After taking a break from their regular season line up to compet against Beijing Normal University, Utah soccer was back in action on Ute Field on Monday, Sept. 5, to play in-state rival BYU. In an intense match between the Utes and the Cougars, Utah took a 2-0 loss.
Overall, Utah and BYU kept pressure on each other, but the Utes fell short in the game while BYU managed to score twice against their opponent.
“I am really proud of the team’s effort,” said head coach Rich Manning. “I felt like we did some really good things. I think the difference in the game was we got punished for a moment or two for losing focus and our chances were shot right at the goalie, so for me those were the difference.”
In the first half of the game, there was a lot of back and forth play, with some physicality from both sides.
In a close attempt from BYU, freshman goalkeeper Carly Nelson managed to block the shot. But shortly after, the Cougars scored the first goal of the game in the 21st minute, making the score 1-0.
Utah had its first chance to tie the game, but sophomore midfielder Paola van der Veen failed to sink the ball into the back of the net on a free kick. The Utes had two more close shots, however, both were saved by BYU’s goalkeeper.
BYU managed to hold off Utah for the rest of the half.
In the second half, Utah had a strong start, with multiple shots on goal by sophomore forward/defender Hailey Skolmoski and Van der Veen, but both were saved by BYU’s goalkeeper before the 55th minute.
After good possession between the Cougars and the Utes, BYU scored its second goal of the game in the 60th minute, bringing its lead to 2-0.
In their last attempt, Skolmoski took a shot at the goal, but the ball hit the crossbar, and she failed to get a score on the board for the Utes.
“We are obviously disappointed with the loss,” Skolmoski said. “But, I thought that we played well and we fought until the end so that was good teamwork.”
Up next for the Utes, the team will head to Purdue, Ind. to compete against Purdue on Friday, Sept. 9, with kickoff at 5:00 p.m.
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