Tough Competition Awaits Utah Women’s Soccer Team on Road Trip
September 7, 2019
After two consecutive wins, the Utah women’s soccer team now faces their biggest challenge yet in the form of in-state rival, nationally ranked BYU this Friday at 7:00 p.m.
The game will be held down south but can be watched locally on byutv.org or can be listened to at ESPN 960. During their last matchup, BYU won 2-0. Since 1999 BYU has dominated the series 7-1. It’s time for another win, and with the momentum from last weekend’s two wins, the Utes are hoping to capitalize.
Right after facing BYU, the team will head to Boise to take on the Boise State Broncos, a team that the Utes haven’t lost to in 20 years, with only two ties among many wins. The game will be held at 1:00 p.m. This game will be live streamed on the Mountain West Digital Network.
The team will be looking to Ireland Dunn for offensive firepower during the road trip. Dunn, who went to Davis High School in Kaysville, is a local who has been improving every year in Pac-12 play and should be able to continue her streak this coming weekend.
Carly Nelson, a two-time Pac-12 Goalkeeper of the Week in 2018, will be looking to be anchoring the team on the other side of the field. Nelson, who went to Timpanogos High School in Orem, is coming off of two straight shutouts against Utah State and Cal Pol, and is looking to continue that streak against BYU and Boise State.
The Cougars are undefeated so far, playing well under the direction of head coach Jennifer Rockwood. Coming off of a dominant 7-0 win over Southern Utah University, they are hoping to continue building momentum and rising in the national polls.
Boise State is also undefeated, albeit against much weaker competition, including Idaho, Eastern Washington, and New Mexico State. Under the direction of head coach Jim Thomas, they are looking to continue their streak and make some national headlines.
This weekend is an important one for the Utes. They are currently at a crossroads, having won two games directly after losing two. For all intents and purposes, this is a fresh start, with the opportunity to continue building off of the win streak and emerge with a strong winning record against impressive competition. It will be a fascinating weekend to watch play out and an important one to show support for if possible.
It is interesting to note that both the Utes and Cougars faced Alabama earlier in the season, the Cougars defeating them 1-0 with the Utes falling 3-0. The Utes will be looking for inverted scores this time around, hoping to defeat BYU.
Last season was the Utes’ best since joining the Pac-12, coming very close to entering the NCAA tournament. That team got on an impressive run to end the season. Hopefully this team will be able to get on a run earlier in the season, and keep the momentum moving forward against both conference and non-conference foes.
