Spring is here, and while the sun is out and the flowers are blooming, the soccer team has been on the field kicking balls and conditioning at full speed in preparation for next season.
The Utes are in the thick of their spring exhibition schedule, which head coach Rich Manning uses for live-action training in preparation for the season to come.
“In general, our attack has gotten a lot better, and that was an area we struggled with last year, so that has been a real focus of ours,” Manning said. “So on our attack we’ve done a lot better this year.”
With matches against Westminster, UNLV and Utah State University, the Utes are now 2-1 in preseason play. With dominating 4-0 wins against Westminster and Utah State (4-0), Utah is starting to grow into an impressive team.
“Last fall, we played well in a lot of games,” Manning said. “We didn’t get all the results we probably should have, and that’s a lesson the players learned. I think having gone through that experience, and with the players continuing to develop, I expect us to do even better next year.”
Utah has four games remaining in the spring season, which will give Manning plenty of opportunities to play his young players.
“We’re just trying to get our players the experience so they can continue to develop,” Manning said.
Manning signed five incoming freshmen, and the existing roster lost no players to graduation. Manning hopes the result is a roster with a healthy mix of fresh talent and experience.
“This is the largest spring roster we have ever had,” Manning said. “We have been doing a lot of competing during training. Players are trying to get the opportunity to play in games, so there has been a lot of competition between them.”
The Utes’ final remaining preseason games include two games in one day as they head to Provo on April 13 to face Utah Valley University as well as BYU. Matches conclude April 20 at Ute Field, when Utah hosts Wyoming and Idaho State in what appears to be another doubleheader before spring ball concludes.