The Utah defense has been solid all year long and has finally gotten some recognition for it.
On Tuesday, the Pac-12 named goalkeeper Lindsey Luke its Defensive Player of the Week for her performance against Oregon and Oregon State last weekend. Although the honor was an individual award, it served to highlight the strong play of the Utes’ entire defensive unit in 2013.
In three matches of Pac-12 play, Utah has yet to surrender a goal, something no other school in the league can claim. This is nothing new, as the Utes’ defense has been stingy throughout the season. They didn’t allow a goal in the first 395 minutes of the campaign, and only a controversial penalty kick from BYU ended that streak. In 12 matches, Utah has posted eight shutouts and hasn’t allowed more than two goals in a single match.
A deeper look into the Utes’ first Pac-12 games shows how strong their defense is. Utah’s fifth shutout of the year came in its conference opener against Cal, a match that ended in a 0-0 draw. Strong possession in the midfield and on the backline kept the Golden Bears away from the net. The possession-oriented play limited Cal to just two shots on goal in 110 minutes of soccer. In the Bears’ other 11 matches, they have averaged 2.45 goals per game. Yes, goals — not shots.
A big part of the backline’s strong play can be credited to defender Jenny Hutton. Hutton transitioned to middle back after Monica Okapal was injured in a mid-September contest against Weber State, and the senior defender has proven to be very capable of handling the position. The Utes have yet to allow a goal in the games Hutton has started in the middle.
Even though Luke has gotten a great deal of help from her defense, she has been outstanding in her own right. In the matchup against Cal, Luke was never truly tested as the backline protected her, but she proved her worth last weekend against both the Ducks and the Beavers.
Against Oregon, Luke made three saves in the first half that kept the game scoreless, allowing Katie Rigby’s goal in the second half of play to be the game-winner. In the Utes’ 1-0 win over Oregon State, Luke again was forced to make big save after big save. Utah head coach Rich Manning called the game against the Beavers one that his team just had to grind through. The Utes were able to grind out a victory in large part because of Luke.
“What I am pleased about is I am hearing her talk more,” Manning said. “She’s not just out there making saves. She now has had two or three weeks of training since being sick, and you can see her talking and organizing coming back, and her kicking game is getting a lot better.”
Luke leads the nation in goals-against average (.113) and save percentage (.970).
“For sure, she is one of the best in the conference,” Manning said.
With a strong backline and a keeper who can make big time saves, the Utes appear capable of being competitive in every match. Utah has allowed just one goal when Luke starts, which was thought to be scored on an illegal play, and the Utes will be relying on that defense to stay on top of the Pac-12.