Back in Action
Utah State soccer (9-7-1, 6-2-0 MW) concludes the home portion of its 2023 slate this week with a pair of games at Chuck and Gloria Bell Field. The Aggies first host the UNLV Rebels (6-4-6, 2-3-3 MW) on Thursday, Oct. 19, at 2:30 p.m., before taking on the Nevada Wolfpack (6-6-5, 4-3-1 MW) on Sunday, Oct. 22, at 1 p.m.
Follow Along
Both of this week's matches will be streamed free on the Mountain West Network. Fans can follow along via live stats online, with stream and stat links available at www.utahstateaggies.com.
Series History
• Utah State and UNLV have met up 16 times in a series that dates back to 1998.
• The Aggies are 6-10-0 in the series, but have won each of the past three meetings. When the teams faced off last year in Logan, USU came out on top with a 2-1 win.
• Utah State and Nevada have met up 22 times in a series dating back to 2000.
• The Aggies lead the series 15-7-0, and have won five of the past six meetings. The teams played in Reno last year, with USU earning a 1-0 win.
Scouting the Rebels
• UNLV enters Thursday's contest with a 6-4-6 record, and is 2-3-3 in MW play with wins over Wyoming and Colorado College.
• The Rebels have been led in scoring this season by freshman midfielder Trinity Buchanan and sophomore midfield/forward Mallie Ramirez, who each have five goals. Freshman forward Cassie Villanueva leads the squad with four assists.
Scouting the Wolfpack
• Nevada enters the week 6-6-5 overall, holding a 4-3-1 conference record with wins over Wyoming, San José State, Air Force and San Diego State.
• The Wolfpack have been led in scoring this season by fifth year midfielder Luz Arrega, who has five goals on the year. Four different Nevada players have registered three assists this year to lead the squad.
Senior Salute
Prior to Sunday's match, Utah State will honor seven players who will be playing their final match at Chuck and Gloria Bell Field. Among those being recognized are goalkeeper Diera Walton, forward Nicole Hadlock-Hardy, forward HalleKate Munson, defender Emma Fry, defender Kelsey Kaufusi, forward Heidi Smith-Wilstead and forward Tenzi Knowles. The team will also honor Emma Becerra, a team manager who previously played from 2021-22.
What's At Stake
• With its win over Fresno State and other results around the league, Utah State officially clinched a spot in the Mountain West Championship.
• The Aggies enter this week still very much in the running for a first-round bye in the tournament, as well as the league's regular season title. Utah State currently sits third in the MW table, just one point behind San Diego State and Boise State.
Tournament Time
With just three games remaining in the regular season, the 2023 Mountain West Championship is just around the corner. This year's tournament will be held in Laramie, Wyoming. The quarterfinal round will take place Sunday, Oct. 29, followed by the semifinal round on Wednesday, Nov. 1. The MW Championship match is set for Saturday, Nov. 4, at 12 p.m.
Trying to Make History
Utah State enters this week with six wins in conference play, already surpassing last season's win total of five. It needs just one more win to match its all-time best win total since joining the Mountain West, set in 2016 when the Aggies went 7-4-0 in league play.
Another Freshman Brace
• In Sunday's win over San José State, forward Solena Sellers came up big for the Aggies. The true freshman entered the game in the 29th minute, then netted the game's first goal in the 41st minute. Sellers then followed what was the first goal of her collegiate career with a second strike just five minutes later.
• Sellers is just the second Aggie player with a multi-goal game this season, joining fellow true freshman Summer Diamond, who scored a brace in the season opener vs Weber State.
Locking it Down
• The Utah State defense has proven itself as one of the best in the Mountain West, currently holding opponents to a league-best 0.89 goals per game. The Aggies have held 14 of their 17 opponents to a goal or less, including 11 of the previous 12 entering this week.
• In each of the team's three seasons under head coach Manny Martins, USU has held opponents under one goal per game.
Home Field Advantage
Chuck and Gloria Bell Field has been one of the Mountain West's most consistent home field advantages in recent years. The Aggies are 7-2-1 at home this season, and under coach Manny Martins, have lost just five home games with a 21-5-5 record.
Brick Wall
Utah State's Diera Walton has set nearly every program career keeper record in the book during her five-year stint as an Aggie, and currently ranks fifth among active DI keepers in career minutes played with 7,144. She also ranks 14th this season in minutes played with 1,463.
That's The Goal
The Aggies are a near-perfect 9-1 this season when scoring at least one goal, and they've scored first in each of their nine wins. Under coach Martins, when scoring at least one goal USU is 30-9-5.
