MWC Defensive Player of the Week Emalee Rogers and the Utah defense will put their shutout streak on the line this weekend in back-to-back home games at Ute Field.
The Utes haven’t been scored on in their past two contests, which earned Rogers the weekly award and gave the Utes the boost they needed to begin to turn around what many considered a slow start for head coach Rich Manning’s club.
“I think our defense has been our biggest area of improvement so far,” Manning said. “We have done a good job lately of limiting our opponents’ quality scoring chances. We are making them earn everything they get and giving away a lot less.”
Rogers and the defense will have to be on top of their game this weekend as the Utes first host the Long Beach State 49ers on Friday night and Cal State Fullerton on Sunday. LBSU will bring a 4-2-1 record into Ute Field, fresh off a convincing 3-0 win against BYU in Provo.
“I am pretty familiar with Long Beach State,” Manning said. “I know their coach very well, and I have seen them play a few times. They are a veteran group that has won the Big West Conference a couple of times but haven’t made the NCAA Tournament. LBSU is a mature group that is very motivated to achieve their goal of reaching the tournament. They play good soccer and they have some attacking weapons that we will have to keep an eye on.”
The 49ers are led by sophomore midfielder Lindsay Bullock, who has managed to find the back of the net four times through seven games this season to go along with her one assist. LBSU is the two-time defending Big West Conference Champion, and was able to take care of business last season, when they hosted the Utes and managed to hold onto a 1-0 lead and get the win in Long Beach, Calif.
It will be another matchup with a Big West school Sunday afternoon for the Utes when they wrap up their home set against Cal State Fullerton. CSF is currently ranked No. 21 in the nation, despite carrying a three-game losing streak into its first game of the weekend versus SMU.
“Cal State Fullerton got off to a strong start this year, and along with Long Beach State, they are the class of the Big West,” Manning said. “They are gritty, athletic, and can move the ball around well. I think both of these games will provide another level of good competition for us. Both teams seem similar to a couple of squads we will face in the Mountain West Conference.”
The Utes will be excited to return home to Ute Field for the weekend set, especially after the record-breaking crowd that was on hand for their last home game when they hosted Utah State.
“I know all of us, players and coaches alike, have been really excited about the environment at our home games this year,” Manning said. “Particularly Friday night, with all of the Utah youth players there; it really energized our team. We are excited now to come back and try to reward our fans with more strong performances at home.”
The weekend will kick off Friday night at Ute Field. Start time against LBSU is slotted for 7:30 p.m.
Sunday the Utes will be taking part in “Pink On The Pitch”, which is a promotion to help raise awareness for breast cancer. Fans wearing pink will get free admission to the game and it all gets underway at 1 p.m.
Aaron SchwendimanKelly Isleib and the Utes will face two Big West schools at Ute field this weekend.