In an attempt to get its first Pac-12 road win, the University of Utah soccer team (5-3-2, 0-1-1) faced Washington (8-3-0, 1-1-0) in Seattle on Thursday, Sept. 28 at the Husky Soccer Field. Although the Utes tried to capitalize on some opportunities given to them to get a goal over their opponent, they were unable to do so, resulting in a 2-0 end in favor of Washington.
“We are disappointed not to get the win,” said head coach Rich Manning. “I thought that we did some good things. Especially going forward, we created some good opportunities against a really good defensive team, but I thought we were a little sloppy in our possession in our half of the field, and we allowed them to have some opportunities off of our mistakes. That is something we will have to clean up for the next game.”
The first half started with some action from both the teams, as the Utes and Huskies quickly fouled one another. Washington got its first shot on goal thanks to a corner kick, but it failed to find the back of the net. The Huskies didn’t give up in the pursuit to get a goal. They found two more chances to score on their opponent, but the Utes managed to block their shots.
Utah struggled to find its first opportunity to take the lead in the match. Natalee Wells gave her team the first chance off of a corner kick, but it didn’t pay off. The game continued to stay 0-0 until the halfway mark of the first half.
Both teams battled to hold each other off, but it was the Huskies who scored the first goal of the game in the 26th minute, taking the lead over the Utes. Hailey Skolmoski was quick in her attack, taking a shot off of a header, but Washington’s goalie managed to save the shot and by the end of the first half, the Utes remained scoreless.
The second half started slowly as both teams struggled to score, and for the Utes, things continued downhill. Although Washington had the first chance at a goal in the final half, it couldn’t extend its lead at that time. The Utes tried to get their equalizing shot, but the Huskies pulled away as they got another goal late in the second half, making it difficult for the Utes to come back.
Carly Nelson dove for the ball, but Washington met the ball in the air and shot it in the back of the net, drawing the game to a close.
“I thought we had some good moments,” Skolmoski said. “There were times where we connected passes really well and found some good opportunities, but we obviously have a lot of things to work on. That wasn’t necessarily the style of soccer that we want to play so hopefully we learn from it and move forward.”
Up next for the Utes, they will head to Pullman, Washington to face Washington State on Sunday, Oct. 1 on the Lower Soccer Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. MT.
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