BACK IN ACTION
Utah State soccer (8-5-5, 3-1-3 MW) wraps up the regular season portion of its 2025 slate this week with a single Mountain West contest, as it travels to Boise, Idaho, to take on Boise State on Thursday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m.
FOLLOW ALONG
This week's match 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.
HEATING UP
Utah State has gained momentum throughout the year and is currently playing its best soccer of the season heading toward the postseason. Through the first 13 games of the year, the Aggies totaled 13 goals. In the past five, they have scored 22 while allowing just three.
On October 8, USU ranked 252nd in the nation and ninth in the Mountain West in scoring offense. Today, the Aggies rank 56th nationally and lead the MW.
A BRACE OF HAT TRICKS
The senior forward duo of Tess Werts and Kaylie Chambers have each posted hat tricks this season, Werts scoring a program-record four goals against Fresno State on Oct. 9, and Chambers netting three goals in a senior day win over San José State on Oct. 26.
This is just the second time in program history that multiple Utah State players have recorded hat tricks in the same season. The previous instance was in 1999 with Jayme Gordy and Brigid Turner.
ALMOST TOURNAMENT TIME
With just one game remaining in the regular season, the Mountain West Soccer Tournament is right around the corner. This year's tournament will be held in Boise, Idaho, from Nov. 2-8. The top six teams will make the field, while the top two will earn a first-round bye. This is the fifth-straight season that USU has qualified for the tournament.
Quarterfinal games will be played on Sunday, Nov. 2, at 4 and 7 p.m. The Semifinals will follow at the same times on Wednesday, Nov. 5, with the championship match on Saturday, Nov. 8, at 7 p.m.
WHAT'S THE SCENARIO?
Entering the final week of Mountain West play, Utah State still has a multitude of postseason possibilities. The Aggies have clinched a spot in the Mountain West Tournament, and could earn a bye in the quarterfinal round with a win over Boise State, paired with a Colorado College win or draw versus Air Force. The lowest the Aggies can fall is the 5-seed.
FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Freshman forward Hadli Barrera earned Mountain West Freshman of the Week honors last week after a pair of strong performances. Barrera recorded a goal and an assist against Nevada, then followed that performance with two goals against San José State for a total of seven points on the week. Her brace against the Spartans was the first by an Aggie freshman since Summer Diamond in 2023.
NOT ONE, NOT TWO, NOT THREE...
Senior forward Tess Werts had a historic performance against Fresno State on Oct. 9, scoring a program-record four goals. These were the first four goals of the season for the team's leading scorer from 2024. She became the first Aggie to ever score four goals in a game and the first to record a hat trick since 2018. She also matched the Mountain West single-game goals record, and became just the fifth player in league history to score four goals in a MW match.
BRAZILLING 'EM
• Utah State has earned two 7-1 victories this season, defeating Fresno State on Oct. 9, and San José State on Oct. 26.
• Seven goals are tied for the fifth-most in program history, and are the most goals ever scored in a Mountain West game by the Aggies.
• The team's +6 goal differential in those games is tied for the best in a Mountain West game.
MOVING UP THE LEADERBOARD
• Several Aggie players continue to move up career leaderboards this season.
• Chambers is up to 20 career assists, ranking second in program history. Werts is right behind, tied for third with 19 career assists. Graduate midfielder Rine Yonaha also recently broke into the top-10, ranking ninth with 15 career helpers.
• Chambers has 56 points in her career, good for seventh in program history. Werts is close behind with 53 career points, eight-most in USU history.
AMONG THE BEST
Utah State currently ranks in the top 75 nationally in several major statistical categories, including: assists (27th - 2.06), goal differential (33rd - +20), points (45th - 5.94), scoring offense (56th - 1.94), shots (64th - 15.22) and shots on goal (70th - 6.83).
SPREADING THE WEALTH
Utah State's 35 goals this season have come from all across the roster, with 11 different players scoring at least once. Ten different players have scored two or more goals this season, while 14 different players have recorded at least one assist.
SHOOT YOUR SHOT
• Utah State has taken as many or more shots than its opponent in 16 of 18 games this season. On the year, the team has a 274-137 shots advantage including a 123-52 advantage in shots on goal.
• The Aggies have limited 15 opponents to less than 10 shots and have not let a single opponent take more than five shots on goal.
U-S-A, U-S-A!
Utah State was without freshman defender Capriel Winder last week, as she participated with the United States U-20 Women's National Team at its training camp in Kansas City, in preparation for the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. Winder is having a stellar freshman campaign for Utah State, having started all 16 matches on the defensive backline prior to the camp and playing 1,404 of a possible 1,440 minutes.
SCOUTING THE BRONCOS
• Boise State enters the week 9-3-6 overall, and has already secured the regular season title and top seed in the Mountain West Tournament with a 9-3-6 mark in Mountain West play.
• The Broncos have scored 23 goals this year while surrendering 17 through 18 games. Senior forward Kenzie Macmillan leads the squad this season with 20 points coming on team-highs of six goals and eight assists, while taking 70 shots.
AGGIES VS BOISE STATE
• Thursday's contest will be the 27th all-time meeting between Utah State and Boise State. The Aggies lead the series at 17-6-4, with wins in five-straight and eight of the past 10 meetings.
• USU and Boise State met twice last season, both going the Aggies' way. Utah State picked up a 2-0 regular season win in Logan on goals from Alex Day ('22) and Ellie Hendrix ('67), then a 2-1 win in the MW championship match behind a brace by Kaylie Chambers ('10, '25).
• Utah State is 8-4-1 all-time against Boise State in Boise.
