Following last Friday’s 1-0 loss to Texas A&M in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the Utes remained in their locker room for some time. In a scene that players and coaches described as emotional, Utah felt the sting of its season being over. During this somber moment, head coach Rich Manning invited his players to raise up their heads and be proud of what they had accomplished.
The Utes came into the season with the goal of winning the Pac-12, but there was more behind that goal than just having championship aspirations. Players wanted to prove to the rest of the conference that they were not just in the Pac-12 to be there. They wanted to show that they were good enough to compete with and beat the best the conference had to offer. In doing so, the team hoped to set a standard for future teams to strive for, as well as create a precedent for other Utah teams.
The conference championship eluded the Utes, who were picked to finish ninth in the standings, but they rode an impressive defense and opportunistic offense to a third-place finish in the Pac-12 and the program’s first NCAA tournament appearance since 2006.
“In my mind, they deserved it,” Manning said. “They put in the work, they put in the sacrifice and the commitment to the team, and in so many ways they were rewarded for that. That’s the best reward for a coach.”
From the very beginning of the year, Utah showed that its greatest strength would be a dominant defense, as it did not allow a goal for the first 397 minutes of the season, a program record. That defense stood strong all season and the Utes finished the year ranked 25th in the country in goals-against average.
For the season, Utah tallied 10 shutouts, including nine by sophomore goalkeeper Lindsey Luke, which is a new team record. Luke, who missed time early in the year with a case of mononucleosis, returned to have a season in which she was named to the All-Conference second team.
“Every opportunity to make a positive contribution, even after my horrible case of mono, was my favorite moment this year,” Luke said. “Overcoming all sorts of adversity, it makes all the adversity worthwhile.”
One of Luke’s shutouts came in the team’s first conference game against then-No. 11 Cal. After a successful pre-conference slate that saw the Utes go 4-1- 4, Utah came into Pac-12 play looking to prove that it was a legitimate contender for the conference crown. The Utes and Golden Bears played to a scoreless draw, but Utah outplayed Cal and clearly seemed to be the better team. The Utes had more or less arrived.
Key for Utah this season was the way it played on the road. In their first two years in the Pac-12, the Utes’ Achilles’ heel had been their inability to even garner a positive result away from Ute Field. They lost all but one conference road game in those seasons. In its first conference road trip of 2013, Utah earned a split when it beat Washington State 4-3. The Utes also won 1-0 at Arizona to double their all-time conference road wins.
While Utah played much better on the road this year than it had in the past, 2013 also showed that Ute Field is a place Pac- 12 opposition will not be looking forward to visiting in the future. Utah went undefeated at home, going 7-0-4 overall and 4-0-2 in conference play.
This home magic was on full display during the team’s regular-season finale against Colorado. Trailing 1-0 with three minutes remaining and needing at least a tie to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive, Megan Trabert blasted home an Ashton Hall corner to send the Utes into overtime. Jill Forsberg finished off the undefeated home season by knocking in a shot from distance.
Though Utah succeeded as a team, individuals were rewarded for the squad’s stellar play. Joining Luke on the All- Conference second team was senior defender Hutton. Junior Ashton Hall was an honorable mention selection and midfielder Katie Rigby was named to the All-Freshman team.
With the success the Utes had this year, more will now be expected of them in the future.
“No question the expectations are raised,” Manning said. “To be able to experience that kind of success makes you hungry for more, and the confidence it gives you allows you to execute on a higher level.”
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