The Utah women’s soccer team (4-2-3) faced off against two fellow mountain teams this past week. On Thursday they traveled to Ogden to play against the Weber State Wildcats. The matchup saw a tightly fought game that ended in a 1-1 draw. The Lady Utes then traveled across the state border to Fort Collins, Colorado to square off against Colorado State. In a game that featured good defensive play, the Utes scored late and took the game against the Rams 1-0. The Utes now return to Salt Lake with a road record of 3-0-3, continuing their streak of not losing any road games this season.
Weber State
With the opening whistle still echoing, the Wildcats quickly made their mark, breaking the ice just before the seventh minute. Weber State’s Grace Kirby received a cross from teammate Morgan Furmaniak and struck the ball into the back of the net.
After the early goal by the Wildcats, the Utah defense stepped up and the Lady Utes started to play more aggressively. The Utes outshot Weber 8-2 in the first half, but each attempt was stopped by the WSU keeper and Utah went into halftime down 1-0.
In the 47th minute, Utah evened the score at one goal a piece. Taliana Kaufusi, the senior forward, struck a header past the keeper to rack up her fourth goal of the season. The remaining 40 minutes were marked by both teams vigorously searching for the winning goal. Utah amassed an additional 10 shots, four of which found the mark, but none managed to hit the back of the net.
At the end of the night, Utah held a commanding 19-5 advantage in total shots, including an 8-2 edge in shots on target. Freshman Lilliah Blum fired a ca reer-high seven shots and was one of five players on the Utes squad who had multiple shots this game. This performance marked the fifth time in seven matches that Utah had outshot their opponents.
Colorado State
The Utes continued their aggressive play against Colorado State on Sunday. The Utes led the game in shot attempts by a close margin of 18-14, however, trailed in shot-on-goal attempts 6-11.
The first half saw the two teams muster up 15 total goal attempts, but neither team was able to break through. The Rams put Utah goalkeeper Evelyn Vitali to the test twice within the first 10 minutes, but their shots were skillfully blocked by the junior goalkeeper. Vitali continued her impressive performance with three more crucial saves in the first 25 minutes, ensuring that the Utes would not fall behind early. As the first half drew to a close, Utah’s goalkeeper concluded with a season-best six saves to her name.
In the first 30 minutes of the second half, both offenses relentlessly pressed for a breakthrough that would put their team ahead, with a total of 12 shots between the two teams, yet the match remained deadlocked without a goal. It wasn’t until the 67th minute that a foul on CSU’s Olivia Fout provided the Utes with an opportunity from the penalty spot. Utah forward Katie O’Kane kept her composure and calmly converted the game-winning goal.
During the final 14 minutes of the match, the Utes played competitive defense and managed to maintain their lead. With the 1-0 victory, the Utes recorded their fourth shutout of the 2023 season.
The Lady Utes’ next matchup will be at home against the USC Trojans this upcoming Friday. The match is scheduled for 7 p.m. MDT and is sure to be a good time.
