Utes Fall to UVU, Draw with BYU in Provo

Utah soccer continued its spring season Saturday with two outdoor matches held at BYU's campus in Provo. In morning action, the Utes dropped a 4-2 decision to Utah Valley. And, in the afternoon, the Utes played to a 1-1 tie against BYU.

Coach Rich Manning said that the matches are helping greatly in the development of this young team. "We have many new and inexperienced players. And some of our veterans are being asked to play new roles. We are definitely learning some valuable lessons in theses games. For sure, we must defend better as a team. And we also need to handle the big moments of the game better. In the Utah Valley game, we failed miserably in both of these departments. I was pleased that we were able to bounce back in those areas in the BYU game. Both of these team qualities that we want to have require leadership and mental toughness. And we must develop into a tougher team in order to have a successful season in the fall."

In the first game, the Utes started strongly and were rewarded when Katy Reineke and Kelly Isleib set up Erin Dalley in front of goal. Dalley calmly passed the ball into the net for a 1-0 Utah lead in the 7th minute. The Utes looked strong and dominant when the game changed. After a Utah corner in the 17th minute, the Wolverines countered quickly and played a through ball before the Utes could get back and the forward slotted the ball passed Utah goal keeper, Amy Edman for the 1-1 tie. UV took a 2-1 into the half-time break after another goal in the 26th minute.

The lead grew to 3-1 early in the second half with a shot from just outside the penalty area. And the outcome was sealed when a fourh was scored in the 60th minute. Utah kept battling and drew within two in the 74th minute. Kelly Isleib scored from just inside the box after a feed from Erin Dalley. The game ended at 4-2.

The second match against BYU got off to a thrilling start. Lauren Hair hit the post after a nice dribbling run along the left wing in the 7th minute. And Ute 'keeper, Emalee Rogers, was quick off her line to stuff a Cougar through pass just before it was reached by a BYU forward in the 10th minute.

Utah scored first in the 19th minute when Katy Reineke hit one of her now trademark free kicks into the corner of the net from 25 yards out. However, just one minute later, BYU defender Andrea Willis returned the favor when she bulged the net from 20 yards away after a Utah foul.

The game slowed into the second half as both teams tired a bit. Utah played a low pressure defense and prevented any easy chances. Rogers snatched a BYU cross in a crowded penalty area in the 65th minute. And Erin Dalley was stopped by the Cougar goal keeper after getting behind the defense in the 70th. The match ended in a draw.