Game #6
Who | Utah Tech (1-2-2, 0-0-0 WAC) at UC San Diego (0-3-1, 0-0-0 Big West)
When | Friday, Sept. 12 - 8 p.m. (MT)
Where | Triton Soccer Stadium - La Jolla, Calif.
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X) + #UtahTechBlazers

TWO TRAILBLAZERS TABBED FOR WAC WEEKLY HONORS
Sophomore forward Taylor Rogers was named Offensive Player of the Week, and senior goalkeeper Stockton Short was picked as Goalkeeper of the Week in the WAC men's soccer weekly awards for the match week ending on Sept. 8. 

Rogers recorded a brace against CSU Bakersfield, scoring the game-winning goal in the 80th minute and an insurance goal in the 83rd minute. It was Rogers' first multi-goal match of his collegiate career and his first and second goals of the season. Rogers is now tied for the team lead in goals (2) and points (5). 

Short tallied five saves to earn his first shutout of the season against CSUB. His five stops tied his season-high for saves in a game, having also logged five against Gonzaga and at Sacramento State. It was Short's seventh career shutout, putting him at fourth all-time in Utah Tech history. Short's 22 saves this season lead the WAC and tie for 20th in the nation. He's averaging 4.40 saves per game, which also leads the conference and is 40th in the nation.

Rogers and Short are the first Trailblazers to earn WAC men's soccer weekly honors this season. The awards are Rogers' first career selection and Short's fourth career selection. 

LEE'S "LAULIMA"
Fifth-year forward Colby Lee is among the nation's elite in assists. He has assisted on three UT goals this season to lead Utah Tech and tie for 21st in the nation. His 0.60 assists per game are second-most in the WAC and tied for 35th in the country. The Hawai'i-Hilo transfer is an exemplar of Laulima (L-ow-lee-muh), the Hawaiian word for cooperation/working together.

CUEVAS MAKES SEASON DEBUT
Junior forward Samir Cuevas made a strong impression in his season debut against CSU Bakersfield on Saturday. In just 25 minutes, the 2024 All-WAC Second Team pick assisted on two goals to earn his first points of the season. 

FIRST 14 FOR #14
In redshirt freshman forward Brandon Khedoo's first 14 minutes of collegiate soccer, he equalized for the Trailblazers in a 1-1 draw at Sacramento State on Aug. 24. 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.

GOING THE DISTANCE
Senior goalkeeper Stockton Short and redshirt sophomore defender Tanner Dutra have played all 450 minutes this season. Short hasn't missed a minute of a match since Oct. 26, 2023, when he played one half against Seattle U. Dutra has played every single minute for the Trailblazers since his first collegiate appearance, the 2024 season opener at CSU Bakersfield (8/22/24).

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.

SCOUTING UCSD
The Tritons are seeking their first win of the season as they host the Trailblazers in La Jolla. In its home opener, UCSD fell to Houston Christian last Thursday, 2-0. UC San Diego gave up goals at the start and the end of the second half, while being shut out for the third time this season. Graduate goalkeeper Nolan Premack made six saves in the effort.

Redshirt junior defender Evan Wellerstein is the lone goal-scorer for UC San Diego this season, finding the back of the net at No. 17 Cal (T, 1-1). He was assisted by redshirt sophomore defender Keenai Braun. 

The Tritons return two 2024 Big West All-Freshman Team selections in redshirt sophomore midfielder Quinn Sellers and sophomore forward Kai Oppenheim. Sellers started all 18 games last year, scoring two goals and tallying two assists. Oppenheim totaled three goals and two assists in the 2024 campaign. 

Last year, UCSD finished eighth in the Big West with a record of 4-9-5 and a 3-5-1 mark in conference play.

SERIES HISTORY
Friday's match will be the fifth all-time meeting between Utah Tech and UC San Diego. The series is tied at 2-2-0. In La Jolla, UCSD has a 2-1-0 lead. The last meeting between the two sides was a 2-1 Trailblazer win in La Jolla (9/23/23). 

CHASING HISTORY
Among Utah Tech's career records, junior Stockton Short is third in saves (208), third in minutes played (4,095), third in goals against average (1.46) and fourth in shutouts (7).

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. 

WHAT'S NEXT
Utah Tech faces Loyola Marymount on Monday, Sept. 15, in Los Angeles, California. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. (MT) at Sullivan Field, and the match will be streamed on ESPN+.