Back in Action
Utah State soccer (2-3-1, 0-0-0 MW) hits the road this week as it travels to the Grand Canyon State for a pair of matches against Pac-12 foes. The Aggies first take on Arizona State (3-0-3, 0-0 Pac-12) on Thursday, Sept. 7, at 5 p.m. (MT), before facing Arizona (2-1-2, 0-0 Pac-12) on Sunday, Sept. 10, at 12:30 p.m. Both matches will be played at Arizona's Mulcahy Soccer Stadium in Tucson, Arizona.
Follow Along
Both of this weekend's matches will be streamed on Pac-12 Insider. Fans can follow along with both matches via live stats online, with stream and stat links available at www.utahstateaggies.com.
Series History
• Utah State and Arizona State have met up two times previously, each team earning a win in the series. The most recent meeting was in 1998, a 3-1 road victory for USU.
• Sunday's match will be just the second all-time meeting between Utah State and Arizona, the previous being a 3-0 road loss for the Aggies in 2006.
Scouting the Sun Devils
• Arizona State enters Thursday's contest undefeated with a 3-0-3 record, having earned wins over Wright State, New Mexico State and UTEP. The Sun Devils have been led in scoring this season by sophomore midfield/forward Enasia Colon, who has four goals on the year.
•In 2022, ASU posted a 9-6-3 overall record, going 5-5-1 in conference play to finish fifth in the Pac-12.
Scouting the Wildcats
• Arizona is off to a 2-1-2 start to its 2023 campaign, with wins over Northern Arizona and Kent State, and a 1-1 draw to MW foe Boise State. The Wildcats have been led in scoring this season by senior forward Nicole Dallin, who has five goals on the year.
•In 2022, Arizona posted an 8-7-3 overall record, going 5-5-1 in conference play to finish sixth in the Pac-12.
A Familiar Face
Utah State senior midfielder Alex Day began her collegiate career at Arizona. Day played for the Wildcats as a freshman in 2020, appearing in seven matches.
Keeping Bizzy
Utah State junior attacker Bizzy Arevalo played in a integral role in USU's win over South Dakota State last Friday, posting the first three-point performance of her career. Arevalo set the tone early with a goal in the ninth minute. She then beat out a defender in the 28th minute to find Nicole Hadlock-Hardy in front of the net for a goal to put the Aggies up 2-0.
Fire Away
In Utah State's scoreless draw versus South Dakota last Sunday, the Aggies recorded 26 shots, a mark which ranks tied for 10th in program history. It was the most shots taken by a USU team since 2018.
Corner Pocket
Also against South Dakota last Sunday, Utah State took 14 corner kicks, a mark which ranks third in program history for a single game. It was the most corners taken by an Aggie team since 2002.
Putting it to the Test
Utah State's non-conference schedule this season is one of its toughest in recent memory. Entering this week, the Aggies' nine non-conference opponents hold a combined record of 30-11-11, while eight of those teams currently have a winning record.
Making History
• Utah State graduate goalie Diera Walton continues to etch her name in the program record books. Against South Dakota last week, Walton moved into a tie atop USU's all-time shutouts leaderboard with her 22nd career clean sheet.
• Against Utah on Aug. 24, Walton became the program's all-time saves leader with her 274th career save. She also recently took over the top spot on the program's goalie minutes played list, and has now logged over 6,000 minutes in net.
Welcome Home
Utah State recently welcomed sophomore defender Addi Coon back to the roster, who returned home from an 18-month Latter-day Saint mission to San Antonio, Texas. As a true freshman in 2021, Coon played 17 matches with 11 starts, totaling 831 minutes on the pitch.
In The Polls
Utah State was picked fifth in the preseason Mountain West coaches poll for the second-straight season. In the Pac-12 preseason poll, Arizona State was picked seventh while Arizona was tabbed to finish sixth.
Representing the Beehive State
This year's USU squad includes 23 players from the state of Utah, or 72 percent (23-of-32) of the roster. This puts the Aggies tied with BYU for most players from the Beehive State.
