After another shutout win against a Pac-12 opponent, the Utah soccer team will head to California to play against No. 7 Cal and No. 2 Stanford this week. After their game against Washington State, the Utes are now No. 25 in the nation.

For freshman Tavia Leachman, the win against the Cougars gives the team extra momentum. Looking back on the team’s play during conference, Leachman said that every win has boosted the team’s confidence. Since joining the Pac-12, Utah hasn’t won two conference games in a row, but now the team is on the hunt for its third.

Cal has featured a strong defense this season, however, with 20 shutouts, and Stanford has featured more offensive-driven games with 33 goals this season, the highest total in the Pac-12. But this isn’t discouraging the Utes from performing their best.

“The team and the staff are very confident about these next two games,” said head coach Rich Manning. “The team has proven that they can perform really well and win ball games, and I think our expectation is that we are going to continue to do that.”

So far this season, Utah is undefeated in Pac-12 play. With that in mind, Leachman said that since there are only five games left, the mentality throughout the team is to take it one game at a time.

“Obviously, everyone in the Pac-12 is going to be a good, tough opponent,” Leachman said. “So I think we are just going to stick with the same mind set we have had this whole season — just take it one game at a time, play like we know how to play and just hope for the best results.”

Utah hasn’t won a game against the Bay area teams since joining the Pac-12, but it is looking to break that streak this weekend. In order to get the wins, Manning thinks that fine-tuning the little things will make all the difference.

According to Manning, the team needs to continue to play good defense, as a team and individually, make good decisions on the ball, play with a lot of energy on the road and play with confidence so they can create better chances to score. 

“We need to make sure we play how we know how to play,” Leachman said. “Don’t get panicked, don’t get in the mindset that we are away and we are playing two big name schools. We are a great team, and we have accomplished so much. We just need to settle down and just breath.”

Up first, the Utes will go head-to-head with Cal on Thursday, Oct. 20 with kickoff at 3:00 p.m., and then will make their way to Stanford on Sunday, Oct. 23 with kickoff at 2:00 p.m.

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