BACK IN ACTION
No. 16 Utah State soccer (11-2-2, 4-0-0 Pac-12) continues the conference portion of its 2026 campaign this week with a single Pac-12 Conference match. The Aggies will host Fresno State on Saturday, Oct. 17, at Chuck & Gloria Bell Field, at 7:30 p.m.
FOLLOW ALONG
Saturday's match, along with every conference match this year, will be streamed free on the Pac-12 YouTube page. Fans can also follow along via StatBroadcast, with stream and stat links available on the team's schedule page at www.utahstateaggies.com.
ICYMI
Utah State remained perfect in conference play with wins over both of the only other then-unbeaten teams in the league, defeating Washington State 2-0 and Boise State 1-0 last week. Against the Cougars, USU pulled ahead early with a 15th minute penalty kick goal from sophomore forward Kunie Hirai, then junior forward Mia Mullenmeister extended the lead in the 72nd minute as the Aggies posted a 17-4 shots advantage on the day. At Boise State, a 24th minute penalty kick goal by junior midfielder Rachel Reitzwas the difference as USU took down the Broncos on their own field.
HALFWAY THERE
At the midway point of conference play, the Aggies sit alone on top of the Pac-12 standings at a perfect 4-0. USU has outscored league opponents by a combined 9-1 with three-straight shutout wins. Three of its wins have come against teams in the top half of the conference standings.
AMONG THE BEST
Utah State boasts one of the most potent offenses in the country this season, currently ranking in the top 10 nationally in several major statistical categories, including: goal differential (5th - +27), assists (5th - 39), points (7th - 111), goals (9th - 36) and shots per game (10th - 18.20). Defensively, the Aggies rank 25th in the country in goals-against average (0.60) and 18th in shutout percentage (0.60).
IN THE POLLS
• Utah State is ranked in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 for the fifth-straight week, climbing one spot to No. 16 this week, its highest ranking of the season.
• This is just the second season in which USU has ever been ranked. Previously, it made its Top 25 debut in 2024, when the Aggies climbed all the way to No. 7.
• USU received 81 points in the poll, ranking as the top non-P4 team in the country and the only ranked team in the Pac-12.
• Utah State is 3-2-1 against teams either ranked or receiving votes this week.
• Additionally, the Aggies are No. 19 in the TopDrawerSoccer Top 25 Poll and No. 14 in RPI.
AGGIES VS BULLDOGS
Saturday's matchup will be the 25th all-time meeting between Utah State and Fresno State. The Aggies lead the series 10-9-5, but are 7-2-2 in games since 2014. Last season when the sides met in Logan, Utah State earned a convincing 7-1 victory. All-time against the Bulldogs in Logan, USU is 6-2-2.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
• Fresno State enters the week with a 1-12-2 overall record. It is 0-4 in conference action, with losses coming to Colorado State (2-1), Washington State (4-0), Boise State (4-0) and Gonzaga (6-0).
• The Bulldogs have scored seven goals this season while surrendering 48.
• Junior midfielder Hayden Crotty-Romero leads the squad this season with eight points coming on a team-best four goals.
STREAKS SNAPPED
With its 1-0 win at Boise State on Oct. 11, Utah State put an end to a pair of long-running streaks. Entering that contest, BSU held the nation's longest winning streak with nine-straight victories, and were on the longest home unbeaten streak in program history at 14 matches.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
After helping the Aggies to a 2-0-0 showing last week with a pair of shutout wins, sophomore goalkeeper Ivy Nystrom was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week. Nystrom played all 180 minutes in net for the Aggies and allowed no goals, making four saves on the week. She now ranks second in the country in goalkeeper shutouts with eight.
This was Nystrom's second-straight DPOW award and third overall this season, after also earning it on Aug. 31 and Oct. 5.
NO SHOT
• While offensively the Aggies rank in the top-15 nationally in both shots and shots on goal per game, defensively, USU has been suffocating.
• Utah State is averaging 18.2 shots per game while limiting opponents to just 7.3. The Aggies also average 8.3 shots on goal per game while facing just 2.7.
• It's been over a month (Sept. 6 at Colorado) since an Aggie opponent has had four or more shots on goal in a game.
SETTING THE TONE
• In its inaugural Pac-12 contest on Oct. 1, Utah State defeated then-No. 22 Texas State 2-1 in what was the first-ever ranked-vs-ranked matchup at Bell Field.
• The Aggies out-shot the Bobcats 33-4 in the contest, the fifth-most shots in a game in Utah State program history.
• This was the fifth win over a ranked opponent in USU program history, and the second this year. All five have come under head coach Manny Martins.
POSTSEASON SOCCER COMING TO THE BELL
This year's Pac-12 Championship will be hosted by Utah State at Chuck & Gloria Bell Field. The Aggies earned the right to host by posting the league's highest RPI in nonconference play. The four-team tournament will be held Nov. 11-14, with a pair of semifinal matches on Wednesday, Nov. 11, and the championship on Saturday, Nov. 14. This will be just the second time USU has hosted a conference tournament, after previously hosting the 2012 WAC Tournament.
SPREADING THE WEALTH
Not only does Utah State have one of the top scoring offenses in the country this season, the team's goals have come from all across the field. USU's 36 goals have come from 14 different players, with 11 players scoring multiple goals and nobody scoring more than four. Additionally, 17 different players have recorded at least one assist this season.
QUEENS OF THE HIVE
Utah State faced four Beehive State opponents during nonconference play, coming out victorious in each contest and outscoring those teams by a combined 14-1. USU earned road wins at Utah Valley (1-0) and Utah (1-0), and defeated Utah Tech (8-1) and BYU (4-0) in Logan. This is the second time in the past three seasons the Aggies have swept in-state opponents, along with 2024.
A TIP OF THE CAP
• USU sophomore defender Capriel Winder has tallied a team-best seven assists this season. This leads the Pac-12 and ranks 16th in the nation.
• Winder already ranks tied for sixth all-time for assists in a season at USU, and is the only defender ranked in the top-10. The program record is 11, held by Ashley Cardozo (2021) and Jessica Brooksby (2016).
WELCOME TO BELL
• Chuck & Gloria Bell Field is home to the nation's longest unbeaten streak, as Utah State has gone undefeated in 35-straight games, a streak of longer than three calendar years. The team's last loss in Logan came Aug. 24, 2023 against Utah.
• In the past six years under Manny Martins, Utah State holds a 42-5-11 home record. During those games, the Aggies have out-scored opponents by a combined 137-39.
• Across the 2024 and 2025 seasons, USU went 13-0-5 at home and out-scored opponents by a combined 58-10.
• All-time, Utah State is 137-49-35 at home.
THE BEST SHOW IN TOWN
Helping Utah State to one of the best home field advantages in the country is one of the best crowds in the country at Chuck & Gloria Bell Field. Through eight home games this season, the Aggies are averaging 1,409 fans per game, a mark which ranks 14th in the nation. USU set a program record attendance with its first-ever Bell Field sell-out this season against BYU, playing in front of 3,181 fans.
MARTINS MAGIC
• Utah State head coach Manny Martins, the two-time Mountain West Coach of the Year (2023, 24) and three-time Pacific Region Coach of the Year (2023, 24, 25) has led the most successful stretch of Aggie soccer in program history.
• As the head coach at USU, he has a 74-27-26 (.685) record, including a 35-15-11 (.664) mark in conference games. In the three years prior to his arrival, the team won just 16 total games.
UP NEXT
Utah State will continue Pac-12 play next week as it travels to Spokane, Washington, to face Gonzaga on Sunday, Oct. 25, at 1 p.m. (MT).
