No luck: The Utah soccer team was handed its third-straight loss in 10 days as the Utes were outlasted by a tough No. 23 Cal team 2-0 in Berkley on Sunday. The Utes — who lost their fourth game in Pac-12 play this season — are searching for answers on how to save their season after this unfortunate result.
Chances not finished: One of the consistent storylines for this Utah team this season has to do with its finishing woes. Even though the Utes moved the ball and had great moments of possession throughout the game, they couldn’t get any goals on the board as a result. Utah came out strong at the start of the match and had two great opportunities to get in front of the Bears with opportunities by Taylor Slattery and Katie Rogers resulting from high pressure. All shots taken, however, either sailed across and over the goal or were saved by Cal keeper Emily Boyd. The opportunity to lead in the first half were diminished by the Bears good defense, leaving Utah’s offense frustrated.
Luke comes up big: After Utah’s blundered opportunities, Cal began to wake up and challenged the Ute’s defensive line with close shots on goal. Utah goalkeeper Lindsey Luke – who had five big saves on the day – began saving her team by stopping Cal forward Samantha Witteman’s shot in the 22nd minute. But Luke can only do so much to keep Cal from scoring and couldn’t save the Utes from a Cal goal resulting from a free kick moments later. The Bears then continued to test Luke, who kept it a one-goal game, until Cal senior Ifeoma Onumonu put away her second goal of the season to put the Bears up 2-0 in the 37th minute.
More tough opposition: The Utes now find themselves in a critical situation this week at training following their defeat to Cal. They are now sitting in a disappointing ninth place in the Pac-12 standings with five games to go. Earning points this weekend is crucial, but will also be a difficult challenge when they travel to Southern California to take on USC on Friday and last year’s NCAA champions UCLA the following Sunday. If Utah wants to win these two tough matchups, it will have to come together as a team, knowing its pride is on the line and get the job done to save the season.
Coaches Corner: “We are disappointed in the results of today’s game. However, I thought we played with good energy and had some moments of quality. Kaycee Buckley and Rogers were excellent on the ball in the midfield. And Megan Trabert and Paola van der Veen moved the ball for us in the back. Giving up the early goal made our task more difficult. We fought hard to get back in the game and created some good opportunities. Baylee Nielsen got forward and was dangerous on the wing. We hope to build on these positives heading into next weeks’ games.” – Utah head coach Rich Manning