BACK IN ACTION
No. 19 Utah State soccer (11-2-3, 4-0-1 Pac-12) continues the conference portion of its 2026 campaign this week with a single Pac-12 Conference match. The Aggies will travel to Spokane, Washington, on Sunday, Oct. 25, to face Gonzaga. The match will kick off at 1 p.m. (MT) at Luger Field.
FOLLOW ALONG
Sunday'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 had its first non-winning result of Pac-12 play when it hosted Fresno State last week, playing the Bulldogs to a scoreless draw. USU dominated the stat sheet in every category except for goals, out-shooting Fresno State 25-4, taking eight corner kicks while allowing just one, and controlling the pace and possession throughout, but were unable to find the back of the net. Despite that, Utah State earned a point and remained unbeaten atop the conference table.
AGGIES ON TOP
Just beyond the midway point of conference play, with five games played and three remaining, the Aggies sit on top of the Pac-12 standings at 4-0-1. Utah State is tied with Boise State with 13 points, but has played one game fewer and owns the tiebreaker versus the Broncos. USU has outscored league opponents by a combined 9-1 with four-straight shutout results. With a win on Sunday, Utah State can clinch a spot in the Pac-12 Tournament, which it will host at Bell Field November 11-14.
AMONG THE BEST
Utah State has dominated both sides of the pitch this season, currently ranking in the top 20 nationally in several major statistical categories, including: shots per game (7th - 18.63), goal differential (8th - +27), shutout percentage (10th - 0.625), assists (13th - 39), points (15th - 111), goals against average (18th - 0.56) and goals (20th - 36).
IN THE POLLS
• Utah State is ranked in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 for the sixth-straight week, dropping three spots after a draw to Fresno State to No. 19 this week. The Aggies have climbed as high as No. 16 this 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 47 points in the poll, ranking as the top non-P4 team in the country and the only ranked team in the Pac-12.
• Additionally, the Aggies are No. 23 in the TopDrawerSoccer Top 25 Poll and No. 21 in RPI.
AGGIES VS BULLDOGS
Sunday's matchup will be the ninth all-time meeting between Utah State and Gonzaga. The Aggies trail in the series 2-5-1, but the sides haven't met since 2016, a 2-1 overtime home win for USU. All-time against the Bulldogs in Spokane, USU is 0-2-1.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
• Gonzaga enters the contest with a 7-7-2 overall record. It is seventh in the Pac-12 standings at 2-3-0, with wins over Fresno State and Washington State, and losses against Boise State, Colorado State and Texas State.
• The Bulldogs have scored 32 goals this season while surrendering 22.
• Junior midfielder Amelia Severn leads the squad this season with 21 points coming on team-bests of eight goals and five assists.
SHUT 'EM DOWN
• Utah State boasts one of the nation's top defenses this season, allowing just nine goals through 16 games.
• The Aggies have shut out 10 opponents this year, including each of the past four. It's been nearly 400 minutes on the pitch since USU has surrendered a goal. The team's 10 shutouts rank tied for fourth in a season in program history (record is 15 in 2024).
• The team's 0.625 shutout percentage ranks 10th in the nation.
• Sophomore goalkeeper Ivy Nystrom has nine clean sheets to her name, ranking third in the nation. Her nine shutouts rank tied for fourth in program history (record is 11).
WELL-DESERVED RECOGNITION
Three members of the Utah State back line were recognized by TopDrawerSoccer this week, as the publication announced its Midseason Top 100 Players and Top 100 Freshmen lists. The sophomore defensive duo of Summer Sofonia (No. 83) and Capriel Winder (No. 99) were named among the top 100 players in the country, while defender Lila Emmetsberger checked in at No. 55 on the top 100 freshmen list.
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 as well.
• Utah State is averaging 18.6 shots per game while limiting opponents to just 7.1. The Aggies also average 8.2 shots on goal per game while facing just 2.6.
• It's been over a month (Sept. 6 at Colorado) since an Aggie opponent has had more than three shots on goal in a game.
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.
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.
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.
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 24th 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 36-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 42-5-12 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 137-49-36 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 nine home games this season, the Aggies are averaging 1,374 fans per game, a mark which ranks 16th 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.
UP NEXT
Utah State will continue Pac-12 play next week as it travels to Corvallis, Oregon, for its regular season road finale as it faces Oregon State on Friday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m. (MT).
