Perfect weekend
The Utah women’s soccer team was perfect in its weekend road trip in Oregon. The Utes defeated Oregon State 1-0 on Friday and Oregon 2-0 on Sunday, but these wins weren’t their only accomplishments.
Not only did head coach Rich Manning win his 150th game as a Ute, Utah also made history in the Pac-12 this weekend by becoming the first team in its history to have captured a two-win weekend on the road. Manning was most excited about how well his team played to finish the job.
“We are really excited, getting two positive results on the weekend for the first time since we joined the conference,” Manning said. “The way we performed was a really good sign. We tightened it up in the back, and that got us back on track. The team adjusted to different moments in the game really well to grind out a pair of road wins.”
Utah’s next span of road games starts Oct. 18 when it heads to the west coast to take on Cal, USC and UCLA.
Team chemistry growing
Another positive sign to take from Utah’s last two games is the improved teamwork between the players. The Utes had most of the possession and made the Beavers and Ducks work hard to get the ball back.
This growing chemistry also helped players who were struggling to get into form early on realize their potential. This includes freshman Paola van der Veen, who had a goal and an assist to help the Utes defeat the Ducks. Van der Veen, who joined the Utes after having international success in the Netherlands, felt like a weight was lifted off her shoulders when she got on the score sheet.
“I feel a little bit relieved [after scoring the goal],” van der Veen said. “It’s only been a few games, but it feels like forever.”
She also helped sophomore Natalie Vukic score her third goal of the season. Vukic, who is now tied with Mariah Elmer for most goals this season, was pleased to see how well her team played over the weekend.
“I thought we did a real nice job this weekend,” Vukic said. “We played a full 90 minutes on Friday and one good half here. However, we scored two goals in that half, so we’re pretty happy about that.”
Homecoming week
The Utes hope to continue their winning streak this weekend at home as they host the Washington State Cougars and Washington Huskies. Friday’s game against the Cougars will be this year’s Homecoming Game for soccer.
Plenty of alumni are expected to attend the match, which will add some pressure on the Utes to get the win, but with the way they played against the two Oregon teams, the Utes are confident and excited to play in front of former players.
@chad_marquez