BACK IN ACTION
Utah State soccer (1-1-1, 0-0-0 MW) continues its 2025 campaign this week with an in-state matchup. The Aggies will host Utah (2-1-0, 0-0-0 Big 12) on Thursday, Aug. 28, at 7 p.m., at Chuck & Gloria Bell Field.
FOLLOW ALONG
Thursday's match will be streamed for free on Mountain West Network. Fans can also follow along via StatBroadcast, with stream and stat links available at www.utahstateaggies.com.
UNDER THE LIGHTS
Thursday night's contest will be historic, as the first-ever night game played in Logan. The Aggies and Utes will play under lights at Chuck & Gloria Bell Field, which received a major renovation in the offseason including lights and a new playing surface. This was part one of a three-phase renovation, which will eventually include a new video board, grandstands, press box and locker room.
LOCKING 'EM DOWN
Through three games this season, Utah State has yet to allow a goal in the run of play. The Aggie defense posted shutouts against both Washington State and Kansas. The team's lone goal surrendered came on a penalty kick against Pacific. None of USU's three opponents have recorded more than four shots on goal.
SCOUTING THE UTES
• Utah enters the week 2-1, after earning a 2-1 win over Gonzaga, falling to Utah Valley 2-0, and defeating Westminster 4-0 to open the season.
• In 2024, the Utes finished the season 8-6-5 with a 5-3-3 mark in conference play to finish eighth in the Big 12. They were picked ninth in this year's Big 12 preseason poll.
• Utah returned six starters and 10 letterwinners from last year's squad. Hideki Nakada is in his fifth season as the head coach of the Utes.
SERIES HISTORY
• Thursday's contest will be the 27th all-time meeting between Utah State and Utah. The Utes lead the all-time series 20-6-0, including a 9-2 record in Logan.
• When Utah State and Utah met last season in Salt Lake City, USU snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Utes with a 2-0 victory. The Aggies scored goals in quick succession, using a 58th minute goal from Summer Diamond and a 63rd minute goal from Alex Day to secure the victory.
Aggies Vs the Big 12
All-time, the Aggies are 13-43-4 against current Big 12 opponents, with five of those wins coming in the past five seasons under head coach Manny Martins. Last season, Utah State went 3-0 against Big 12 opponents, earning wins over Texas Tech, BYU and Utah. USU played reigning Big 12 Tournament champion Kansas to a scoreless draw this year on Aug. 24, and will face BYU and Texas Tech later this season.
BEST OF THE BEEHIVE STATE
Utah State proved to be the top team in the Beehive State last season, going 4-0 against in-state opponents with all four wins coming on the road. USU defeated Utah 2-0, BYU 2-0, Utah Valley 3-0 and Weber State 4-2. The Aggies will face all four opponents again this year, with three of them coming to Bell Field.
LAST TIME OUT
Utah State opened the home portion of its 2025 season with a scoreless draw against defending Big 12 tournament champions Kansas at Bell Field on Aug. 24. Each side recorded four shots on frame in the contest, Kansas taking 10 total shots to Utah State's nine. Graduate keeper Taylor Rath earned the shutout in goal with four saves.
THE CHAMPS ARE BACK
The 2024 campaign was historic for Utah State, as the Aggies repeated as Mountain West Tournament champions and earned a second-straight NCAA Tournament bid. USU won a program-record 18 games with just a single loss, going 18-1-5 overall and climbing as high as No. 7 in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll. Utah State earned an 8-seed in the NCAA Tournament, hosting a tournament game for the first time in program history.
WATCH OUT
• Utah State was picked by the league's coaches to win the conference title, receiving 128 points and six first-place votes in the preseason poll. This is the first time the Aggies have been selected first since joining the MW.
• Three Aggies were named to the 2025 Mountain West Soccer Watch List - senior forwards Kaylie Chambers and Tess Werts, and junior midfielder Summer Diamond. The watch list replaces the preseason all-conference team that the league used in previous years.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Following Utah State's 1-0 season-opening win over Washington State on Aug. 14, graduate goalkeeper Taylor Rath was named the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week. Rath earned the shutout in goal, playing all 90 minutes. She had a pair of diving saves in the contest, one in the 30th minute and another in the 54th.
REWRITING THE RECORD BOOK
Last year's Aggie squad literally rewrote the record book, breaking nearly every major record in program history, including wins (18), goals (62), assists (65), points (189), shots on goal (202), and shutouts (15). The team's 0.68 goals allowed average ranked second in program history.
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Under coach Manny Martins, USU has established a reputation as one of the nation's top defenses, allowing less than a goal per game all four seasons. Last year, the Aggies posted a program-record 15 shutouts. Four of the top seven seasons for goals allowed average in program history have come under Martins.
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 54-21-18 (.677) record, including a 26-10-8 (.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 .677 ranks second-best in Mountain West Conference history, behind only BYU's Jennifer Rockwood's .739 from 1999-2010.
WELCOME TO BELL
• In the past four years under Manny Martins, Utah State holds a 30-5-7 home record at Chuck and Gloria Bell Field. During those games, the Aggies have out-scored opponents by a combined 85-28.
• Dating back to 2022, 17 of the past 25 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 125-49-31 at home.
2024 HONORS
• Several Aggies earned Mountain West postseason honors last year. Among those returning are first team selection Tess Werts and second team selection Summer Diamond.
• The sophomore forward trio of Ellie Hendrix, Austin Miller and Mia Mullenmeister were each named to the MW All-Newcomer Team following strong freshman campaigns in 2024.
• Manny Martins was named both the Mountain West and the United Soccer Coaches Pacific Region Coach of the Year for the second-straight season. He's just the second USU coach to earn conference coach of the year honors, and the first to do so in back-to-back seasons.
NEW YEAR, NEW FACES
• Utah State welcomes in 12 newcomers to this year's team, including three transfers and eight freshmen.
• Transfers include graduate defender Carli Conner (Colorado Mesa), senior goalkeeper Taylor Rath (Pepperdine) and junior goalkeeper Allee Grashoff (UC Riverside).
• Freshmen include Ivy Nystrom (Phoenix, Arizona), Summer Sofonia (Hyrum, Utah), Samantha Sellers (Highland, Utah), Abby Hironaka (Honolulu, Hawaii), Kunie Hirai (Boise, Idaho), Bentli Barrera (Hyrum, Utah), Hadli Barrera (Hyrum, Utah) and Capriel Winder (North Logan, Utah).
• The Aggies also welcome back sophomore defender Talia Winder (Logan, Utah), who played 17 matches for the team in 2022 before serving an 18-month church mission to Brazil.
SISTER, SISTER
Utah State's 2025 roster includes three pairs of sisters after having none last season.
• Freshman forward Samantha Sellers joins her older sister, junior defender Solena Sellers.
• Freshman midfield/defender Capriel Winder joins her older sister, sophomore defender Talia Winder.
• Freshman twins Hadli and Bentli Barrera also join the Aggies, Hadli as a midfield/forward and Bentli as a defender.
AGGIE DOMINATION
• Along with being one of just two teams in the country with a single loss last season, Utah State out-scored its opponents by a combined score of 62-14. This ranked as the fifth-best scoring differential in the nation.
• Utah State's scoring differential (+48) was greater than the previous program record for goals in a season (40).
UP NEXT
Utah State will hit the road next week as it travels 125 miles south to take on in-state foe BYU on Saturday, Oct. 6, in Provo, Utah. The game will start at 6 p.m., and will be streamed on ESPN+.
