BACK IN ACTION
Utah State soccer (2-3-2, 0-0-0 MW) wraps up the non-conference portion of its 2025 campaign this week with a pair of matches. The Aggies will first host Utah Valley at Chuck & Gloria Bell Field on Thursday, Sept. 18, at 3 p.m. USU then travels to Portland, Oregon, to face Portland on Saturday, Sept. 20, at 8 p.m. (MT).
FOLLOW ALONG
Thursday's match will be streamed on Mountain West Network, while Saturday's will be on ESPN+. Fans can also follow along via StatBroadcast, with stream and stat links available on the team's schedule page at www.utahstateaggies.com.
SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES
• Utah Valley enters the week 4-3-1, having earned wins over Utah, LSU, Gonzaga and Weber State, with losses to Kansas, Auburn and BYU and a draw against California.
• The Wolverines have scored 17 goals this year but surrendered 16 through eight games. Senior midfielder Ruby Hladek leads the squad in both goals and assists, with five apiece.
• Utah Valley is led by ninth year head coach Chris Lemay.
SERIES HISTORY
• Thursday's contest will be the 10th all-time meeting between Utah State and Utah Valley. The Aggies lead the all-time series 7-2, including wins in two-straight and four of the past five meetings. UVU's last win in the series came in 2015.
• When Utah State and Utah Valley met last season in Orem, the Aggies dominated in a 3-0 win. All three of USU's goals came in the first half, scored by Kaitlyn Richins ('3), Kate Christian ('40) and Austin Miller ('43). USU took 22 shots to UVU's 13, including 12 on frame.
• Utah State is 4-1 all-time in Logan against Utah Valley.
SCOUTING THE PILOTS
• Portland enters the week 2-2-3, having earned wins over Long Beach State and CSUN, with losses to Cal State Fullerton and UCLA and draws with Oregon, USC and Portland State.
• The Pilots have scored four goals while surrendering just five through seven games this season. Senior forward Hailey Still leads the squad with two goals.
• Portland is led by eighth year head coach Michelle French.
SERIES HISTORY
Sunday's contest will be the first-ever meeting between Utah State and Portland.
MOVING UP THE LEADERBOARD
• With a goal and an assist last week, senior forward Kaylie Chambers entered the program's all-time top-10 in career points. Chambers now has 42 points on 13 goals and 16 assists during her college career, ranking ninth in program history.
• Chambers' 16 assists rank fifth-most in a career in program history.
• Senior forward Tess Werts also has 16 assists in her career after recording a pair last week, and sits tied with Chambers for fifth in program history.
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 four of the top six, are underclassmen.
• On the defensive backline, true freshmen Capriel Winder and Summer Sofonia have started all seven matches, while freshman Bentli Barrera has also made three starts.
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. Since 2021, USU is 10-5-2 against in-state foes.
LAST TIME OUT
• Utah State split a pair of 2-1 matches last week, first defeating in-state foe Weber State at Bell Field on Thursday, then losing on the road to RV Texas Tech.
• Against the Wildcats, USU scored in the 65th and 67th minutes with goals from senior forward Kaylie Chambers and sophomore forward Mia Mullenmeister.
• Against the Red Raiders, USU took a 1-0 lead on a 52nd minute goal by junior midfielder Summer Diamond, but a quick response in the 55th minute then a penalty kick goal in the 75th minute gave Texas Tech the win.
WELCOME TO BELL
• In the past four years under Manny Martins, Utah State holds a 31-5-8 home record at Chuck and Gloria Bell Field. During those games, the Aggies have out-scored opponents by a combined 88-30.
• Dating back to 2022, 17 of the past 27 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 126-49-32 at home.
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.
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 54-22-19 (.668) 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 .668 ranks second-best in Mountain West Conference history, behind only BYU's Jennifer Rockwood's .739 from 1999-2010.
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.
UNDER THE LIGHTS
Chuck & Gloria Bell Field looks a little bit different this season. A major offseason renovation to USU's home field added a new playing surface and lights, allowing the Aggies to play night games at home for the first time in program history. This was part one of a three-phase renovation, which will eventually include a new video board, grandstands, press box and locker room.
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.
SISTER, SISTER
Utah State's 2025 roster includes three pairs of sisters after having none last season. The Aggies are one of just five teams in the nation to have multiple sets of sisters on the team, and the only to have three sets.
• 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 begin Mountain West play with a pair of home games next week, first hosting Colorado State on Thursday, Sept. 25, at 7 p.m. The Aggies then take on Wyoming on Sunday, Sept. 28, at 1 p.m., at Chuck & Gloria Bell Field.
