It was a disappointing game for the University of Utah soccer team (4-1-1) according to midfielder Eden Jacobsen. Her team walked away with a 1-1 draw against in-state rival BYU on Friday, Sept. 8. But although the Utes couldn’t pull ahead of the Cougars, Jacobsen feels that match helped her team get prepared for its next opponent.
“[The game against BYU] was really positive,” Jacobsen said. “Obviously we have things we want to work on and take away from this game, but overall, we are positive going into the next game. We are really looking forward to improving on all that we need to.”
Head coach Rich Manning saw the improvements that need to be made. He said that in the match against the Cougars his team had opportunities to win the game, and it gave up a goal that he didn’t want his team to give up. Manning feels the mindset on his team is unanimous: They should have walked away with more than a tie.
Jacobsen scored the lone goal for the Utes. Manning said the goal was made off a great play and demonstrated a lot of composure from Jacobsen. In an environment like Provo it’s not always easy to take a moment to slow down and take the right chance, but Jacobsen found her way.
Looking ahead to their next matchup, the Utes will head to Durham, North Carolina to play against No. 11 Duke on Monday, Sept. 11. Manning said he scheduled this game because he wanted to challenge his team.
“Duke is a fantastic team and they [have] a similar style of game to some of the top teams in our league, like UCLA and Stanford,” Manning said. “So it’s a good test for us early in the season and good training for us for some of the games we are going to see in October.”
Jacobsen wants the Utes to build upon their game against BYU, as well as previous games, as they take on Duke. She said the team has a goal to go out on the field and play how they know they can, and they are looking forward to doing that against the Blue Devils.
According to Jacobsen, the most important thing Utah needs to work on to emerge with a win against Duke is composure and attack.
“I think a lesson the team can learn from [BYU’s] game is handling their emotions well in those big moments,” Manning said. “I think [Duke’s] game is going to be more about playing good soccer, keeping the ball and working together.”
The match gets underway at 5 p.m. MT.
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