Game #11
Who | Utah Tech (5-3-2, 1-0-0 WAC) at Abilene Christian (4-7-0, 0-2-0 WAC)
When | Thursday, Oct. 2 - 6 p.m. (MT) 
Where | Elmer Gray Stadium (Abilene, Texas)
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X) + #UtahTechBlazers

FRESHMAN FIREPOWER
Utah Tech's six freshman goals lead the conference and account for two more than all five other teams' first-year goal totals combined. Southern Utah (2) 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 (3) and Brooke Hendricks (2) and defender Abby Olsen (1) have each made a tally in the goal column. Wright is tied with senior midfielder Kyah Le for the team lead in goals.

ASSIST ADEPT
Senior midfielder Kyah Le leads the Trailblazers with five assists this season, tying for second in the WAC and 41st in the nation. Her 0.50 assists per game are second in the conference and 36th in the country. With goals against UC Riverside, Utah and Southern Utah, Le has the sixth-most points (11) in the WAC.

BOOTS AT THE READY
Utah Tech is outshooting its opponents 154-117 this season, including a 55-40 edge in shots on goal. UT's 15.40 shots per game are second in the WAC and 65th in the nation. 

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

LAST TIME OUT
Behind two first-half goals, Utah Tech women's soccer outlasted Southern Utah, 2-1, in its WAC opener on Sunday afternoon 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 the goalie into the goal. It was Wright's third goal of the season, leading all WAC freshmen. SUU came out of the break strong, scoring on a counterattack in the 47th minute. Senior goalkeeper Brianna Frey finished the match with four saves, including three in the second half to preserve the UT lead. Both teams totaled nine shots with five on goal.

SCOUTING ABILENE CHRISTIAN
The Wildcats host Utah Tech after dropping their first two WAC contests at California Baptist (2-1) and at Utah Valley (5-1) last week. ACU has lost six of its last seven contests and is on a three-game losing streak.

Graduate midfielder Abby Smith leads Abilene Christian in points (6) and goals (3). Her last score came on a penalty kick goal at California Baptist (L, 2-1) in ACU's WAC opener last Thursday. 

Redshirt junior forward Peyton Hill is another Wildcat to watch. Hill leads ACU in shots (25), ranking fifth in the WAC, and is tied for the team lead in assists (2). Senior forward Amelia Leggett has also tallied two assists this season.

Three Wildcats have spent time in net this season, but freshman goalkeeper Bella Medrano has emerged as the everyday starter. She leads the WAC with 51 saves, ranking 43rd in the nation, and is second in the conference in shutouts (3). Through 10 appearances, including seven starts, Medrano has a .823 save percentage and a 1.31 goals against average.

SERIES HISTORY
Thursday's match will be the fourth all-time meeting between Utah Tech and Abilene Christian. The Trailblazers are undefeated against the Wildcats, holding a 2-0-1 advantage all-time. In Abilene, UT has posted a 1-0-1 record. Last season's meeting was a 1-1 draw at Elmer Gray Stadium (10/20/24). 

CHASING HISTORY
In Utah Tech's all-time career record book, senior forward Lacy Fox ranks sixth in game-winning goals (6), tied for sixth in career goals (18), 10th in shots (108) and tied for 10th in shots on goal (50). Fox is also one point away, with 42 career points, from breaking into the all-time top 10. 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 (194), first all-time in career minutes (3,825), tied for fifth all-time in career shutouts (6) and 10th all-time in career goals against average (1.51). 

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. 

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. 

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. 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 hails from the small, unincorporated town of Mountain Green, Utah, in the Wasatch Back.

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
The Trailblazers visit Tarleton State on Sunday, Oct. 5, to wrap up their Lone Star trip in Stephenville, Texas. Kickoff is set for noon (MT) at Tarleton Soccer Complex, and the match will be streamed on ESPN+.