In front of a large and energetic crowd Wednesday, the No. 21 Utes (4-0) welcomed in-state rival Weber State (2-0) to Ute Field.
Weber attacked early and played great defense down the stretch and handed the Utes their first loss of the season with a 1-0 victory.
“Credit goes to Weber,” said U head coach Rich Manning. “They played a great game and defended with heart. We definitely could have been better, especially in front of the net.”
This was the 10th meeting all-time between the two schools, with the Utes winning
the past five8212;all by shutout8212;with a combined score of 16-0.
In the opening minutes of the match, it was clear the Wildcats were not afraid of their nationally ranked opponent. They came out of the gates aggressive and seemed to be set on pulling the upset.
The Utes started the game much like they’ve done in their first four matches: playing
confident, attacking and moving the ball beautifully. Junior forward Lauren Hair was her typical energetic self, drawing three free kicks early on, but the Utes could not find the back of the net.
“I personally had chances to score, and we were not good enough in front of the goal tonight,” Hair said.
Then, in the 39th minute of the game, something happened that hadn’t all season. Former Ute, sophomore Roxanne Tebbs, stunned the Utes with a deadly strike that split the posts.
Sophomore goalkeeper Hannah Turpen was out of position, and Tebbs drilled it right past her.
“The ball came in from the corner and kind of came out of nowhere,” Tebbs said. “I took it off my chest and the first thing I thought was, “Shoot it’ and thank goodness it went it.”
The goal gave the Wildcats a ton of confidence, and they didn’t let down.
Senior goalkeeper Rebecca Ritchie was playing unbelievable defense for the Wildcats, blocking shot after shot.
The Utes went into halftime in unfamiliar territory, down 1-0.
Starting the second half, the Utes were the aggressors, advancing the ball up the field at every opportunity, but they couldn’t get anything in the goal.
Weber is well-coached and understood the position it was in. WSU played keep-away and packed in the defense, preventing the Utes any room to make a move.
The clock continued to tick, and the Utes had a new opponent8212;time.
Then play got physical. Players were hitting the turf left and right, and there was the sense something was coming from the Utes, but nothing did.
Senior midfielder Kelly Isleib made an unbelievable play, running down a loose ball, but ended up rolling her ankle and left the game with less than five minutes left.
The Utes’ best opportunity came with under a minute left. Off a corner, sophomore defender Lauren Porter had a wide open net but rushed the shot, and it went wide.
“They definitely had chances to score goals and maybe missed three shots,” said Weber State coach Tim Crompton. “Our keeper played phenomenal, no question
about it.”
And with that, the Utes dropped their first game of the season.
“We are already moving forward and won’t let this get us down,” Hair said. “We’ve had a great season and will keep up our momentum.”
The Utes look to bounce back Sunday afternoon when they welcome the college of William and Mary to Ute Field.