The Utah women’s soccer team lost its second match of the weekend to No. 19 Washington 2-0 at Ute Field. The Utes, who had to suffer losing center-back defender Hailey Skolmoski to a knee injury early in the first half, gave up two goals in a span of four minutes to an impressive Huskies team.
This is the third loss in a row for the Utes at home, and they are now below the .500 line, which could potentially decimate their chances of grabbing a spot in the NCAA Tournament by season’s end.
There were a lot of negatives to take from this match for the Utes, especially the fact that no chances were finished by the offense — a consistent problem that has cost the Utes in other big games so far this season. Utah midfielder Katie Rogers agreed that the Utes need to work harder in front of the goal and in both halves in order to finish the chances they’ve created.
“It comes down to playing 90 minutes,” said Rogers. “We dominated in the second half, but they dominated in the first half; so if we want to win a game and put away more shots we have to create more chances in the first half.”
Utah head coach Rich Manning said his team needs to do better consistently during both halves, another problem that has cost the Utes points in games, including against Washington State on Friday’s match.
“There’s a mental, physical and technical aspect to it,” Manning said. “We just have to keep practicing. The story of today is that we didn’t play well in the first half, and that’s on us. Being ready to play, being ready to fight for each other, taking what the opponents were presenting – all of those things that we’ve worked towards and train for everyday just fell apart during the first half and we can’t accept that.”
First half action started evenly for both sides, but the match changed for the worse when Skolmoski went down with a left knee injury in the 14th minute, resulting in a 50-50 tackle.
With one of Utah’s best center-backs out for the rest of the game, the Huskies took advantage with physical and tactical possession of the ball to score their first goal in the 24th minute. Washington midfielder Kelcie Hedge tapped in the ball past goalkeeper Lindsey Luke from the result of the throw-in.
After scoring, the Huskies didn’t let up on the opposition and continued to keep the pressure on the static Utah backline. They eventually scored their second goal in the 28th minute from a corner kick finished by defender McKenzie Karas. The Utes – who only had three shots the entire first half – struggled to produce any attacking plays with Washington’s defense keeping them at bay.
With its back against the wall, Utah began the second half on a better note, coming at the Huskies with high pressure and responding well defensively when Washington moved forward to attack. This style of play resulted in a few good chances for the Utes throughout the half, but unfortunately didn’t test Washington keeper Megan Kufeld.
The Huskies eventually regained their form and had some good chances on goal as well, but Utah’s defense made sure they wouldn’t add their third goal of the match with last-second tackles and saves in the penalty box from Luke and the rest of the defense.
Utah, who desperately needed a goal from all the chances it produced throughout, ultimately left Ute Field empty-handed, with its last chance being ruined by the referee standing in the way of a potential last-ditch effort shot at goal.
After the game, Manning commented on the status of Skolmoski and what it means to lose a player of her caliber at this crucial stage of the season.
“We don’t know anything specifically about the injury — all we know is that it’s her left knee,” said Manning. “Having her out is a big blow, but that’s something this team is prepared for. Stuff like this happens during the season, so we have to be ready for it when it occurs.”
Though there’s no official word as of late on Skolmoski, it looks like she will miss Utah’s next game when the Utes travel to Berkeley to take on Cal. They now have the next week to prepare for this crucial Pac-12 matchup to save the season.
@chad_marquez