The Utah soccer team hits the road again this weekend for a double-header against USC and UCLA. Both games are substantial for the Utes, who are on the verge of another disappointing season if they don’t obtain any points on their Southern California trip.
Utah is currently on a three-game winless streak and does not want to continue its losing woes. There’s also extra incentive in winning these games. The Utes are hoping to grab a higher seeding into the Pac-12 championship and might have an opportunity to save their 2015 campaign.
The Utes begin their weekend against the USC Trojans (5-1-0, 10-4-1) on Friday. USC is doing surprisingly well this season and is second in the Pac-12 standings, only behind No. 4 Stanford. The Trojans are also riding a three-game winning streak, with their most impressive win happening last weekend when they beat Oregon 4-0.
Utah is aware of USC’s offensive capabilities and will need to be prepared for the counter attack. The Trojans are an attack-minded team, averaging 1.4 goals a game, and are led by sophomore forward Sydney Johnson, who has five goals this season. The Utes also need to prepare for USC’s defense as well, which has conceded the second-least amount of goals in the conference.
The Utes will then head across town to face the UCLA Bruins (2-3-1, 6-7-1) on Sunday. The Bruins, who are the defending NCAA champions, are having a bit of a championship hangover. They are currently only two spots above Utah at seventh place and are coming off a two-game winless streak.
Plenty of the Bruins’ leaders left after last year, so this may be the reason they are suffering. Even if this is the case, Utah needs to be aware that this team is still the defending champs and have had a few flashes of greatness this season that include a 5-1 win over Arizona two weeks ago.
If the Utes can take care of business in both games, they will be in a decent spot in the Pac-12 standings — that is, if other games over the weekend go Utah’s way. Head coach Rich Manning knows these matches are especially important and has prepared his team accordingly.
“It’s all about energy level and details,” Manning said. “I think with USC, they have a stout defense and are a very physical team, so we have to be ready to bring it and create chances. I don’t think they’re going to give a lot of opportunities, so we have to be creative up-front and be solid in the back. Against UCLA it’s dealing with their athleticism. There is so much speed on the outside and on top. It’s two different tempos and rhythms between these two teams and we need to be ready for it.”
There is also extra motivation among the players, primarily the seniors, who want to finish the season strong. Senior defender Baylee Nielsen also agrees that in order to finish strong, the Utes need to beat USC.
“We need to focus on what we’re going to do and not what they are doing,” Nielsen said. “I think what we need to focus on more is attacking. We’re a defensive-minded team sometimes, and I think if we come out and attack these teams offensively and get down their throats, we’ll get the two wins this weekend.”
Both matches will be a challenge for Utah, but if the team can get in the right mindset and continue its positive play, a glimpse of which was seen this past Sunday against Cal, the Utes could pull of a better ending to their 2015 campaign.
@Chad_Marquez