Match Notes - Utah

KICKING OFF ââ'¬" Utah State's soccer team (4-3-1) concludes the non-conference portion of its 2015 season this week as it travels to Utah (3-2-2) on Friday, Sept. 18. The Aggies and Utes will play at 4:30 p.m. in a match televised on the Pac-12 Network.

FOLLOWING THE AGGIES ââ'¬" Friday's match at Utah will be televised live on the Pac-12 Network (Comcast, channel 37/757; Dish Network, channel 409). Live stats will also be available. This season's home action will continue to be broadcast through the Aggie Digital Network and the Mountain West Network, powered by Campus Insiders. Fans can catch every Utah State home match, as well as every conference match in Logan or on the road. Live stats and play-by-play information will be available through GameTracker, while updates will also be provided through the team's social media outlets.

SCOUTING UTAH ââ'¬" Sitting with a similar record as the Aggies, Utah is 3-2-2 on the year. Most recently, the Utes played at Boise State, ending in a 1-1 double overtime draw. The match against the Broncos was one of three opponents Utah State also has on its schedule. Utah topped Houston, 4-1, while falling to BYU, 2-0. The Utes will have one more non-conference match before opening Pac-12 action.

Junior forward Taylor Slattery is the leading scorer for the Utes with one goal and three assists for five total points. Sophomore forward Mariah Elmer is the sole Utah player to score multiple goals this season with two. Redshirt senior Lindsey Luke is the primary goalkeeper for the Utes with a 0.98 goals against average and 33 saves on the year. She has played all but 30 minutes of the team's season. Rich Manning is in his 14th season at the helm of the Utah program, where he has compiled a record of 149-95-35.

Utah leads the all-time series between the two schools, 13-4. The teams played in Logan in 2014, where the Utes came out ahead, 3-0. The Aggies' last win over Utah came in a 1-0 overtime match in 2012, when the teams played at Rio Tinto Stadium in Salt Lake City.

THE BEST OF JESS ââ'¬" Junior forward Jessica Brooksby is continuing her success at the core of the USU offense this season. The Cache Valley native had her first-career hat trick in the 5-3 win over Idaho State, helping the Aggies escape a 3-1 scoring deficit. Sunday's three-goal match is the first by an Aggie since 2011, when Shantel Flanary accomplished the feat, also against Idaho State. Brooksby has now scored 12 goals in her USU career, cracking into the top 10 of all-time goal scorers in program history. She currently leads the Mountain West in both goals (6) and points (13) this season. Her six goals this season have her ranked 17th nationally in goals scored. Her efforts against the Bengals earned her the weekly Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week award.

SEE JAYNE RUN ââ'¬" Junior midfielder Jayne Robison also had a strong outing against Idaho State, assisting on three of the team's five goals of the day. Those three single-game assists tie the program record, while her eight career assists put her tied for 10th in program history. With her three assists this year, Robison is tied for first in the Mountain West.

BEHIND THE WOLL ââ'¬" Senior goalkeeper Jeannie Woller continues to have a strong performance guarding the net for Utah State. She has now totaled 4,000 career minutes in the net, the fourth-most of any USU goalkeeper. Her 176 career saves rank her sixth all-time at Utah State. She currently leads the Mountain West in saves with 38, while ranking third in save percentage at .826.

WORTH THE WAIT ââ'¬" Redshirt sophomore midfielder Mikayla Howes made her collegiate debut in Sunday's win over Idaho State. She did not see any action as a freshman in 2013 and redshirted the 2014 season with an injury. Howes played 26 minutes of the match against the Bengals, earning her first-career assist.

COVERING THE BEEHIVE STATE ââ'¬" Friday's match will be the final of three against other Utah programs for the Aggies this season, all of which are road matches for Utah State. The Aggies fell to both Utah Valley and No. 5 BYU by a score of 1-0. All-time, Utah State is 21-33-2 against the five Division I programs in the state of Utah.

FAMILIAR FACES ââ'¬" Utah State and Utah have met on the soccer pitch 17 times in the history of both programs, the most of any opponent for the Aggies. The all-time series dates back to the debut season of Utah State soccer in 1996. The Utes won that first match, 7-1, playing in Salt Lake City. Utah leads the all-time series, 13-4.

A DYNAMIC DUO ââ'¬" This season, junior forward Jessica Brooksby continues her historic pattern of leading the Aggies in scoring. Joining her in the offensive success this year is freshman midfielder Jordyn Chung-Hoon. So far, the pair has combined for three of USU's 13 goals. Brooksby scored with assists from Chung-Hoon against Central Arkansas and Gonzaga, while the roles reversed with Chung-Hoon scoring and Brooksby assisting against Missouri State.

REPRESENT THE OFFENSE ââ'¬" Utah State junior forward Jessica Brooksby was named the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week for the week ending Sept. 13. Brooksby helped Utah State to a 1-1 record last week as it lost at No. 5 BYU (1-0) and defeated Idaho State (5-3) at home. Against the Cougars, Brooksby led the team with three shots taken. In Sunday's match, she recorded her first-career hat trick as she scored three-straight goals on the Bengals. Her three goals were part of a four-goal comeback, leading to the Aggies' win. On the week, she took nine shots, five of which were on goal.

This is the second weekly conference award for the Aggies this season, as sophomore defender Rachelle Warner was named the Defensive Player of the Week for the week ending Aug. 30. USU did not have a Player of the Week last season, but senior goalkeeper Jeannie Woller earned the accolade twice in 2013.

UTAH STATE CONNECTIONS ââ'¬" As in-state rivals, the Utah State and Utah rosters boast several connections between players. There are 13 players from the state on Utah's roster, while Utah State has 15 locals. Of the 13 Utes who prepped in Utah, five of them played at the same high school as Aggie players. All 28 local players played at the club level growing up, with each of them playing between five club programs together.

HELP A SISTER OUT ââ'¬" So far this season, the Aggies have scored 13 goals. Of those 13 goals, 12 of them have resulted in another player being credited with an assist, with one goal receiving a double assist. Junior midfielder Jayne Robison leads the team with three assists, all of which came against Idaho State. With those three assists, Robison tied the team's single-game assist record. Freshman midfielder Jordyn Chung-Hoon, junior midfielder Katie Flynn and sophomore midfielder Wesley Hamblin are next with two assists each. Additionally, junior forward Jessica Brooksby, junior midfielder Lauren Harmon and junior defender Karlee Campbell-Zollinger, have each contributed to a goal this season. The 13 team assists leave the Aggies ranked first in the Mountain West.

HIGH RANKS ACROSS THE BOARD ââ'¬" A month into the season, Utah State is representing itself well among its Mountain West competitors. The Aggies are currently ranked first in the league in several offensive categories. USU leads the way in points (39), goals (13) and assists (13), while just missing the top spot in shots, ranking second with 105. Defensively, the Aggies are first in saves (44) and tied for first in shutouts (3). USU is fourth in goals against average (0.97) and tied for fifth in goals allowed (8). The Aggies are also second in corner kicks taken (39), second in fouls (79), first in offside calls (20) and tied for ninth in yellow cards issued (3).Individually, junior forward Jessica Brooksby is highly ranked in several categories as she leads the conference in points (13) and goals (6), while ranking second in shots taken (31) With her three assists against Idaho State, junior midfielder Jayne Robison is tied for first in assists. Freshman midfielder Jordyn Chung-Hoon, junior midfielder Katie Flynn and sophomore midfielder Wesley Hamblin are all tied for fifth-place with two assists each. Additionally, Brooksby is tied for first in game-winning goals (2), while Robison and Chung-Hoon are tied for fifth with one each. Senior goalkeeper Jeannie Woller currently ranks first in saves (38), third in save percentage (.826) and seventh in goals against average (1.29).

BEGINNER'S LUCK ââ'¬" Utah State welcomed seven freshmen to the roster this season, many of whom have already made a good impression on the squad. Freshman midfielder Jordyn Chung-Hoon earned her first collegiate point in the win over Central Arkansas, as she assisted on the lone goal of the game. She added to that with her first-career goal in the 3-0 victory over Missouri State. She is currently second on the team in scoring with four total points. Freshman forward Sydnie Dolzine also scored her first collegiate goal against Missouri State. Chung-Hoon and Kelsey Andersen have both made starts in multiple matches, while Dolzine, Emma Clark, Jenny De Boer and Jaylen Hinckley have all seen time as subs.

OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN! ââ'¬" The Utah State squad will be represented by a pair of team captains this season. Senior goalkeeper Jeannie Woller and junior forward Jessica Brooksby were elected by their teammates to lead the team through 2015.

WHAT WE PLAY FOR ââ'¬" The 2015 season will conclude in the annual Mountain West Tournament. As the winners of last season's tournament, this year's championship will be hosted by San Diego State. The first round of tournament action will get underway on Tuesday, Nov. 3 with two matches. Semifinal games will take place on Thursday, Nov. 5, with the championship game being held on Saturday, Nov. 7. Of the 12 teams in the Mountain West, the top six will advance to tournament play. The winner of the tournament will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and host the 2016 championships.

THE LAST TIME OUT ââ'¬" Utah State posted an 1-1-0 record last week as it fell at No. 5 BYU, 1-0, before topping Idaho State, 5-3, at home. Against the Cougars, the USU defense held strong until the 87th minute, when BYU scored its game-winning goal. In Sunday's action, USU fought back from a 3-1 deficit, scoring four unanswered goals to secure the win. Junior forward Jessica Brooksby led the team with her first-career hat trick, scoring the final three goals of the match. Junior midfielder Jayne Robison assisted on three of the team's five goals, tying the program single-game assist record. Senior goalkeeper Jeannie Woller played the entirety of the two matches, allowing four goals, while tallying 15 saves.

UP NEXT ââ'¬" Utah State opens Mountain West action next week, hosting New Mexico in itsconference opener. The Aggies and Lobos will play on Friday, Sept. 25 at 4 p.m., while defending league champion San Diego State will travel to Logan to play on Sunday, Sept. 27 at 1 p.m. Utah State has not opened the conference season at home since 2008. That year, the Aggies hosted Idaho in the Western Athletic Conference opener, topping the Vandals, 4-0. The Aggies have not won their conference-opening game since 2010, when the team opened WAC play with a 1-0 victory at Louisiana Tech. All-time, Utah State is 8-9-2 in its conference openers.