 mark in WAC home openers. Thursday will be the first time UT has hosted SJSU for its conference home opener.

TRAILBLAZERS AGAINST TEAMS RECEIVING VOTES
With five votes in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25, San José State is the first receiving votes team to visit Greater Zion Stadium since Division II side Fort Lewis College in 2018. Utah Tech is 2-5-0 against RV opponents all-time, including a WAC win at UT Rio Grande Valley, 1-0, in 2020. (RV stands for receiving votes. These are teams that were on ballots in the poll but did not receive enough votes to rank in the top 25.)

GODINEZ EARNS WAC HONOR
Senior defender Anthony Godinez was named the WAC Defensive Player of the Week, the conference announced on Tuesday. He helped the Trailblazers shut out UNLV, 0-0, in the team's conference opener on Saturday night.

Godinez, a native of Hillsboro, Oregon, played the full 90 minutes and recorded a shot in the draw. With his assistance, the UT defense limited the Rebels to just five shots, with one shot on goal. Both stats are single-game season lows for a Utah Tech opponent. It was UT's third shutout of the season.

Joining teammates sophomore forward Taylor Rogers and senior goalkeeper Stockton Short, Godinez is the third Trailblazer to earn a WAC men's soccer weekly honor this season. The selection is Godinez's first career weekly honor.

ASSIST AGENTS
Fifth-year forward Colby Lee and senior forward Samir Cuevas are among the nation's elite in assists. With three assists each, Cuevas and Lee tie for sixth in the WAC and 121st in the nation. Lee started off the season hot with three assists across the first four games, while Cuevas tallied two in his season debut against Cal State Bakersfield and added a third against Cal State Fullerton.

SHORT IS IN THE WAY
In six appearances, senior goalkeeper Stockton Short's save percentage of .800 is third in the conference and 36th in the nation, and his 4.00 saves per game are second in the WAC and come in at 44th in the country. Last year, Short led the nation in saves with 105 stops, setting the Utah Tech single-season record.

RELIABLE ROGERS
Sophomore forward Taylor Rogers leads the Trailblazers with three goals, tying for fifth in the WAC. Rogers put in a brace against Cal State Bakersfield on Sept. 6 to help Utah Tech earn its first win of the season. It was Roger's first career multi-goal match, giving him his first career game-winning goal. 

LAST TIME OUT
Utah Tech men's soccer earned its first point of WAC play in a 0-0 draw at UNLV on Saturday night at Peter Johann Memorial Field. The Trailblazers snapped a three-game losing streak with freshman goalkeeper Luca Campoli's first career solo shutout. Surrendering only five shots with just one on goal to UNLV, the Trailblazers recorded their lowest opponent shots and shots on goal totals in a single game this season. It was UT's third shutout and second away shutout of the season. Utah Tech outshot UNLV 6-5 with a 2-1 edge in shots on goal. 

SCOUTING SAN JOSÉ STATE
The WAC-leading Spartans visit St. George on a four-game win streak and a seven-game unbeaten streak. In that stretch, SJSU has shut out four opponents, logged a 2-2 tie with then-No. 3 Stanford and opened WAC play with a 3-1 win against California Baptist.

Sophomore forward Arnold Matshazi leads San José State with seven goals, tying for second in the WAC and 13th in the nation. His three game-winning goals lead the conference and tie for seventh nationally. 

Senior midfielder Angel Iniguez is another Spartan to watch. His team-leading six assists tie for second in the WAC and ninth in the nation. Iniguez has also tallied two game-winners, tying for fourth in the conference and 29th nationally. 

In net, redshirt senior Edgar Guerra has played all 990 minutes for SJSU with a 0.73 goals against average (third in the WAC, 27th nationally) and .789 save percentage (fourth in the WAC, 41st nationally). His six shutouts lead the conference and tie for sixth in the nation. 

SERIES HISTORY
Thursday's match will be the seventh all-time meeting between the Trailblazers and the Spartans. SJSU holds a 4-1-1 series lead, with a 3-0-0 advantage in St. George. Last year's meeting ended in a 0-0 stalemate in San Jose (10/10/24). Utah Tech earned its first Division I postseason win over San José State in 2023, taking down the Spartans 1-0 in the WAC Tournament Quarterfinal in Las Vegas, Nevada (11/5/23).

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, the Western Athletic Conference 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. The native of Pleasant View, Utah, 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.

CUEVAS MAKES PRESEASON ALL-WAC TEAM
Junior forward Samir Cuevas and senior goalkeeper Stockton Short were named to the Preseason All-WAC Team as announced by the league on Aug. 15. The pair are the first-ever Trailblazers to earn preseason WAC honors. 

A Second Team All-WAC honoree in 2024, Cuevas led Utah Tech in goals (4), points (8), shots (25) and shots on goal (12) last season. The native of Valera, Venezuela, scored the game-winning goal in a 2-1 victory over UNLV to earn UT's spot in the WAC Tournament. Cuevas also made the All-WAC Freshman Team in 2023, scoring three goals, including two game-winners.

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.

Additionally, previous letter winners in 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 forward 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 welcomes Air Force to Greater Zion Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 12. As the first game of a doubleheader with UT women's soccer, kickoff is set for 11 a.m.