The women’s soccer team (5-2) welcomed the Princeton Tigers (1-2) to Ute Field on Wednesday night and got back to its winning ways.
The Utes upended the Tigers 2-0 and brought their two-game losing streak to an end.
Head coach Rich Manning also earned his 100th career victory since taking over as the Utes’ head coach in 2002.
Athletic director Chris Hill presented Manning with an award after the game to honor his accomplishment.
“I’m really lucky to have a boss like Chris Hill,” Manning said. “I love it here and am so lucky. Coaches come here and see the facilities and the crowd, and they want my job. So I need to keep winning.”
The Utes had senior midfielder Kelly Isleib back, who injured her ankle in the loss to Weber State.
The Utes came out of the gates with a lot of energy and seemed on a mission to redeem themselves for the past two games, in which they were outplayed and looked sluggish.
Utah was aggressive and had two shots on the goal in the first half but could not find the back of the net.
Princeton was much smaller at every position but did not back down. The Tigers had a game plan of their own8212;to possess the ball and make the Utes work.
The teams went into halftime knotted up at 0-0. The Utes started the second half much like they did the first, with a lot of energy. In the 53rd minute, redshirt sophomore Erin Dalley got her second goal of the season and gave the Utes a 1-0 lead.
Isleib played a free kick wide that was saved by sophomore Lauren Porter at the right side of the box. Dalley was in the right place at the right time and got a header to go off Porter’s assist.
“I was very pleased with our second half because our energy was at a very high level,” Manning said. “Our energy carried us through the game against a good Princeton team.”
The goal re-energized the Utes, and they started moving the ball with precision and confidence.
As Princeton searched for an equalizer, the Utes snuffed out all opportunities. Sophomore goalkeeper Hannah Turpen played extremely well between the pipes and notched another shutout while making four saves.
The Utes crushed Princeton’s spirits in the 72nd minute when freshman defender Natalie Young scored her first career goal.
Young, a sprinter on the track team, secured the ball and looked to advance it up field. She saw an opening, sprinted through the defense, pulled up from about 20 yards out and nailed a powerful strike to the right post.
“This feels awesome to help the team on the field and get a goal,” Young said. “We’ve been working on getting quick shots off and I was just doing that.”
The Utes have had 10 different players score a goal this season.
Utah now heads on the road for four straight games, starting with the University of Colorado on Friday.
Lennie MahlerU athletic director Chris Hill hands women?s soccer head coach Rich Manning a trophy commemorating his 100th win after the Utes defeated Princeton 2-0 on Wednesday at Ute Field.