Good Morning Utes: Alumni Game Starts Early!

The fun started early this morning at the "Spence" Indoor Facility at the U. as the annual Utah Soccer Alumni Game kicked off at 8:30 AM. The game ended with a dramatic finish as the Alums equalized with just 2 minutes left to force a 1-1 tie. Twenty-two former players returned to put on the Utah jersey once again as family and friends poured into the "Spence" to see old friends. Here are some of the highlights of the 70-minute match...



7 minutes - Alum Hailey Marsh cracks a shot at Utah GK Shay Kennedy.
12 minutes - Utes take a 1-0 lead as Kelly Isleib dribbles through the Alum defense - Ole!
17 minutes - Kelly tunnels Alum Chelsea Card
21 minutes - Katy Reineke tunnels Kelly
24 minutes - Alum Alli Cerruti scores but is called offside
36 minutes - Kelly tunnels alum Danielle Sample on the 2nd half kickoff
40 minutes - Kim Lloyd Gunlock pulls a sombrero and just misses a volley
47 minutes - Anne Shallenberger scores but is called offisdes by Mr. Reineke and the Isleib family
55 minutes - Huge controversy as Alum Chelsea Card's shot is caught by Emalee Rogers right along the goal line
61 minutes - More controversy as Alum Katy Reineke's shot hits the crossbar and knocks the goal down...alums scream that the shot should count as two goals, but none is awarded.
64 minutes - Alums employ a 6-4-4 formation looking to tie the game...
68 minutes - Katy Reineke sneaks behind the Ute defense to score for a 1-1
70 minutes - Game over - lots of handshakes and hugs




Here former Ute great Staci (Burt) Delaney battles with Anne Shallenberger.









After the game, both teams were treated to a breakfast at the Huntsman Basketball Arena lounge. Athletic Directors Doug Knuth, Manny Hendrix and Zack Lassiter and Crimson Club Direcor Olivia Bramble hosted the event. Many stories, past and present were told.

Many props to the alums that participated:

Kari (Keddington) Koon, Staci (Burt) Delaney, Erin (Pruitt) Kay, Alli Cerruti, Hailey Marsh, Kiley Jones, Chelsea Card, McKenzie Joyner, Paola (Marsenaro) Sanchez, Amber (Brower) Mortenson, Tracey (Stratton) Garner, Kim (Lloyd) Gunlock, Melissa Crespo....goal keepers Courtney (Hills) McBeth, Ashley (Mason) Correa, Tawni (Martineau) Atherle as well as "new alums" Amy Edman, Amanda Sanchez, Katie Brower, Addie Hair, Danielle Sample and Katy Reineke.

Special honors to Tawni Atherle, the "most experienced" alum, who last played in the 1998 season. Tawni now lives in the Bay Area of California with her husband. She was accompanied by her father.

Also, the alums wanted to give a shout out to Bernie Martin, who just gave birth to her second child, Azzi, this week.


Great day for tue Utes...here is a small taste of the action

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

Alumni Day Re-cap: Tracy takes the High Road

Former all- Mountain West Conference midfielder, Tracy Stratton Garner, made her comeback on Saturday just a couple of months after giving birth to her second son. Here Tracy introduces us to her sons, Jaden, and Cale (the new one). She also takes the high road when asked to give some grief to former Utes Bobbie Benegas Hackenbruck and Maren Harper for not coming to the event.

Alumni Day Re-cap: Brower vs. Brower

Sisters Amber (Brower) Mortenson and Katie Brower share their feelings about having to face off against each other on the day. It appears they can't remember how much difference there is in their ages...Good thing Amber was an accounting major!

Alumni Day Photos

What would an alumni day be without some photos. Here is the group...a lovely bunch of ladies and a heck of a soccer team. We were VERY impressed with the level displayed by the Alums and may even have to set up an alumni vs. alumni match in the near future!








Amber (Brower) Mortenson, Katie Battazzo and Shauna Gurr-Bingham take a break from the action. The three were teammates in 2002, the first year that the Utes made the NCAA tournament.















Here are a few former greats at half-time...left to right...Paola Marsenaro Sanchez, (Esther Imotan is just behind her), Hailey Marsh, Amber (Brower) Mortenson, and Kim (Lloyd) Gunlock with the big smile. In the background, you can see goal keeper Sara Englis, Becky (Moore) Hatch - who is 4 months pregnant! -, and Lindsey Asay-Kimball.















Ali Cerruti, Esther Imotan and Amy (Kofoed) Stover watch the action from the bench.















Melissa Wayman (back from a stint playing in Norway), Staci (Burt) Delaney - former WUSA standout, and Tracey Stratton Garner (with new baby) watch from the bench. If you look closely right behind Melissa, you'll see one of the original Utes from the '95 team, Tara McNeil in the jeans.


















Esther Imotan, Amy (Kofoed) Stover and Jen Williams take in the action from the bench.
In the background, goal keeper Courtney Hills-McBeth (who is 3 months pregnant) relives old times with classmate Shauna Gurr-Bingham.

Utes Defeat Alums 3-2 in Final Spring Outing

The Utes took on the Utes today in an alumni game filled with good soccer and lots of fun. In a 70-minute match, the current team jumped out to a 3-0 lead before a late rally by the former Utes fell just short.

Utah scorers were Erin Dalley (6th minute), Kelly Isleib (20th minute PK), and Katie Brower (45th minute). The former Utes countered with goals from Erin (Pruitt) Kay and Amy (Kofoed) Stover.

More than twenty former Utah Soccer players came back to Ute field. Many joined in the action and some (due to pregnancies) came to watch.


Mondis (Ariazand) Neff
Lynnsey Asay-Kimball
Katie Battazzo
Amber (Brower) Mortenson
Staci (Burt) Delaney
Jacki (Doman) Cameron
Ali Cerruti
Missy Dennis
Sarah Englis
Shauna Gurr-Bingham
Becky (Moore) Hatch
Addie Hawkins
Courtney Hills-McBeth
Esther Imotan
Kari Keddington-Koon
Amy (Kofoed) Stover
Kim (Lloyd) Gunlock
Hailey Marsh
Ashley Mason
Tara McNeil
Erin (Pruitt) Kay
Tracy Stratton Garner
Melissa Wayman
Jen Williams
Carisse Winegar

Current Ute seniors Chelsea Card, Melissa Crespo, Kiley Jones and Paola Marsenaro also made their alumni debuts.
Thanks to everyone for coming out!
More to follow....