Amy Kofoed is now the career-goals record holder for the University of Utah. She broke Staci Burt?s old record of 38 with her 39th goal at UNLV off a free kick from Bobbie Benegas 30 minutes into the game, Saturday night.
Unfortunately for Utah, that was the only goal the Utes could get, as they fell to the Rebels, 2-1. This marks the second time in a row the Utes have lost a conference game by a score of 2-1. The other one came in overtime at the hands of San Diego State last Thursday.
The Utes are now on a three game losing streak, which comes immediately after their four-game winning streak less than two weeks ago.
At least the Utes were able to play a solid first-half game, which hurt them in the previous two games. However, on Saturday, it was the second half that killed the Utes.
Utah led at halftime 1-0 on Kofoed?s goal, but UNLV came out roaring in the second half, scoring a goal 25 seconds into the period when Annii Magliulo scored an unassisted goal. Fifteen minutes later, the Utes committed a costly error, as they fouled UNLV and allowed Robyn Krivacic to score off a rebound when Codi Schumaker missed on the free kick.
?We didn?t play well in the second half,? said Ute coach Amy Winslow. ?We allowed a quick goal in the second half, and we didn?t handle it well. We struggled in the second half as a team.?
UNLV outshot the Utes 13-10 in the game and controlled the second half.
Utah is now 6-5 overall on the season and 0-2 in conference play. Winslow feels that, although they have gotten a slow start in conference play, they still have a shot at postseason play.
?We lost the first two conference games last year and then came in second in the Mountain West,? she said. She knows the conference title would require help from other teams, but the tournament title is still attainable.
Courtney Hills took the loss for the Utes despite saving four shots, making her 2-4 on the year as goalkeeper.
Winslow is excited to bring her team home. Seven of the Utes’ 11 games have been on the road, and Utah has won just two of those. At home, the Utes are undefeated and have only allowed one goal, while scoring 15 in four games.
The Utes get three straight home games once again, starting this Thursday against New Mexico. The last time the Utes had a homestand, they won all three. Utah is looking for a similar performance in conference home games.