The Air Force Academy is the only team standing between Utah and a second-place finish in the Mountain West Conference, which would earn the Utes a first-round bye in the upcoming Mountain West Tournament.
The Utes are in a position that many thought they wouldn’t be in after their MWC home opener against BYU, a game Utah lost 5-0.
“Whenever you challenge yourself with a tough schedule and good opponents, there are two roads you can take,” said Utah head coach Rich Manning. “All of the competition and challenges can make you stronger or can sink your team, and our players have decided to be swimmers.”
Since coming into conference play with a losing record of 5-6-2, the Utes have gone 4-2-0 within the conference and have won four of their past five games.
“From a soccer standpoint, we have been able to shore up the defense,” Manning said. “We are not giving up soft or untimely goals and our concentration is better. In the past two or three games, our offense has developed a personality. But more than that, we are stronger and we want to fight back.”
While the Utes have separated themselves from the middle of the pack in the Mountain West, matchups for the upcoming conference tournament are still up in the air, with Air Force as the only team mathematically eliminated.
“This will be Air Force’s last game of the season,” Manning said. “So I’m sure we will take their best shot, and we don’t want any less than that.”
Leading the Utes into Colorado Springs will be the three-headed attack of Kelly Isleib, Katy Rieneke and Lauren Hair with 18, 14 and nine points respectively. The trio has accounted for 15 of the team’s 24 goals of the season. Hair was named last week’s MWC Offensive Player of the Week after her three-goal performance in Utah’s last home stand of the year, where it hosted Seattle University and the University of Wyoming.
The Utah offense will look to beat one of three goalies that have seen minutes for the Falcons this year. Ashlee Curtis leads the group of goalies with 26 saves on the year, averaging 1.29 goals per game. Curtis also has the Falcons’ only shut out of the year.
Offensively, the Air Force Academy’s freshman forward Bridgett Murphy leads the Falcons in goals with six, giving her 12 points on the year. The Falcons have struggled offensively, getting shut out in five of six conference games. Their only conference goal came in a 3-1 loss to UNLV. But while Air Force has struggled to find goals, as well as victories, Manning still understands the importance of this game.
“When you play them in Colorado Springs, it adds a dimension of respect and makes it feel like an honor to play against them,” Manning said. “I’m sure I will have a lot of those same feelings Friday and I’m sure our team will as well.”
With a first-round bye on the line and their destiny in their own hands, the Utes are looking to close out the regular season with a three-game winning streak. The Utes will make their final regular season push today in Colorado Springs at 5 p.m.
Nick AndrewAnne Shallenberger dressed as Scooby-Doo during practice Thursday afternoon. The Utes are looking to earn a first round bye during the MWC tournament with a win over Air Force.