BACK IN ACTION
Utah State soccer (4-4-3, 1-0-1 MW) plays its first road matches of Mountain West play this week as the Aggies travel to Colorado Springs, Colorado, for a pair of contests. The Aggies will first play at Air Force on Thursday, Oct. 2, at 6 p.m. USU then takes on Colorado College on Sunday, Oct. 5, at 12 p.m.
FOLLOW ALONG
Sunday's match against Colorado College will be streamed for free on Mountain West Network. Fans can also follow along via StatBroadcast, with stream and stat links available on the team's schedule page at www.utahstateaggies.com. Due to the US government shutdown, Thursday's match at Air Force will not be streamed, but live stats and social media updates will still be available.
JUMPING INTO CONFERENCE PLAY
• Utah State began Mountain West play last week in search of its third-straight league championship. The Aggies have finished second in the regular season standings but won the league tournament to earn the MW's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament each of the last two years.
• Under head coach Manny Martins, the Aggies have gone 27-10-9 against conference opponents, including a 16-3-6 record since 2023.
OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION
Against Wyoming last week, the Utah State offense had its best performance of the season with a three-goal showing. The Aggies scored less than a minute into the match to set the tone, then tacked on goals in the 36th and 53rd minutes. Prior to this match, Wyoming had allowed just six combined goals through 10 games.
OUT-SHOOTING THE COMPETITION
• Utah State has taken as many or more shots than its opponent in nine of 11 games this season. On the year, the team has a 142-87 shots advantage including a 63-35 advantage in shots on goal.
• The Aggies have limited eight opponents to less than 10 shots and have not let a single opponent take more than five shots on goal.
• USU has taken a season-high-tying seven shots on goal in three of its last four games.
MAKING THINGS HAPPEN
Senior forward Tess Werts has taken over the role of lead facilitator for Utah State this season, assisting on five goals, ranking second in the Mountain West in assists. Her five assists have all come in the past six games, including a two-assist performance against Wyoming.
FRESHMAN FIREPOWER
Freshman midfield/forward Hadli Barrera scored the first two goals of her college career in back-to-back games against Utah Valley and Portland. Barrera scored in the 77th minute to help secure the win against Utah Valley, then netted a 54th minute equalizer against Portland.
MOVING UP THE LEADERBOARD
• The senior forward duo of Kaylie Chambers and Tess Werts continue to move up the Utah State career leaderboards this season.
• Werts is up to 19 career assists, tied for second in program history. Chambers is right behind with 18 helpers, tied for fourth.
• Chambers has 46 points in her career, ninth-most in USU history, while Werts ranks closely behind in 10th with 43 career points.
SCOUTING THE FALCONS
• Air Force enters the week 2-5-2 overall, with an 0-1-0 mark in Mountain West play. In the team's league opener last week, AFA fell on the road to Grand Canyon 4-2.
• The Falcons have scored 12 goals this year while surrendering 17 through nine games. Sophomore defender/midfielder Annika Jost leads the squad in scoring this season with three goals on the year to go along with one assist.
AGGIES VS FALCONS
• Thursday's contest will be the 17th all-time meeting between Utah State and Air Force. The Aggies lead the all-time series 9-4-3, including a 4-1-1 record in the past six meetings.
• USU and Air Force met last season in Logan, a 4-0 win for the Aggies. USU capitalized on a pair of goals by Bizzy Arevalo ('14 and '55), along with a goal apiece from Tess Werts ('21) and Rine Yonaha ('58), while limiting the Falcons to just five total shots.
• Utah State is 3-3-1 all-time in Logan against Air Force at the academy.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
• Colorado College enters the week 3-4-3 overall, with a 0-1-1 mark in league play. The Tigers opened MW competition on the road last week with a 2-3 loss at New Mexico and a 1-1 draw at San Diego State.
• The Tigers are nearly even in score differential this season, having scored 12 goals while allowing 13 through 11 games. Junior midfielder Kendall Memoly has tallied a team-best nine points this year on four goals and one assists.
AGGIES VS TIGERS
• Sunday's contest will be the 16th all-time meeting between Utah State and Colorado College. The series is even at 5-5-5 all-time, though USU has won the past two meetings.
• When USU and Colorado College met in Logan in 2024, the Aggies earned a 6-0 victory. Utah State scored five goals in the second half, along with a goal just two minutes in from Alex Day. Other USU scorers included Kate Christian ('49), Rine Yonaha ('56), Bizzy Arevalo ('75 and '79) and Faith Hines ('90).
• Utah State is 2-2-3 all-time in Colorado Springs against Colorado College.
ICYMI
• Utah State opened MW play last week at home, first drawing with Colorado State 1-1 in a rematch of the 2024 MW Tournament title game, before defeating Wyoming 3-0.
• Against the Rams, USU scored in the 42th with a goal from sophomore forward Austin Miller, but CSU responded with a goal in the 51st minute to even things up, scoring on the team's first shot of the game.
• Against the Cowgirls, senior forward Kaylie Chambers scored less than a minute in, followed by goals from sophomore forward Mia Mullenmeister in the 36th minute and the first career goal for freshman forward Samantha Sellers in the 53rd minute.
YOUTH MOVEMENT
• While the Aggies returned 10 letterwinners from last year's squad, Utah State brought back just four starters and has relied on several young players in elevated roles this season. 11 of the team's top 18 players in terms of minutes played, including three of the top four, are underclassmen.
• On the defensive backline, true freshmen Capriel Winder and Summer Sofonia have started all 11 matches.
WELCOME TO BELL
• In the past four years under Manny Martins, Utah State holds a 33-5-9 home record at Chuck and Gloria Bell Field. During those games, the Aggies have out-scored opponents by a combined 94-31.
• Dating back to 2022, 19 of the past 30 USU opponents at Bell Field have been shut out.
• Last season, USU went 7-0-2 at home and out-scored opponents by a combined 29-4.
• All-time, Utah State is 128-49-33 at home.
MARTINS MAGIC
• Utah State head coach Manny Martins is the reigning back-to-back coach of the year for both the Mountain West and the Pacific Region.
• Martins has built the Aggies into a powerhouse during his five years in Logan. As the head coach at USU, he has a 57-24-20 (.663) record, including a 27-10-9 (.682) mark in conference games. In the three years prior to his arrival, the team won just 16 total games.
• Martins' career winning percentage of .663 ranks second-best in Mountain West Conference history, behind only BYU's Jennifer Rockwood's .739 from 1999-2010.
UP NEXT
Utah State will continue Mountain West play with a single game at home next week when the Aggies host Fresno State on Thursday, Oct. 9, at 7 p.m., at Chuck & Gloria Bell Field.
