Game #7
Who | Utah Tech (3-2-1, 0-0-0 WAC) at Utah (4-2-1, 0-0-0 Big 12)
When | Thursday, Sept. 11 - 7 p.m. 
Where | Ute Field (Salt Lake City, Utah)
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X) + #UtahTechBlazers

LAST TIME OUT
Junior defender Michelle Rodriguez scored a header in the closing minutes of the match to give Utah Tech women's soccer a 3-2 victory over Idaho State last Thursday. Senior midfielder Kyah Le assisted on the game-winner, sending a cross into the box from a UT free kick in the 88th minute. UT's three goals were the most scored in a game by the Trailblazers this season and the most in a game by UT since last season's 4-0 drubbing of Southern Utah in Cedar City, Utah. Senior Lacy Fox put the Trailblazers on the scoreboard early, blasting a shot from downtown into the back of the net. Sophomore midfielder Bre Koscielski set up the opportunity by winning the ball out of the air and feeding it to Le for a through pass to Fox. After an ISU goal, redshirt sophomore forward Lataya Brost reclaimed the lead for Utah Tech in the 28th minute. Brost pick-pocketed a Bengal defender, took two touches into the box and beat the ISU keeper with a shot toward the left post. After a PK tied things up at 2-2 in the 71st minute, Utah Tech reclaimed the lead for the final time on a free kick in the 88th minute. From a cross by Le, Rodriguez flew into the penalty area, tracked the ball and headed in the winning goal at the back post. It was Rodriguez's second goal of the season and career-first game-winning goal. 

ASSIST ADEPT
Senior midfielder Kyah Le leads the Trailblazers and is tied for first in the WAC with four assists. With the game-winning goal against UC Riverside, Le leads UT in points and is tied for the fifth-most points (6) in the WAC.

Redshirt sophomore forward Lataya Brost and sophomore midfielder Bre Koscielski have each assisted on two goals this season. Their two helpers are tied for fifth in the WAC. 

FRESHMAN FIREPOWER
Four of Utah Tech's 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. Hendricks is tied for the team lead in goals and is tied for fifth in the WAC.

TRAILBLAZERS ON THE ROAD
Utah Tech is 2-1-1 in road games this season, having won its last two road matches at CSUN (2-1) and Idaho State (3-2). Under head coach Lexi Brown, UT is 8-7-7 in true away contests since 2023. 

SCOUTING UTAH
The Utes host the Trailblazers after falling to LSU, 2-0, on Sunday. The loss snapped a four-game unbeaten streak that included three wins. The Tigers took an early lead in the 15th minute and never looked back, adding an insurance goal in the 43rd minute, while preserving a shutout against Utah's 15 shots (with just one on goal). Senior goalkeeper Erin Gibbs made one save in 90 minutes between the pipes. 

Junior midfielder Lilliah Blum and senior forward Kelly Bullock, tied with six points apiece, lead the Utes offensively. Blum's three goals, 19 shots and nine shots on goal lead Utah. Bullock has netted two goals and two assists through her six starts and seven appearances. Both of Bullock's goals were game-winners, tying her for the second most in the Big 12 and 30th in the nation this season. 

Graduate midfielder Grace Watkins is another Ute to watch for. The native of Manhattan Beach, California, leads Utah with four assists, tying for fourth in the Big 12 and 22nd in the nation. 

In net, Utah has relied on Gibbs for the vast majority of the season. She's totaled 14 saves and two shutouts with a 1.00 goals against average in six starts. 

The Utes' offense is especially skilled at earning corner kicks. They average 7.57 corners per match, ranking second in the Big 12 and 11th in the nation. With 18.0 shots per game, Utah is third in its conference, ranking 34th in the nation. 

SERIES HISTORY
Thursday's match will be the third all-time meeting between UT and Utah. The Utes hold a 2-0-0 lead. In Salt Lake City, Utah's advantage is 1-0-0. The two teams' last meeting resulted in a 3-0 Ute win in SLC. 

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 (17). 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 (182), second all-time in career minutes (3,465), tied for fifth all-time in career shutouts (6) and 10th all-time in career goals against average (1.51). 

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 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.

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 19th season of NCAA-affiliated women's soccer. Since the 2006 season, the Trailblazers have totaled 659 goals, 502 assists, 1,820 points, 181 wins and played in 340 matches.

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 9-5-5 all-time against its future conference mates.

WHAT'S NEXT
The Trailblazers return to St. George to host Northern Arizona on Sunday, Sept. 14. Kickoff at Greater Zion Stadium is set for 1 p.m., and the match will be broadcast on ESPN+.