Coming off a 2-1 victory, the No. 25 ranked University of Utah soccer team (5-2-1) took down Kansas to close out its nonconference schedule. The Utes took an early 2-0 lead over their opponent, and they held it for the majority of the game. Kansas fought to equalize the score, but it only managed to find the back of the net one time, in the second half.
“I thought that we really took it to them,” said forward Ireland Dunn. “There are things we can work on, but that’s how it is after every game. There are things we need to work on and there are things that we did really well. I thought it was a good game going into conference so I think it was good for us to get that win and to have things to come off the field with to improve.”
Head coach Rich Manning agrees with Dunn that his team defended “fearlessly and ferociously” in their defensive area. Manning was pleased with how goalie, Carly Nelson, as well as a handful of his other defenders, played against the Jayhawks.
But what stood out to Manning the most about his team overall, was the way it grinded through five games in three weeks. Manning could tell his team was feeling run down, but the way it pushed through and mustered enough energy to win against a team like Kansas gave him confidence moving forward to face their next challenge.
The Utes now move into Pac-12 play with their first match taking place against No. 10 USC on Saturday, Sept. 23 at 2 p.m. MT at the Ute Soccer Field.
“I think everyone is really pumped up, especially since USC was our last game last year so everyone is excited that it will be our first conference game and it’s a home game,” Dunn said. “I think we are going to come out really strong and play as a team.”
After taking on USC this past season, Utah learned it needs to focus on making action happen on the offensive side of the game early on. Dunn said her team sometimes gets caught playing defense too much, so it has been working on creating opportunities and capitalizing on them by scoring. For Manning, what he remembers from last year’s game is something he wants to avoid this season.
“Don’t lose,” Manning said. “I remember that. We all remember that. But I think other than the freshmen, we all know what the challenge is, and we just have to go and execute it.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. MT.
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