Off To Oklahoma, Back For Halloween

The team snuck in a practice on Monday but because of snowy conditions (yes, snow!) yesterday they focused on watching game film. Traveling all the way to Oklahoma today, the Utes will take on OSU tomorrow night at 7pm. This will be a great non-conference test against a very tough opponent for the team as they head into their final weekend of conference play. OSU (11-7-0) is currently on a four game winning streak and will prove to be top notch competitors. Follow the game on Gametracker!

After returning Friday, the team will take on Air Force Saturday afternoon at 1pm. This is the last home game of the season and also Senior Day. Jen Christoffers, Kelly Isleib, and Emalee Rogers will be honored before the match. In addition, we will be having our Alumni Game Saturday Morning at 10am.

Saturday is also, of course, Halloween! We have a busy day of soccer but we want to celebrate as well! We are inviting everyone to dress up and come in costume! Kids in costume will receive free candy and treats before the game and everyone dressed up is then invited to participate in the half time costume parade! Come on out and spend Halloween Day with Utah Soccer!

Stay tuned for more details about tomorrow's game as well as final information about our Halloween Day Festivities!

Halloween Begins!

After returning from a long road trip (and a successful one!) the team got all dressed up and attended the Athletic Department Halloween Party! The soccer team chose to be Cowboys and Indians...maybe not the most politically correct option...but they did look good! Each sport selects a different theme for the party and there is a costume contest, pumpkin carving contest, a bowling tournament (our athletes love to be competitive no matter what the setting!), and many more events. The party is held in the downstairs area of the Union Building on campus and there is free pizza and treats for everyone! Just another great thing about being a Utah Student Athlete!

One of the Utah Soccer Team's favorite traditions- having a costume Halloween practice - will have to be postponed until next Monday this year as the team travels to Oklahoma Wednesday and has a home game on Saturday. Stay tuned for pictures and video though, it is for sure the funniest (and spookiest) practice of the year!

Utah Takes Down Wyoming on the Road

"Probably the most exciting thing to come out of today's game - seeing the team show a lot of character and break through."

- Coach Rich Manning

The Utes worked back from a 1-0 deficit to overcome a tough Wyoming team 2-1 earlier today. This was an important win for the team as far as points in the conference standings and for their confidence and momentum as well. Lauren Hair tied the game with a great goal and Kelly Isleib hit the game winner with less than 12 minutes remaining. Coach Rich Manning commented, "We scored two fantastic goals in this game...Lauren showed a lot of composure in front of the goal and Kelly hit a bomb." Utah goalkeeper Hanna Turpen also stood out producing 5 saves this evening.

The Utes now have 10 points and have guaranteed a spot for themselves in the Mountain West Conference Tournament in 2 weeks. Stay tuned for a conference update after this weekend as we head into the final weekend of regular conference play next week!

Halloween will be an exciting one for Utah Soccer this year...October 31 will consist of a Costume Parade (anyone who comes dressed up will receive free candy and all kids in costume can be in the parade!), Alumni Game, The Utes' Final Home Game, and Senior Day! Watch for more information about this exciting weekend and plan on coming to join the festivities!

Also, CONGRATS to the Utah Volleyball Team for defeating BYU last night and the Utah Football Team for overcoming Air Force in OT this afternoon!

GO UTES!

Once an athlete, always a competitor!

A college career coming to an end is one of the most difficult times in an athlete's life...the sport you have played almost every day for the majority of your life is suddenly coming to an end for most. It is perhaps most difficult to replace the intensity and competitive atmosphere that were part of your every day life. Many of our Utah Soccer Alums have found other ways to keep their competitive juices flowing....check out a few pictures that they have sent us. Several other people have done similar events! (Kiley Jones, Amber and Katie Brower, and lots of others!) What great accomplishments!

Hailey Marsh running the

San Diego Marathon! Paola Sanchez and Courtney Mcbeth at the Daybreak Triathalon!

Katie Battazzo and Melissa Crespo

at the Kokopelli Triathalon!

Weekly Update

The Utes went 1-1 over the weekend as they suffered a tough loss to the Lobos on Saturday night. Nonetheless, we battled hard and are still improving; everyone feels that the team has not yet played its best soccer. The conference season is flying by....here are the updated standings:

TEAM (Rk.)	CONF	POINTS	OVERALL
BYU	4-0-1	13	13-2-2
Wyoming	3-1-1	10	9-5-3
New Mexico	3-2	9	11-3-2
San Diego State	2-0-2	8	9-3-5
Utah	2-2-1	7	7-8-2
UNLV	1-2-1	4	5-6-5
TCU	1-4	3	8-8-0
Air Force	0-5	0	2-13-1

The Utes will train hard for the next 4 days then hit the road to take on a tough Wyoming team next Saturday, October 24. The team will then have its final home game of the year against Air Force on Saturday, October 31. This Halloween will be a busy one....alumni game, soccer game, and football game that evening! Keep checking in for some behind the scenes stories and updates!

Also a big congratulations to our Football Team (5-1) for defeating UNLV this weekend and moving up to #19 in the AP Top 25!

GO UTES!

Utah Defeats TCU!

In what players describe as a very physical match last night, the Utes prevailed against a tough TCU team. The offense put on a show while the defense played solid. Thirty minutes into the game, Sophomore Chelsea Forbes found Redshirt Sophomore Erin Dalley on a cross that Dalley finished with a header. Dalley now has 5 goals this season, tied for the second highest on the team. Only two minutes later, Senior Captain Kelly Isleib nailed a bending free kick from 30 yards out. Isleib has a team high 6 goals now including 3 from impressive free kicks. Freshman Hanna Terry provided the Utes with the third goal early in the second half. She capatalized on a TCU defensive error and netted her 5th goal of the season as well.

Here are all of the results from last night's conference play:

Utah 3; TCU 1
BYU 3; UNM 0
UNLV 1; AF 0
SDSU 2; Wyoming o

The Utes will host a good New Mexico team tomorrow (Saturday, October 17) at 7pm. See you there!

Contest Winner Announced! Plus,a new Ute Insider is filmed!

Thanks to everyone for entering the ticket giveaway contest! Our lucky winner for this week is Mark Pontius! Mr. Pontius will receive 4 tickets to tonight's match against TCU as well as a Utah Banner signed by the whole team! We appreciate everyone's entries and support, keep watching for future promotions and giveaways! Don't forget, the Utes kick off against TCU tonight at Ute Field at 7pm. See you there!

Also, check ou the latest Ute Insider that was just filmed! You can view it on any of the following websites:

iTunesU Ute Insider Channel: http://su.pr/2vWFwV
Utahutes.com women's soccer page:http://utahutes.cstv.com/sports/w-soccer/utah-w-soccer-body.html
Utahutes.com main page: http://utahutes.cstv.com/
YouTube: http://su.pr/5QTbGQ

Conference Update/Weekend Schedule

Another set of exciting conference games beings tomorrow! The Utes are taking on TCU at 7pm tomorrow night at Ute Field. See our official website for details and notes on the game. Come on out on a beautiful fall night and support the team!

Here is what is going on in the conference this week.

Current Standings:

TEAM (Rk.)	CONF	POINTS	OVERALL
Wyoming	3-0	9	9-4-2
BYU	2-0-1	7	11-2-2
New Mexico	2-1	6	10-2-2
Utah	1-1-1	4	6-7-2
TCU	1-2	3	8-6-0
San Diego State	0-0-2	2	7-3-5
UNLV	0-2	0	4-6-4
Air Force	0-3	0	2-11-1

Games this week:

Thursday, October 15:

TCU @ Utah

UNM @ BYU

UNLV @ Air Force

SDSU @ Wyoming

Saturday, October 17:

UNM @ Utah

TCU @ BYU

SDSU @ Air Force

UNLV @ Wyoming

For more details about the league, check out the MWC official website.

Utah Goalkeeper Hannah Turpen Named Defensive Player of the Week!

The Mountain West Conference announced yesterday that Sophomore Goalkeeper Hannah Turpen has been awarded the Defensive Player of the Week Award. Turpen led the Utes to a shutout against UNLV this past weekend and had several important saves against SDSU on Saturday. Turpen has already made 48 saves this year, bringing her career total to 62. Hannah is tied for second place for her goals against average among all goalkeepers in the conference.

Here's what Coach Rich Manning had to say about Turpen, "Hannah showed a lot of mental toughness and character last weekend,” said Utah head coach Rich Manning. “For a lot of the UNLV game she didn’t have much to do, but when they forced her into decisions and plays toward the end, she handled it well. Saturday Hannah was put in a tough environment at SDSU and faced a lot of shots and made a lot of good plays, including a game-saving stop right at the end of overtime. The whole team really stepped up the defense last weekend with a renewed commitment to keeping the ball out of our net.”

Hannah told us, "It definitely feels good to receive this honor but it really should be a team award,” said Turpen. “The whole defense played great in both games. I think we have gotten a lot of our confidence and swagger back. Even though we lost at BYU we walked away knowing that we played well. Then getting two good results on the road this weekend was huge for our confidence. Not just for the defense, before the whole team. It’s a good time to have it back, this could be an important week for us.”

Congratulations Hannah!

Ticket/Prize Giveaway Package!

The University of Utah soccer team is giving you a chance to win free admission for four people to see the Utes battle TCU this Thursday night (October 15)! The lucky winners will also receive a one of a kind banner autographed by the whole team!!

Kickoff is at 7 p.m. MT. Come cheer on the Utes as they continue their quest for the Conference Title!

To enter the drawing, simply send an email to utahsoccer09@gmail.com with your name and contact telephone number, and you will be registered to win. One winner will be selected at random and will receive free admittance to the event for four people.

Please note: By entering the contest, you are acknowledging that you would like to receive periodic email updates from Head Coach Rich Manning about the Utah Soccer Team. Those people already receiving Utah Soccer updates are eligible for the contest but must enter by sending the email to utahsoccer09@gmail.com.

For the match preview as well as this week's game notes, please click here.

Utes Take Down UNLV, Players Reunite with Friends and Family!

The Utes defeated UNLV 1-0 last night thanks to a goal from Forward Erin Dalley late in thegame! Please go to our official website for details on the game as well as quotes from Coach Rich Manning!

The Utes are now 1-1 in conference and are on their way to sunny San Diego right now to take on the Aztecs tomorrow afternoon (1pm Mountain Time...see the post below for a link to gametracker!).

In addition to the win, last night was especially fun for Sophomore Lauren Dudley and Freshman Ashely Mosely, as they are both from Las Vegas! They were cheered on by many friends and family last night.

GAME DAY!

The race for the conference title is only just beginning and we are excited for two more challenging games this weekend! The team is in Vegas now and will take on UNLV tonight at 8pm (Mountain Time). The Rebels are coming off a loss to Oregon State and currently hold a record of 4-4-4. Keep updated with the game on the Gametracker!

The team will then head to San Diego State on Friday and will compete against the Aztecs on Saturday afternoon at 1pm (Mountain Time). SDSU will host BYU thursday night; the Azetcs currently have an impressive 7-3-3 record. This game is also available on the Gametracker.

The Utes have gotten a lot of press lately! Check out the article in the Salt Lake Tribune about Senior Kelly Isleib, the articles in The Chronicle (School Newspaper) about Team Unity, as well as an editorial about Men's and Women's soccer on campus!

Here in Salt Lake, our Women's Volleyball team will take on TCU this evening at 7pm at Crimson Court...come out and support if you are around campus! Also watch Saturday as our Football team battles CSU in Fort Collins at 4pm Mountain Time (live on The Mountain).

GO UTES!

MWC Update

The Mountain West Conference is always a competitive one with many close results and a tight race for the title. Here are the results from the first week of play:

BYU/Utah: BYU wins 2-1 (OT)

Wyoming/Air Force: Wyoming wins 3-1

New Mexico/TCU: New Mexico wins 1-0

(SDSU and UNLV have not yet had a conference match)

This weekend will be another exciting one! Here is the schedule:

Thursday, October 8

Airforce @ TCU

BYU @ SDSU

Utah @ UNLV

Wyoming @ New Mexico

Saturday, October 10

Utah @ SDSU

BYU @ UNLV

Air Force @ New Mexico

Wyoming @ TCU

The Utes will train hard today then hit the road tomorrow to travel to 'Sin City'...hopefully 'Win City' for the team this weekend! Check out our official website for details on the games!

Weekly Update

First, thank you to all of our great fans who supported us Saturday night! We appreciate all of your support and the team would not be the same without it!

So, on to a new week! The team will begin preparing this afternoon for two tough conference games...UNLV and SDSU. The Utes will travel wednesday so it is another quick turn around! Stay tuned for more deatails on the matches coming up later this week.

It's time to finish introducing our newest members of the team this year! We have talked with Stephanie, Natalie, Hanna, and Monica...now it's time to meet Zoe Van Gorder, Allie Wisner, and Ashley Mosely!

GAME DAY!

"The Utah-BYU rivalry is one of the best in women's college soccer. It is always dramatic, it usually goes a long way toward deciding the conference race and it is always played in a special environment. I know that for the players on our team, it is generally one of the best memories they will take away from their college experience, getting to play in these types of games. I certainly don't have to motivate anyone to get ready to play this game. It will be more about competing with confidence and poise in the face of thousands of screaming people." (Coach Rich Manning on tonight's game.)

The weather is dark and cool, but the day is full of tension and excitement. The Utes will embark on the drive to Provo in just a few hours and begin preparing for one of the most important matches of the season. Practices have been intense and positive all week and upperclassmen prepared a special team bonding activity for last night...the team is more ready to go than ever.

Check out this highlight video created by 5th Year Senior Jen Christoffers....guaranteed to pump you up! Don't forget, kick off is at 8pm tonight...see you there!!

The Rivalry

Since Utah and BYU are only about 30 miles apart, it's no wonder that the rivalry is so big within the state. In addition, many alumni from both schools manage to somehow end up at the other end of the valley at some point...and one of those people is Assistant Soccer Coach Laurel Roderick! Roderick is originally from Southern California but she came to Utah to play soccer and attend college at BYU...and she's has been here ever since. After graduating from BYU, Laurel then attended Law School at BYU and began coaching at the U at the same time. Laurel's husband, Aaron Roderick, who is currently the Utah Football Receiver's Coach is also a BYU alum...we're just glad they ended up wearing red! Here's what Laurel had to say about the rivalry....

Utah vs. BYU this Saturday!

It's already that time of the year again....that is, time for the Utes to go Cougar hunting (meaning the Team Down South...not the middle aged women). The game this year will be hosted by BYU in Provo on Saturday, October 3 at 8:00pm. Check out our official website for details and notes on the game.

The Utah/BYU rivalry has been said to be one of the most intense and well-known in the entire country- each year every one of our sports battles the Cougars and the contests are always heated, full of emotion, and extremely exciting! The BYU soccer stadium is very impressive and will hold thousands this Saturday night.

Check out some of the photos below from past rivalry games and stay tuned for more to come in the next few days!