(St George, UT - Aug 30, 2026) – Utah Tech women's soccer gets two second half goals to defeat the University of Utah, 2-1, on Sunday night, for the program's first power conference victory in the D-1 era.
Utah (2-2-1) came out firing in the first half, outshooting the Trailblazers (3-2-1) 10-2. Junior goalkeeper
Elle Rafajko kept the Utes off the board with four first half saves.
The Trailblazers had a couple of good scoring chances in the first half, but couldn't quite get one past the Ute netminder.
After a scoreless first half, the Utes were able to break the tie, getting on the board just 13 seconds into the second half.
However, Utah Tech responded instantly as
Lexi Nelson set up
Abby Olsen on the left side for an absolute strike that found the back of the net on the right side, just 38 seconds after the Utes took the lead. The goal was Olsen's first of the season and first of her collegiate career.
After some back and forth play, Utah Tech was able to get out in transition on a counter play where
Lataya Brost spun free from a defender and sent a stretch pass up to
Jocelyn Wright, who fired one past the keeper to give UT a 2-1 advantage. The goal was Wright's second on the season, and for Brost her third point of the week after her game winning goal on Thursday.
The Utes increased their pressure the rest of the way, but the Utah Tech backline and Rafajko held strong to secure the win. Utah took 28 total shots and only 11 were on goal, as UT's backline had many blocked shots. When the shots did get through, Rafajko was there to stop them, racking up 10 saves tonight.
The win over the Utes marks the
1st victory over a power conference opponent in the D-1 era for UT women's soccer program.
Coach Brown on her team's play and the win tonight:
"This was the best win I've been a part of in my time here. I am so incredibly proud of my team in how they competed, and our coaching staff for the game plan we set for this match. We knew it would be a lower possession game for us because of Utah's ability to create chaos with their pressure and interchanges, but I thought we did a really nice job executing tonight."
RAFAJKO'S RECORD NIGHT IN NET
Ten saves is a team high this season and a career high for Rafajo. Elle is now tied for
4th all-time for saves in a single game, last done in 2019. The save mark as a team is tied for
5th all-time in a single game, done five other times.
NUMBERS TO KNOW
- Utah Tech was outshot 28-9, but only trailed 11-6 on shots on goal
- UT did not have a corner kick for the first time this season
- Five substitutions were the fewest used this season thus far by the Trailblazers
ON DECK
Utah Tech will travel north to face the Pac-12 preseason favorite Utah State Aggies on Thursday night.
