As the University of Utah soccer team (8-8-2 overall, 5-4-1 Pac-12) wraps up their 2018 conference season, they are heading to Boulder, Colorado to take on the Buffaloes (13-3-3 overall, 5-3-2 Pac-12).
In their last game, the Utes tied with No. 2 USC. A number of attempts on goal from both teams were shut down by solid defense on both sides, and the score remained tied at 0 after two overtime periods.
Goalkeeper Carly Nelson earned her seventh shutout of the season, and the twelfth of her career. In addition to the shutout, she gathered 11 saves in the game, which was a career high for her.
This game, which was also senior day, was the last game to be played on Ute Soccer Field, as the team will be getting a new turf stadium for the 2019 season. This stadium will be shared with the lacrosse team, who will be in their second season as a Pac-12 team next year.
Going into this final conference game, Boulder has lost their last three games, and the Utes are ranked just one point behind the Buffs in the Pac-12 standings.
“We are going to go all out next week, obviously,” said senior Paola Van der Veen. “We are going down to Boulder to get the ‘W,’ and I think we have the team to beat Colorado, and we will go from there. Hopefully we will make the NCAA tournament, and we can keep going.”
Last year against Boulder the Utes fell in a 2-0 loss. They faced Boulder in their final game of the season as well. The last time the Utes saw a victory against Boulder was in 2015 when they shutout the Buffs 2-0 at home.
The Utes are ready for revenge this season, and the team is in a winning mindset heading into their final game of the season. This is a season for redemption, and every player is feeling that energy.
Utah head coach Rich Manning stated, “We just need to bring the energy and fighting spirit that we need against another good team, and then try to get a result.”
The game will take place on Friday, Nov. 2 and kickoff will be at 3 p.m. The game will be played in Boulder, Colorado at Prentup Field.
