{"id":460293,"date":"2026-09-11T07:34:27","date_gmt":"2026-09-11T07:34:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/460293\/"},"modified":"2026-09-11T07:34:27","modified_gmt":"2026-09-11T07:34:27","slug":"utes-preparing-for-non-conference-finale-against-long-beach-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/460293\/","title":{"rendered":"Utes Preparing for Non-Conference Finale Against Long Beach State"},"content":{"rendered":"

SALT LAKE CITY \u2013\u00a0The non-conference portion of the schedule is coming to an end for the University of Utah women’s soccer team and the Utes will try to build up some momentum for the start of Big 12 competition when they take on Long Beach State on Saturday at 8 p.m. at George Allen Field in Long Beach, Calif.
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\n\t\t\tSATURDAY’S MATCHUP

\n\t\t\tDate | Time:\u00a0Saturday, Sept. 11 | 8 p.m.

\n\t\t\tUtah (2-3-2) at Long Beach State (5-0-2)

\n\t\t\tLocation:\u00a0Long Beach, Calif. | George Allen Field

\n\t\t\tLive Stats:\u00a0Click Here<\/a>

\n\t\t\tLive Stream: Click Here<\/a>

\n\t\t\tTwitter Updates:\u00a0@UtahWSoccer<\/a>
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\nLast Time Out
\nOver the season’s first seven matches, the Utes have outshot and outchanced just about every opponent and that trend continued against Oregon State, when Hideki Nakada<\/a>‘s team established an 18-8 edge in overall shots and a 5-3 advantage in on-target efforts. Only one of Utah’s seven adversaries has outshot the Utes, who have taken nearly twice as many shots as they’ve allowed. Abby Affleck<\/a> leads the squad in that statistic with 17 and she’s one of five players with 10 tries or more.
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\nDefensively, the Utes have held their first seven opponents to five goals, just the second time in the last nine seasons Utah has allowed five goals or fewer over their first seven fixtures. Defenders Brooke Gardner<\/a>, Kennedy Fletcher<\/a> and Kori Pickelle<\/a> have all been prominent figures on the back line and sit at the top of the team leaderboard in minutes played among non-goalkeepers. Gardner has played all 90 minutes in six of her team’s seven matches, while Fletcher has played all 90 five times. In goal, Anna Solomon<\/a> has collected 21 saves and her three shutouts are tied for the most in the Big 12.\u00a0
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\nScouting Long Beach State
\nFew teams in the nation have gotten off to a better start than Long Beach State and their 5-0-2 record represents the best start in their program’s history. One of the ways they’ve achieved that mark is by being one of the stingiest squads in Division I. LBSU’s 0.286 goals against average is tied for 10th-best in the nation, as is their save percentage of .923. Coach Mauricio Ingrassia’s team didn’t allow a goal until their sixth match of the season and goalkeeper Aurora Schuck, who has been in net for six of LBSU’s seven contests, has only been beaten for two scores.
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\nOffensively, forward Cherrie Cox has been one of the nation’s most prolific scores, notching seven goals, tied for sixth-most in the country. Cox registered the first hat trick of her career in LBSU’s Aug. 20 win over Fresno State, then added a brace to help her side top Weber State on Aug. 29. Many of Cox’s goals have come thanks to the efforts of teammate Ameera White, whose seven assists are already the most by an LBSU player since 2021. That figure also has her tied for the top spot in the country.
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\nThree Shutouts for Solomon
\nPrior to 2026, only one goalkeeper had posted clean sheets in each of Utah’s first three matches and that was Lindsey Luke in 2013. Luke now has company, however, as Anna Solomon<\/a> has started her first year as a Ute by blanking Weber State, Utah Valley and Southern Utah. Two different Utah keepers combined to shut out the program’s first three opponents in 2005.
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\nPoints-A-Plenty
\nFour different Utah players have accumulated points in Utah’s wins over Utah Valley and Southern Utah. Katie Callaway<\/a> has goals in back-to-back games, Shannon Davidson<\/a> and Maddie Stoddard<\/a> have assists in consecutive contests and Julia Oka<\/a> followed up her assist at UVU with a goal against SUU. This is the first time four or more Utes have gotten on the scoresheet in consecutive fixtures since 2023, when Kelly Bullock<\/a>, Taliana Kaufusi, Courtney Brown and Maryn Granger combined to achieve the same feat.
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\nSolomon Named Big 12 Goalkeeper of the Week
\nAfter becoming the first Utah goalkeeper in more than a decade to start a season with consecutive clean sheets, Anna Solomon<\/a> earned the year’s first Big 12 Goalkeeper of the Week award, it was announced on Aug. 19. This is the first time a Utah keeper has ever been chosen as the Big 12’s Goalkeeper of the Week. The last Utah keeper to receive such an honor was Carly Nelson in 2019.
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\nSuper Subs
\nBoth of Utah’s goals against UVU on Aug. 17 were scored by substitutes, as Clem and Callaway came off the bench to get on the scoresheet. That marked the first time two Utah subs scored in the same game since a 5-0 win over Utah Valley on Aug. 30, 2023.
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\nScanning the Schedule
\nUtah’s 2026 slate consists of 19 matches, including eight home fixtures at Ute Field. The team’s Big 12 schedule begins with a Sept. 18 visit to Arizona State and includes 11 matchups against conference foes, concluding with a home clash with Kansas State on Nov. 4.
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\nCoaches Corner
\nHead coach Hideki Nakada<\/a>‘s brain trust for 2026 includes two holdovers in Jackie Poortinga<\/a> and Sam Gomez<\/a> and one new addition in former University of Montevallo soccer player Emma Greenwood<\/a>. Greenwood joins the Utes after spending the 2025 season at Cal Poly Pomona, where she helped the Broncos post an 18-3-3 record, win the conference regular season and West Region Championships and march all the way to the Final Four. The 2025 Broncos also produced three All-Americans and had nine players who earned academic all-district honors.
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\nPrior to her time at Cal Poly Pomona, Greenwood spent four years with Legends FC – San Diego, where she served as ECNL Director, Head Coach, and Administrative Lead. In these roles, she led player recruitment efforts, oversaw program development, and implemented team training periodization. She managed residential and youth camps throughout the year as well, contributing to the club’s emergence as one of Southern California’s top youth soccer environments. In 2024, Greenwood was selected to the West Region ODP staff, supporting talent identification and player evaluation across the region.
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\nHer coaching background also includes time with San Diego Surf Soccer Club (2020\u20132021), where she coached ECNL and ECRL teams, and with Palomar College (2021), where she contributed to all aspects of the collegiate program, including player development, team training, scouting, and game day operations.
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\nNCAA Tournament History
\nThe Utes enter 2025 aiming to reach the NCAA Tournament for the ninth time in school history and the first time since 2019. Utah put together its best postseason finish in 2016, when they forged a path all the way to the Sweet 16.
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\n#ProUtes
\nThe number of Utah soccer alums in the professional ranks continues to grow. Courtney Brown, with the Utah Royals, and Katie O’Kane, who plays for Racing Louisville, are both in the middle of their second NWSL seasons. The Royals recently added a second Ute to their roster with the signing of Ali Swensen<\/a> and Kelly Bullock<\/a> has become one of the newest member of Valadares Gaia FC.
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\nFOLLOW THE UTES!
\nFans can follow along on social media (Twitter:\u00a0@UtahWSoccer<\/a> | Instagram:\u00a0@UtahWSoccer\u00a0<\/a>| Facebook:\u00a0Facebook.com\/Utahwsoccer<\/a>).
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