This Friday, Nov. 4, Utah soccer will close out its regular season as it competes in its final conference game against Colorado. In order to prepare for the game against the Buffs, head coach Rich Manning said this week will be more of the same.
“We are just continuing to try and get better, and that means individually with our touches and our reading out there,” Manning said. “Then there is a little bit of just staying sharp, physically, trying to get the right amount of rest so they can stay sharp.”
For the past few years, Utah has gone up against Colorado in the last game of the season and the scores have varied. Last year, the Utes defeated the Buffs 2-0, but they weren’t so lucky in 2014. However, since joining the Pac-12 in 2011, that was the only time Colorado beat Utah.
But Manning isn’t looking at the track record between his team and Colorado. He is looking at how the team has performed this season. The Utes have only lost one game this season, against Stanford. Other than that, the team has either tied or defeated all of their other opponents. The Utes even defeated a ranked school, something that hasn’t been done by the Utes since they joined the conference five years ago.
“If you look at the track record this season, we have played well in almost every game, and I expect that to continue,” Manning said. “I think the team is energized by the success they have been having, and I’m sure they want to put in a good performance on Friday.”
Senior Cabria Turang feels like her team will do great against the Buffs, adding that this season has been fun and everyone is excited for their season finale.
Manning added that although Colorado is a competitive team, there isn’t any added pressure. Having finished 10 high pressure games, Manning feels that the Utes are continually growing. Manning expects their energy level to be good, and he expects them to handle the situation well.
Fortunately, his players feel the exact same way. Turang explained that not only is there no additional pressure on her or her teammates, she is more excited about the postseason.
“I just feel like this whole season we have been taking it game by game,” Turang said. “We are just going to go into it like any other game, [and] I’m just excited to see how we do in the tournament.”
Kickoff is set to begin at 3:00 p.m.
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