Following a series versus Louisiana State University and in-state rival Utah Valley University, that resulted in a draw and a loss, the University of Utah women’s soccer team (4-2, 1-0 Big 12) returned to the Utes Field for two home games. On Thursday, the Utes welcomed the Arizona Wildcats to Salt Lake City. Then, on Sunday, Utah took on the Idaho State Bengals.
Arizona
Aspiring to get back in the winning column, the Utes took on the Arizona Wildcats for the MUSS Appreciation game. This game carried historical significance, as it was Utah Soccer’s first Big 12 Conference match-up.
Following an early back-and-forth battle, the Utes earned their first shot seven minutes into the game. Just over ten minutes into the half, Arizona found themselves with an excellent offensive opportunity. The potential goal was foiled with a save from Ute Goaltender Kasey Wardle.
Following little development, Arizona produced another scoring chance 32 minutes in, attempting to convert on a long-range shot. Akin to the previous Wildcat chance, the opportunity was quickly thwarted by Wardle.
It didn’t take long for the Utes to respond to the Arizona attack, though. Bringing the ball deep into Wildcat territory, a shot from Katie O’Kane was out of the goaltender’s reach but sailed wide of the net. With neither team able to find the back of the net, the highly defensive half came to a close in a scoreless game.
Coming into the second half, Arizona found themselves with yet another chance up close. Utah’s third save of the game ended the attack, and the Utes worked the ball upfield, applying offensive pressure themselves.
Taliana Kaufusi found herself with the ball past the Wildcat goaltender, but strong defense prevented the scoring chance. Then, in the last second of the 66th minute, Kaufusi got her revenge, assisting O’Kane on the first goal of the game.
A yellow card on Devi Dudley in the 77th minute set Arizona up with a close-range free-kick. Wardle knocked the ball away, negating the Wildcat opportunity and protecting the Ute lead.
The stellar Utah defense stumped four Wildcat corner-kicks in the last ten minutes, preserving the lead until the final second, where Utah ultimately won, 1-0. Despite the victory, the game ended on a sour note, as star Utah forward Kaufusi suffered an apparent injury in the 88th minute and was helped off the field.
Idaho State
On Sunday, the Utes welcomed the Idaho State Bengals to the Utes Field for their third straight home game. Thankfully for the Utes, Kaufusi was healthy and started the match for Utah. She would ultimately have a major impact on the outcome of the game.
The Bengal offense came out strong, scoring only 39 seconds into the game and completely shocking the Utes. Down early, Utah looked to generate some offense of their own and respond. In the eighth minute, the Utes found themselves in an excellent scoring position with the Bengal goaltender out of position, but the shot rang off the crossbar.
Then, in the 11th minute, a long pass to Kaufusi set up the Utes’ first goal of the game, knotting the score at one goal apiece. Four minutes later, on a cross from Lilliah Blum, Kaufusi netted her second goal of the game.
Later, just past 37 minutes into the half, Callie Blaylock scored, earning Utah’s third goal of the half and expanding the lead to two. The Utes carried the lead into halftime and looked for their momentum to continue into the second half.
In the 61st minute, fighting through Idaho State defenders, Kaufusi scored the hat trick goal with an assist from Kelly Bullock to extend the Ute lead to three. Around the same time, strong winds began to whip around the stadium and spots of rain began to fall, drastically changing the game’s environment.
With Erin Gibbs protecting the Utah net in the second half, she had to fight against the wild winds. Despite the challenging conditions, she continued to stand strong against the Bengal offense, helping the Utes maintain their lead.
The weather slowly cleared as the remaining time ticked off the clock, and the game resulted in a Utah victory, 4-1. The Utes finished the match with eight shots on goal, two saves and 11 fouls. With the win, Utah moves to 4-2-2 on the season.
Up Next
Next, the Utes will head on the road for back-to-back away games. On Thursday, Utah will battle against Texas Tech for their second Big 12 match-up. Then, on Monday, the Utes will travel to Provo to take on their rival, BYU.
