Game #6
Who | Utah Tech (2-2-1, 0-0-0 WAC) at Idaho State (2-1-2, 0-0-0 Big Sky)
When | Thursday, Sept. 4 - 7 p.m. 
Where | Davis Field (Pocatello, Idaho)
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X) + #UtahTechBlazers

RODRIGUEZ EARNS WAC WEEKLY HONOR
Junior defender Michelle Rodriguez was named the WAC Defensive Player of the Week, the Western Athletic Conference announced on Tuesday. The native of West Valley City, Utah, played the full 90 minutes in a 2-1 Trailblazer victory at CSUN on Thursday. Rodriguez and the Trailblazer defense limited the Matadors to one goal and two shots on goal. Rodriguez has played all 450 minutes this season and scored her first career goal against Boise State on Aug. 24. 

LAST TIME OUT
Utah Tech women's soccer posted a 2-1 victory at Cal State Northridge on Thursday night at Matador Soccer Field. The Trailblazers were propelled by two first-half goals to earn their first away win of the season. Freshman defender Abby Olsen gave UT an early lead in the ninth minute. Off a CSUN clear, Olsen controlled the ball, dribbled and sent the ball into the bottom right corner of the net for her career first goal.  After a CSUN goal in the 11th minute, sophomore midfielder Bre Koscielski smashed a shot into the bottom right of the net for her first goal of the season, giving UT a 2-1 lead in the 30th minute. Sophomore midfielder Lexi Nelson assisted on the goal. Senior goalkeeper Brianna Frey made her lone save of the match in the 81st minute.. Utah Tech held a 14-13 lead in shots, with a 6-2 advantage in shots on goal. 

FRESHMAN FIREPOWER
Four of Utah Tech's seven goals this season have come from true freshmen. Forwards Brooke Hendricks (2) and Jocelyn Wright (1) and defender Abby Olsen (1) have each made a tally in the goal column. In just 267 minutes this season, Hendricks leads UT in goals and is tied for third in the WAC.

ASSIST ADEPT
Senior midfielder Kyah Le and redshirt sophomore forward Lataya Brost have each assisted on two goals this season. Their two helpers are tied for second in the WAC. With the game-winning goal against UC Riverside, Le is tied for the fifth-most points (4) in the WAC.

THE ENEMY OF YOUR ENEMIES
Utah Tech and Idaho State have four common opponents this season in Boise State, Northern Arizona, Portland State and UNLV. Against Boise State at home, UT fell on Aug. 24 (2-1), while ISU picked up a draw (1-1) on Aug. 17 also at home. The Trailblazers posted a 1-1 draw at UNLV on Aug. 21 and have yet to face NAU or PSU. The Bengals will take on UNLV in two weeks and face NAU and PSU during conference play. Both teams were originally scheduled to play Utah Valley, but ISU's original season-opening contest was canceled. 

SCOUTING IDAHO STATE
The Bengals host Utah Tech after falling to Seattle U at home on Sunday, 3-1. It was a tale of two halves as ISU had a 1-0 lead at halftime before the Redhawks opened the floodgates. Idaho State was outshot 13-1 in the second half and conceded all three goals in a span of just over six minutes. 

Sophomore defender Talia Coury leads ISU offensively with three goals and six points. Four other Bengals have each netted one goal, with redshirt junior midfielder/forward Saydree Cooke and redshirt sophomore forward Samantha Fenske holding the Bengals' two game-winners this season.

In net, Idaho State has relied on freshman goalkeeper Hannah Wieler for the vast majority of the season. She's totaled 18 saves and one shutout with a 1.24 goals against average in five starts. 

The Bengals' offense relies on effective ball movement, tallying 10 assists through five games to lead the Big Sky Conference and rank 67th in the nation. ISU's average of 2 assists per game is tied for 60th in the nation. Individually, junior midfielder Isabella Winton's three assists lead ISU and the Big Sky and are tied for 37th in the nation.

SERIES HISTORY
Thursday's match will be the fourth all-time meeting between UT and ISU. The Trailblazers hold a 3-0-0 lead, having never lost to the Bengals. In Pocatello, Utah Tech's advantage is 1-0-0. The two teams' last meeting resulted in a 4-3 Trailblazer win in St. George. (A 2019 match ending in a 1-1 (2OT) tie between UT and ISU was an exhibition for the Trailblazers.)

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. The junior defender from West Valley City, Utah, is expected to anchor the Utah Tech defense, succeeding three-time Second Team All-WAC honoree Gracie Knutzen after her graduation.

UTAH TECH PICKED THIRD IN COACHES' POLL
The Trailblazers tied for third with 15 points in the 2025 WAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, the highest placement UT has ever garnered, besting fifth-place nods in 2023 and 2024. Utah Tech finished sixth in the WAC regular season standings last year with a 2-4-1 mark in conference play and a 5-75 record overall. The Trailblazers made their third-straight WAC Tournament appearance, falling to Seattle U, 2-0 in the quarterfinals. 

Utah Valley (24 points and four first-place votes) is the preseason favorite, predicted by the league's coaches to repeat as regular-season champions. California Baptist, the 2024 WAC Tournament champs, came in second (22 points, two first-place votes). Tarleton State tied with UT with 15 points. Abilene Christian (fifth, eight points) and Southern Utah (sixth, six points) rounded out the poll. 

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. In UT's exhibition at BYU, Thornton equalized for the Trailblazers in the 57th minute, totaling three shots, two shots on goal, in 55 minutes last Saturday.

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.

CHASING HISTORY
In Utah Tech's record book, senior forward Lacy Fox ranks sixth all-time in career game-winning goals (6) and seventh all-time in career goals (16). 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 (180), second all-time in career minutes (3,375), tied for fifth all-time in career shutouts (6) and 10th all-time in career goals against average (1.50). 

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. Sophomore forward Ella Cotter is Utah Tech's homegrown product, claiming St. George as her hometown and graduating from Crimson Cliffs High School in Washington, Utah. Freshman defender Macie Burton originates from the small, unincorporated town of Mountain Green, Utah, in the Wasatch Back.

THE SPOKANE CONNECTION
Head coach Lexi Brown was an assistant coach 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. While the Trailblazers don't face the Bulldogs this season, the Utah Tech men's soccer team's home opener is against Gonzaga on Aug. 21.

WHAT'S NEXT
The Trailblazers conclude their road swing at in-state foe Utah on Thursday, Sept. 11, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Ute Field.