Rail Jam Rocks Campus on Wednesday

In the land of the "Greatest Snow on Earth", this is high time for skiing, snowboarding and the like. And we had a great event on campus this week...the Rail Jam came to the area just outside the Olpin Student Union Building. And a group of ski and snowboard artists rocked the crowd with incredible tricks.

As the saying goes..."Go big or go home" was the theme of the day.

Great event...click here for more photos and an article about the spectacular fun.

UEFA Champions League: Benayoun's Goal A Classic

Lots of good soccer to watch and talk about this week. The UEFA Champions League was in full force as the "Sweet Sixteen" kicked of with their first legs on Tuesday and Wednesday. Many of the games were played very conservatively, with lots of defense. The FC Porto vs. Atletico Madrid match (a 2-2 tie) was "highlighted" by some awful goal keeping. And Bayern Munich seems to have clinched advancement after a 5-0 drubbing of Sporting Lisbon. But the others appear to be up for grabs with the return legs on March 10 and March 11.

The Liverpool match at Real Madrid pitted two of the most decorated clubs in Europe against each other. We like both teams (although it's hard for the Utes not to root for a team whose nickname is "the Reds"! AND Fernando Torres is one of our favorite strikers!

The Reds stunned the home crowd with a gorgeous set piece with just 8 minutes left. From the right side of the field, defender Fábio Aurélio hit a left-footed, in-swinger curling to about the 8 yard line...it had the perfect pace and bend...and it caught Real Madrid 'keeper, Ilker Casillas, in no man's land...and midfielder Yossi Benayoun rose above the crowd to head it home...a CRUCIAL away goal heading into the return leg. And a classic "shot/cross" that would rival anything David Beckham has done.

Champions League highlights are hard to come by with rights fees, etc. But, you have to watch Yossi Benayoun's spectacular goal in the closing moments of this classic game in Madrid, Spain.

We also recommend the CONCACAF Champions League, which is going on right now as well. The Houston Dynamo tied 1-1 with Atlante from Mexico on Tuesday night and will have to get a result in Mexico next week (CONCACAF Champions League is on Fox Soccer Channel). We're big fans of the Dynamo as they play great team soccer and handle the ball well.

Working on Finishing

Our early morning training continues...like the old Army commercial goes..."we do more before 9 AM than most people do in the entire day!" (Well, it's almost like the old slogan). The players are working extremely hard and starting to see the benefits of their efforts.

This week has been focused on what we call "box work"...for the attacking players it's getting to spots in the penalty box and finishing...for the defenders it's pressuring at the right spots and clearing...

And of course the goal keepers are getting LOTS of great work...Shay Kennedy has been taking the big load of work and doing well. Hannah Turpen is back in the nets with some restrictions on contact...and Emalee Rogers has made a quick recovery from a broken leg suffered over Christmas...she is taking some shots and crosses already.

The Golden Boot for Wednesday goes to Mallory Mitamura, who put on an impressive display of goals in our 3 vs. 2 game...volleys, 1-timers, benders, toe-pokes...you name it, Mallory performed it...Great job!

Speaking of finishing...the Women's Professional Soccer league is starting up next month and the teams are starting their training camps this week. Brazilian great Marta has signed with the Los Angeles Sol.

We found a nice article in the Los Angeles Times about some of her background and how she found soccer (not hard to find in Brazil!)

Click here to read.




(Photo from Si.com)

Utes to Host Alumni Game Event on April 4

Ute Field will be hopping and popping on Saturday, April 4 as we will be hosting our annual Alumni Game at 11:00 A.M. The current Ute team will be squaring off against former players. We expect to see many familiar faces along with their new families...husbands, kids and the likes.

The Alumni Game is added to the previously released spring schedule as the Utes prepare for the 2009 season... An updated schedule:


Saturday, March 28 vs. UNLV and BYU Las Vegas, NV
Wednesday, April 1 vs. Utah State at Ute Field
Saturday, April 4 Alumni Game at Ute Field (11:00 AM)
Saturday, April 11 at BYU event Provo, UT
Saturday, April 18 vs. Oregon NIKE Campus in Beaverton, OR
Sunday, April 19 vs. Seattle U. NIKE Campus in Beaverton, OR

Great Example of Sportsmanship

We like to talk about the lessons that sports provide and how it makes us better people. And once in a while, you see a great example that brings home the point. Here is one. A high school basketball team misses free throws on purpose so that a player who was late to the game to grieve over his mother's passing can play...WOW!

Click here for more details. Great story.

Shaq and Kobe not the only comebacks going on!

(Photo from NBA.com)

Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant staged a bit of a comeback Sunday night at the NBA All-Star game...reliving the "good times' from their days as Lakers teammates (1998-2004)....

By the way, did you see Shaq's "dance" intro at the game with the Jabbawockeez dance troop...? Check it out a must see! Who could imagine a person 7'3" tall can move like that...we have some players who think they can dance well, but don't know if we can top this!


Well, the Utes started training again after the long Valentine's Day weekend (I guess it's actually the President's Day weekend...but it's hard to top Valentine's Day...did you get any good presents or treats?). And we have some comebacks of our own going on... Goalkeeper Hannah Turpen is back taking some shots after over two months off from her knee injury. Forward Jen Christoffers is easing her way back into some non-contact drills after knee surgery last summer. Forward Erin Dalley is almost all the way back...training regularly...after summer knee surgery. Goalkeeper Emalee Rogers is running again after her broken leg from Christmas break. And Anne Shallenberger and Katie Martinez and walking and jogging after compartment syndrome procedures since the end of the season...We hope to have all back for our spring games starting at the end of March.

3 cheers for comebacks!

Utah Ski Resorts Featured in USA Today

We've written about our love for the mountains and ski resorts in Utah before. And we were stoked to see an feature article in today's USA Today newspaper about the great and reasonably priced ski resorts in Utah...

Check out the article in the USA Today!

Utah Spring Schedule Taking Shape

Today was the first day of official spring practice. We worked a bit on our speed of play and some individual defending. We had 12 healthy bodies as last fall's seniors are not training with us. A few players are still recovering from injuries: Katie Martinez, Emalee Rogers, Christine Quinn, Anne Shallenberger and Jen Christoffers are still in various stages of recovery. Hanna Turpen is just coming back and slowly getting up to full contact. And Erin Dalley is back from last summer's ACL surgery.

We are practicing in the beautiful Spence Eccles Fieldhouse on campus. Check it out here!

We will play 5 "games" during the spring, the maximum allowed by the NCAA. Some days will be multiple games. Here are the dates and details:

Saturday, March 28 vs. UNLV and BYU Las Vegas, NV
Wednesday, April 1 vs. Utah State at Ute Field
Saturday, April 11 at BYU event Provo, UT
Saturday, April 18 vs. Oregon NIKE Campus in Beaverton, OR
Sunday, April 19 vs. Seattle U. NIKE Campus in Beaverton, OR

We'll have more details as they arrive.

Huge Sports Day in Salt Lake City

If you follow this blog regularly or occasionally, you have probably figured out that the Utes are big sports fans. There is a lot to follow here in Salt Lake City and today is one of those days when that stars are aligned and there is major action going on everywhere you look. So here is the run down:

5:00 PM Mountain Time:
US vs. Mexico World Cup Qualifier ESPN 2 from Columbus, OH
World Cup 2010 CONCACAF qualifying begins with another version of "La Guerra Fria"...(the Cold War). There is no greater rivalry in soccer in these parts and it will be intense and dramatic, for sure. We've got some links:
Check out this pictorial of the Top 10 US-Mexico games of all-time from SI.com
Check out this story on the U.S. forward, Brian Ching
And this one with some background on the game from the Los Angeles Times


We'll share some exciting news about World Cup qualifying and Salt Lake City here later this week!...

7:00 PM Mountain Time:
Los Angeles Lakers at Utah Jazz (Energy Solutions Arena)
Kobe and Phil are in town and it always brings good basketball and excitement!


8:00 PM Mountain Time:
San Diego State Aztecs at Utah Utes (Men's Basketball)
Okay, the real big one for the Utes tonight...men's basketball is hosting the Aztecs. Both teams sit at 7-2 in MWC play and first place is on the line. The Huntsman Center will be rockin' and rollin' in red tonight and many team members will be there..You can watch on "the Mtn." channel, if you have it.. We hope Ute sophomore Carlon Brown will have another dunk like he did last week against TCU...it was the #1 play of the night on ESPN's Sportscenter! If you haven't seen it yet...click here...WOW!

Okay, let's root for our teams hard and we'll see you tomorrow with sore throats and no voices left!

New Ute: Ashley Mosley Brings Speed to the Defense

Ashley Mosley came onto the Utah recruiting radar somewhat late in the process. She was spotted at the Thanksgiving Surf Cup in San Diego. And we are very thankful indeed! Ashley is a fast and versatile defender. She is two-footed and can play on any row of the field (defense, midfield, forward). Ashley is a great competitor and will bring speed and toughness to the Ute back line.

Ashley is from Las Vegas, Nevada, where she plays for the Players SC and coach Saeed Bonabian (a former Utah men's soccer coach!) as well as Centennial High School. Ashley spent some of her early years in Okinawa, Japan...sounds like a great adventure. She also had some great battles with current Utah defender Lauren Dudley as Ashley's Centennial and Lauren's Palo Verde are great rivals!

Welcome, Ashley!

New Ute: Hanna Terry goes to Sweden to prepare for next fall

It was a great adventure this week to get new Utah forward Hanna Terry to sign and turn in her National Letter of Intent (NLI). You see Hanna is currently in Sweden. Her mom is in Aspen on a ski week...and the logistics of getting signatures and faxes in has been a challenge..but it's done and now official...Hanna has joined the team!

Hanna is a fast and skillful attacker. She can beat defenders on the dribble, with a pass or just by running by them. Hanna (along with fellow New Ute, Zoe Van Gorder) led her Park City High School team all the way to the State 3A Championship game this fall and led the team in scoring...she scored a number of goals during the state playoffs to propel her team to the final. Hanna played with Zoe on the Black Diamond club team coached by Richie Breza. Zoe and Hanna played as freshman with Kelly Isleib on Park City's state champions.

Hanna's mom is from Sweden. And Hanna graduated from Park City this December. She is currently in Malmoe, living with relatives. She is going to school to learn Swedish a bit better and to practice her soccer for this fall. She'll return in April...what a great way to finish high school!

Welcome, Hanna!

New Ute: Monica Continues Bountiful HS Connection

The Utes have had many good players come from Bountiful High School...Monica Okapal is the newest member of the entering Class of 2009...and the latest Bountiful High School product of coach Dave Wigham's program. Monica suffered a traumatic ACL injury to her knee in 2007 and missed her junior year of high school soccer. However, she came back strong as a senior to score over 25 goals and lead the Braves to the State Final game in class 4A this year.

Names such as Carisse Winegar and current players Christine Quinn and Chelsea Forbes will ring familiar with Utah Soccer fans. And Monica will bring the same kind of talent and competitiveness to the U.

Welcome, Monica!

New Ute: Dual Sport Athlete Joins the Team

Natalie Young will be making the trip up I-15 to Salt Lake City next year. Natalie will be very busy as she will be playing soccer in the fall semester and running for the Ute track and field squad in the spring.

Natalie is a forward from Springville High School, where she played for coach Ryan Swanson. (Former Ute player Mckenzie Joyner also came to the U from the Red Devils).

Natalie is fast, she is two-footed and covers a lot of ground. She was chosen as the Utah Valley Girls' Soccer Player of the Year by the Provo Daily Herald (they took the photo at left). Click here to read the article.

Natalie will also be running the long sprints for the Utah Track and Field team. She runs the 100, 200 and 400 meter sprints and was a state champ in her class last year as a junior. Natalie will be following in the footsteps of former Utah dual-sport great, Amanda Feigt, who was a 4-time all Mountain West Conference player in soccer and won the MWC heptathlon in 2007.

Welcome, Natalie!






Ute soccer and track fans

New Ute: Canadian Thunder from Toronto

Stephanie Lemeza is the latest player to join the Utah Ute soccer family! Stephanie hails from Toronto, Ontario in Canada. She attends St. Aloysius Gonzaga Secondary School and plays for coach Fausto Macri and the Erin Mills Soccer Club.

Coach Manning spotted Stephanie in between shivers in Mississauga last May in some of the coldest soccer weather he can remember...He almost lost some fingers due to frostbite, but it was worth it! Steph is a powerful and versatile player. She is excellent in the air, hits great long passes and can score from distance.

The U. has a long list of great Canadian athletes in sports like basketball, swimming and diving, skiing, track and field....Stephanie is the first Canadian to join the soccer program...and we are super excited to have Stephanie on our team!

Happy Birthday, Christine!

Well, Friday morning workouts started off with a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday, Christopher"....as we celebrated #20 for sophomore defender, Christine Quinn!

Chris is a very hard worker and one of the most improved players on the team. Fellow sophomore, Morgan Skeen, brought Chris a birthday present of some "Bling"...a big gold necklace and gold teeth...We are busy looking for a photo, but think Christine's family would appreciate this happy photo for now.

Have a great day, Christine. Those teen years are now in the rear view mirror.

New Ute: Zoe Brings Defense and more

The paper work is trickling in on our new group of Utah soccer players...we'd like to give you the news as it happens. We will follow up with a more detailed release on UtahUtes.com early next week...

Zoe Van Gorder is a tremendous athlete: power, strength, agility. She is also a good defender and is a weapon with her heading ability. Here is a photo of Zoe signing her NLI to make it official...smiles all around and great excitement at the soccer offices.

Zoe comes to the U from Park City High School (about 30 minutes away from campus) and the Black Diamond Soccer Club, where she played for Coach Richie Breza. Zoe was a high school teammate of current Ute Kelly Isleib and a club teammate of current Ute Chelsea Forbes.

Welcome, Zoe!!

NLI Signing Date is Tomorrow!

Tomorrow is a big day for the Utes. It is the first day that high school seniors can sign National Letters of Intent, which means that players will officially be joining our family. Our team and fans will be jumping for joy tomorrow as the NLI's come in, just like in the picture!

A National Letter of Intent (NLI) is a document that tells the NCAA which school a players will attend. Once it is signed and sent in, then that player becomes a full-fledged member of that team. High school seniors can sign an NLI in soccer any time after 7:00 AM tomorrow. They don't have to sign tomorrow...but can do it all the way through the summer.

Join the Ute Soccer blog (here) and UtahUtes.com tomorrow and through the week as we introduce to you are new team members and give you the inside scoop!

Super Bowl excitement

Did you see the big game last night? Yes, even us soccer fanatics watch other sports at times. And the Super Bowl was a great example of players performing at the highest level under the most intense pressure imagined. What a great advertisement for sports! And what a great example of confidence, commitment and teamwork. Both teams were terrific and provided modeling for how we would like to perform...

We caught this article from SI.com writer, Peter King. It focuses on the team atmosphere and family environment around the Pittsburgh Steelers team and how this team chemistry probably allowed them to come back when things looked "bleak"...this is the kind of team environment that we strive for...

Click here! We think you'll find this fascinating!

Congratulations to both the Steelers and the Cardinals....wow!