Utah State Game Re-scheduled for April 8

We've had a couple of spring snow showers here in Salt Lake City. On Sunday morning we got a few inches in just a couple of hours...and this morning another shower hit early... we love the spring snow as it can extend our skiing/snowboarding seasons!

However, it is not great for our field...so we are re-scheduling our game with Utah State. Originally slated to happen this Wednesday, it will now be played on the following Wednesday, April 8 at 7:00 PM at Ute Field. Admission will be free...come out and watch two in-state teams in action...

Our updated spring schedule:

April 4 - Utah vs. Alumni (11:00 AM) at Ute Field
April 8 - Utah vs. Utah State (7:00 PM) at Ute Field
April 11 - BYU Invite (10:00 AM and 2:30 PM).
April 18 - Utah vs. Oregon (12:00 PM) at NIKE HQ in Beaverton, OR
April 19 - Utah vs. Seattle U. (10:00 AM) at NIKE HQ in Beaverton, OR

1st Spring Day Brings Mixed Results

After almost 3 months of training and conditioning, we finally got out and played some soccer yesterday in Las Vegas. And the performances brought out some good and some bad that we can work on in the next few weeks.




Both games were played over 70 minutes...we fell to BYU, 2-1 in the opener. The Cougars got out to a 2-0 halftime lead and were able to hold on despite a late goal by Lauren Hair. The match was marked by the return to play of Hannah Turpen (injured late in the fall season), Erin Dalley (surgery last summer), Katie Martinez and Anne Shallenberger (off-season surgeries). After about 10 minutes of feeling each other out, the Cougars opened the scoring when Lauren Anderson got behind the defense and pushed it past Hannah. The goal seemed to rattle us as well as energize BYU and the next 25 minutes or so were not so great for the Utes...we didn't insist on keeping the ball and lost our composure a bit....The Cougars doubled the lead when Jennie Marshall slammed home a shot from close range...

The second half was a bit better as the Utes kept the ball and were able to create a few more chances...with Dalley and Kellie Woodfield having shots from close range saved. "La La" pulled one back with 5 minutes left when she dribbled around the corner on the right side of the BYU goal and hit a shot that the goal keeper let slip through her hands...but we could not get the equalizer.

The second game against UNLV ended in a 0-0 tie. We played some good soccer and had some chances to score in the first half. The Rebels turned it on in the final 10 minutes and were unlucky not to get the game-winner with a breakaway and a great chance on a corner kick...we seemed to tire at the end. The game marked the debut of goal keeper Shay Kennedy, who red-shirted in the fall. Shay was composed and played very well in getting the shutout.

Overall some good soccer and great feedback. We need to shore up a few things in the back...and work harder to get more people involved in the attack...

Next up, Utah State this Wednesday at 7:00 PM at Ute Field...we got some snow today, so we'll keep you posted on any changes.

Women's Week at the U.

Today begins Women's Week at the U. There are some great events and lectures going on through the end of March. Today the Keynote Address will be given by the Rev. Irene Monroe, a noted theologian and Harvard professor. And the week will culminate with the presentation on “Self-Empowered Professional Development: Presenting Yourself with Confidence”...something we could all use!

Of course, with the Ute soccer team, every week is women's week!

For more information, click here!

Spring Snow and the "Spence"

There is an old saying here in Utah that if you don't like the weather, just wait 5 minutes...
because it will change. After a week of sunshine and "spring" time, we had a steady dose of snow on Monday. One of those last spring showers...Great for those of us that like to get out on the slopes a couple of last times. Not good for outdoor soccer! However, we are very thankful for our Spence Eccles Fieldhouse on campus here at the U. Built in 2004, we have a full-sized soccer field to train on which allows for year-round development for our team.

We had a great training session this morning...working on speed of play as we prepare for our first spring games this Saturday in Las Vegas. The "Spence" hosts all athletic teams on campus...even the pros join in...This morning the Real Salt Lake team followed us into the facility. They were snowed out of their training field and wanted to get a good session in ahead of their MLS season opener this Saturday in Seattle against the Sounders. For more information on RSL, check out their web site: www.realsaltlake.com.

Back from Spring Break

Well, we've been gone for a week...spring break time for the Utes. Lots of things to catch up on...

**Jen Christoffers had another procedure on her knee over the break and we are excited to get her back on track. Jen has been out fighting this battle since July. Here is a photo of Jen in action and we look forward to having her back on the field soon.

**Practice resumed today after a week off...lots of rust and huffing and puffing. Four days to get ready for some spring action down in Las Vegas on Saturday.

**Spring Season is here. Over the next four weeks, we will have several competitions and events. Here is what's on tap for Ute Soccer:


March 28 - UNLV Inivte: Utah vs BYU (1:00 PM); Utah vs. UNLV (3:00 PM)
April 1 - Utah vs. Utah State (7:00 PM) at Ute Field
April 4 - Utah vs. Alumni (11:00 AM) at Ute Field
April 11 - BYU Invite (times and games TBD).

**U.S. Women come to Salt Lake...The U.S. will take on Japan here in SLC on Saturday, May 23 at Rio Tinto Stadium (Home of RSL). We will have more information about the game and other events soon!

**Hoops Update...Our men's team lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament to Arizona, but finished a tremendous season with Mountain West Conference championships in the regular season and the tournament.. Our women's team defeated Villanova in the first round on Sunday and will face Maryland on Tuesday night at 5:00 PM Mountain time (Check ESPN or ESPN2 for the game).

March Madness Hits Salt Lake City

The Utes are on spring break this week, so not much team activity to write about...Howver, March is here and that means NCAA Hoops tournaments...and the madness has certainly spread to the U...

Both the men's and women's basketball teams won both the regular season and Mountain West Conference tournament titles...WOW!

So both teams were happy to find out their tournament sight and opponent.
First, on Sunday, the men's team gathered to watch the selection show on CBS...their name came up early and they will be the #5 seed in the Midwest Regional...they will play the #12 seed University of Arizona on Friday evening (5:00 PM Mountain time) in Miami! If they win, they will face the winner of the Wake Forest-Cleveland State game on Sunday.

The women's team found out their fate this evening...they got a #9 seed and will face #8 Villanova on Sunday (March 22) at 10 AM Mountain Time in Raleigh, North Carolina. The winner will face either #1 Maryland or #16 Dartmouth on Tuesday.

U.S. Women Coming to Utah!

Just announced today...the gold-medal winning U.S. women's soccer team will be coming to Utah to face Japan in a friendly match on May 23rd! The game will be held at Rio Tinto Stadium, the new home of Real Salt Lake, at 4:00 P.M. mountain time.

The game will be a rematch of the exciting semifinal match at the 2008 Olympics in China when the U.S. came back to win a 4-2 thriller after trailing 1-0. The game will feature many players that will be playing in the inaugural season of the WPS.

Click here to read the announcement at the official web site of U.S. Soccer.

(Photo from U.S. Soccer web site)


Today's trivia question(s):
When was the only other time that the U.S. women came to Utah?
Who was the opponent?
Where was the game played?

More to come about this exciting event!