Game #3
Who | Utah Tech (0-0-2, 0-0-0 WAC) at St. Thomas (1-0-1, 0-0-0 Summit League)
When | Thursday, Aug. 28 - 11 a.m. (MT)
Where | South Field - St. Paul, Minn.
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X) + #UtahTechBlazers

FIRST 14 FOR #14
In redshirt freshman midfielder Brandon Khedoo's first 14 minutes of collegiate soccer, he equalized for the Trailblazers in a 1-1 draw at Sacramento State on Sunday. Khedoo's first career appearance resulted in his career first goal, shot, shot on goal and point. Khedoo finished with a goal, two points, two shots and one shot on goal in 14 minutes on Sunday. 

LEE BRINGS "LAULIMA" STRAIGHT FROM HAWAI'I
Fifth-year forward Colby Lee has made an immediate impact in his first two appearances for Utah Tech since transferring from Division II Hawai'i-Hilo. Laulima (L-ow-lee-muh), the Hawaiian word for cooperation/working together, has been in full effect when Lee has the ball for the Trailblazers. He has assisted on both UT goals this season, a corner kick and a cross, to lead Utah Tech in assists. His two helpers are tied for second in the WAC this season. 

LAST TIME OUT
Utah Tech claimed a 1-1 draw at Sacramento State on Sunday.  Redshirt freshman midfielder Brandon Khedoo scored his first collegiate goal to equalize for the Trailblazers in his first career appearance. Sacramento State took a 1-0 lead in the 76th minute, scoring a rebound goal off an initial save by senior goalkeeper Stockton Short. Khedoo responded for Utah Tech with his first collegiate goal in the 80th minute. After an initial shot by Khedoo was blocked, the Trailblazers regathered the ball, and fifth-year forward Colby Lee sent a cross into the box for senior forward Andre Saucedo. Saucedo chested the ball down and dished it back to Khedoo, who took a touch and launched a left-footed shot into the back of the net. 

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.

EXHIBITIONS IN REVIEW
Utah Tech played three exhibitions last week to gear up for the 2025 season. After a scoreless draw with the College of Idaho, the Trailblazers picked up wins against Snow College (4-0) and Colorado Mesa (2-0). Freshman goalkeeper Luca Campoli earned the first two clean sheets, and senior GK Stockton Short logged a shutout against CMU. 

SCOUTING ST. THOMAS
The Tommies host the Trailblazers after a convincing 4-0 win, the largest margin of victory in UST's Division I era, at Chicago State on Sunday. Graduate forward Yanis Lakhlifi logged a brace, converting from the spot in the 21st minute and scoring in the 24th minute with an assist by graduate midfielder Mathis Guffroy. Guffroy opened the scoring, putting in the game-winner in the 13th minute. Guffroy also assisted on UST's fourth goal in the 58th minute to put up a four-point performance. Senior defender Kevin Silva scored the last goal. Junior goalkeeper Moritz Krenc recorded his second shutout of the year with two saves. 

Guffroy, a Summit League Offensive Player to Watch, scored his first goal as a Tommie on Sunday. The native of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France, is playing his first season of DI soccer after spending four years at Texas Wesleyan (NAIA), where he put up 47 goals, 27 assists and 1221 points in 68 career games. 

Lakhlifi also logged his first goal for St. Thomas in the win at Chicago State. The native of La Crau, France, transferred from UMass Lowell, where he scored five goals and added an assist for 11 points in 2024.

Last year, St. Thomas finished last in the Summit League (fifth) with a record of 4-10-2, and a 1-7 mark in conference play. 

SERIES HISTORY
Thursday's match up is the first-ever meeting between Utah Tech and St. Thomas.

CHASING HISTORY
Among Utah Tech's career records, junior Stockton Short is third in saves (196), third in minutes played (3,825), third in goals against average (1.46) and fourth in shutouts (6).

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. He played his freshman season at Rose State College. 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. Huebner spent his freshman season at Colorado Mesa (Division II). 

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 has an impressive prep resume. A four-year varsity starter at Lake Highlands High School in Dallas, Texas, he was a three-time First Team all-district (2022-24) honoree, two-time Golden Boot and two-time team MVP.

Utah Tech's freshman class consists of two defenders, two goalkeepers and two midfielders. 

NCAA MILESTONES
The 2024 campaign marked Utah Tech's first full season as an official Division I institution after completing a four-year transition period starting in 2020. The 2024 season was UT's 17th season of NCAA-affiliated men's soccer. Since the 2008 season, the Trailblazers have totaled 361 goals, 268 assists, 991 points, 115 wins and played in 293 matches.

WHAT'S NEXT
Utah Tech will return to the Golden State to face Pacific on Sunday, Aug. 31. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. (MT) at Knoles Field in Stockton, California. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.