After consecutive losses on the road to Texas Tech and BYU, the University of Utah Women’s Soccer team (4-4-4, 1-2-2 Big 12) returned to Salt Lake City for their next series. On Thursday, the Utes took on the Iowa State Cyclones for their fourth Big 12 conference match of the year. Then, on Sunday, the Utes battled with No. 23 Oklahoma State at Ute Field.
Iowa State
The first ten minutes of Utah’s match with Iowa State was composed of two distinct offensive battles. For the first five minutes, the Cyclones’ offense was looking to produce early. Strong defense from the Utes and a save from Kasey Wardle prevented a scoring opportunity.
Then, for the later five minutes of the stretch, the Utes had their own offensive attack set-up. A shot from Lillah Blum was Utah’s first of the game, but was stopped by the Iowa State goaltender. Despite the Utes best efforts, they were unable to score early during their offensive strike.
Later, after further development, a Ute foul earned the Cyclones a free-kick. The chance looked promising, but the kick was defended well by Utah. Iowa State earned a subsequent corner kick, which was batted into the net by a Cyclone player. The goal, which would have given Iowa State the lead, was waved off due to offsides.
The half continued to dwindle on with back-and-forth battle. Both teams had their fair share of scoring opportunities, but neither could ultimately find the back of the net. Heading into halftime with the game still scoreless, the teams were anxious to be the one to get on the board first.
Despite both teams’ scoring intentions, the defensive nature of the first half carried over into the second. Just over a minute into the second half, Utah’s Blum earned a yellow card, the first of the game. Then, three minutes later, Magdalena Keck earned the Cyclones a yellow card of their own.
The Cyclones earned a second yellow card in the 74th minute, and both teams earned two corner-kick opportunities of their own in the half. The Utes went on to put-up six shots in the period, two more than Iowa State, but neither team ultimately got on the board.
With the final whistle, the game ended in a 0-0 draw. In the back-and-forth battle, both teams had a collective 24 fouls and were equal in shots with ten each.
No. 23 Oklahoma State
Coming off the draw with Iowa State, the Utes took on the Oklahoma State Cowgirls, ranked No. 23 in the nation. As the first half kicked-off, both teams looked to get on the board first and gain the early advantage.
The Cowgirls found themselves with plenty of opportunities early on. In a seven minute span, Oklahoma State earned five straight corner-kicks. The Utes stood strong though, playing solid defense and not allowing a shot.
In what was a mostly quiet period of play, the two teams put up a collective four shots. Furthermore, a total of eleven fouls were committed in the half. Without a goal, both teams went into halftime with the game knotted-up at 0.
Early in the second half, the Cowgirls found themselves with an excellent opportunity to score. The initial Oklahoma State shot was deflected by Wardle, but they quickly earned the rebound with an open net. Thankfully for the Utes, the subsequent shot was high, landing on top of the net.
In the 54th minute, Blum created an excellent opportunity for the Utes, fighting past defenders. Her shot rolled just right of the goal, spoiling the chance to give Utah the lead. Later in the half, a hard foul from Devi Dudley earned the Utes the first yellow card of the game.
Little development occurred as the remaining time sank below fifteen minutes. Utah found another great scoring chance in the 80th minute, as Taliana Kaufusi set up Bella Woods, but her shot sailed high and missed the net. In the final ten minutes, Kaufusi had three close-range shots, but each shot either missed or was knocked away.
The final seconds ticked off the clock, with neither team finding the back of the net, resulting in Utah’s second consecutive 0-0 draw. The Utes finished the match with three saves and ten shots, four of which were shots-on-goal.
Up Next
Following the back-to-back draws, the Utes will head on the road for their next three games. On Friday, they will travel south to Tempe to face the Arizona State Sun Devils. Then, on Oct. 10, the Utes will take on the Kansas State Wildcats.
j.marriott@dailyutahchronicle.com
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