Utah begins its second week of Pac-12 play this season hoping to improve after Friday’s 4-1 loss to Stanford.
This wasn’t the start they were looking for to open conference play. Although there were plenty of negatives from the loss, there were also a few positives the Utes can use for their next slate of games to stay competitive in the south division.
The Utes held off the top-ranked Cardinal for the entire first half, only allowing them three shots, none of which crossed the goal line. They even had an early lead, thanks to Katie Rogers, who finished a tough volley into the back of the net in the 28th minute.
This team effort by the Utes turned sour in the second half when Stanford came charging out of the gates to score four unanswered goals, two of them back-to-back in less than a minute, before the final whistle blew. Despite the poor second-half performance, Rogers can at least say they matched up well with Stanford in one half.
“Our communication was great in the first half and then we didn’t keep that up in the second half,” Rogers said. “We got a little flustered, I think, and didn’t keep our intensity up.”
Utah is now looking to use this performance as inspiration to get back on track.
Looking forward to Oregon
With no game on Sunday, the Utes gained some much-needed rest as they begin to prepare for their road trip to the Pacific Northwest, facing Pac-12 opponents Oregon State on Friday and Oregon Sunday.
These games can help the Utes gain momentum and finally earn some much-needed points in order to stay relevant this season.
One focus will be how the team finishes its shots. Getting the ball in the back of the net has been a challenge for Utah the past couple of games, something that will need to be more impressive compared to other Pac-12 teams.
Head coach Rich Manning agrees finishing needs to be better, especially in the final third, but he has seen a lot of positives to work off of in training.
“I’ve seen a lot of positives from our attacking rhythm and creating scoring chances,” Manning said. “We have to make sure we mark up and clear the ball well and get chances on frame in the offensive end.”
The Beavers are coming off of a three-game winless streak, including conference openers. This will be a great opportunity for the Utes to gain more confidence in their forwards if they can score, and to ready themselves for more difficult matchups later on in the season.
Performing on the field and in the classroom
The Utes head into the week with a new, but familiar, achievement under their belt — earning NSCAA Academic Achievement Award for their performance in the classroom in the 2014-15 school year, earning an overall team 3.41 GPA.
The award, which was established in 1996, is handed to the best and brightest soccer teams in the country. This year, a total of 554 programs across three divisions were given the honor.
Many schools are proud of their teams that earn this award, but the Utes aren’t surprised they were honored about how great they have been in school. This is the sixth year in a row the Utah soccer team has been added to the list, and their 14th overall. They are also second all-time among Pac-12 schools only.
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