BACK IN ACTION
No. 22 Utah State soccer (12-3-3, 5-1-1 Pac-12) wraps up its regular season this week as it hosts San Diego State at Chuck & Gloria Bell Field on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 7:30 p.m.
FOLLOW ALONG
Thursday'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.
PLAYING FOR HARDWARE
Thursday's game is one of the most important regular season contests in Utah State history, with a Pac-12 Conference regular season title and the top overall seed in the upcoming Pac-12 Tournament on the line.
Should the Aggies win, they guarantee at least a share of the regular season title, and the top seed in the tournament, due to the head-to-head tiebreaker over Boise State. Should the Aggies draw, they would need a Boise State draw or loss versus Washington State to win the title.
USU has won four regular-season championships in program history, all in the WAC (2008, 2010, 2011, 2012).
ROAD WARRIORS
This season, Utah State has earned its two most dominant road wins in program history with a 6-0 win at Idaho State on Sept. 17 and a 5-0 win at Oregon State on Oct. 30. The 6-0 win at Idaho State is the largest margin of victory on the road ever by a USU team, while the 5-0 win at Oregon State is tied for the second-largest, along with a 6-1 win at Boise State on Oct. 18, 2016.
A BRICK WALL
• USU sophomore goalkeeper Ivy Nystrom has been one of the nation's top goalkeepers this season, and is having one of the best seasons between the sticks in program history.
• In 16 appearances, she has 10 clean sheets to her name, ranking third in the nation.
• Her 10 shutouts rank tied for third in program history, just one back of the record of 11 held by Cora Brendle (2024) and Milli Merrill (2011).
• Nystrom also ranks 14th nationally in goals against average at 0.508, a mark which ranks third in program history.
AMONG THE BEST
Utah State ranks among the nation's best on both sides of the pitch in several major statistical categories this season, currently ranking in the top 15 in: shots per game (4th - 18.94), assists (7th - 49), points (8th - 133), goal differential (9th - +30) and goals (13nd - 42).
WHAT'S THE SCENARIO?
Along with playing for a regular season title, both the Aggies and the Aztecs are playing for seeding in next week's Pac-12 Tournament. Both have secured their place in the four-team field (along with Boise State), but both could wind up as any of the top-three seeds.
Utah State will be the one seed with a win, or with a draw and a Boise State draw or loss versus Washington State. The Aggies will be the two seed with a draw and a Boise State win, or a loss and a Boise State loss. They would be the three seed with a loss and a Boise State win or draw.
ICYMI
Utah State had one of its most decisive wins of the year last week, closing out its regular season road slate with a 5-0 victory at Oregon State. Led by the first-career brace by sophomore forward Kunie Hirai, the Aggies controlled the game from start to finish. The team recorded a single-game program record nine assists on five goals, with eight different players tallying at least one and sophomore forward Samantha Sellers leading the way with two.
IN THE POLLS
• Utah State is ranked in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 for the eight-straight week, climbing three spots after last week's 5-0 win at Oregon State. 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.
• This is the eighth overall week Utah State has been ranked this season, matching the 2024 season's total for weeks ranked.
• USU is the highest ranked team in the country outside of a P4 conference.
AGGIES VS AZTECS
Thursday's matchup will be the 16th all-time meeting between Utah State and San Diego State. The Aztecs lead the series 9-2-4, though USU has won the past two matchups and is 2-1-2 vs SDSU in the past five. Last year when the teams met in San Diego, the Aggies earned a 2-0 victory with goals in the second and 88th minutes from Kaylie Chambers and Tess Werts.
SCOUTING THE Aztecs
• San Diego State enters the contest with a 10-3-3 overall record. It is tied for third in the Pac-12 standings at 4-1-2, with wins over Texas State, Colorado State, Fresno State and Gonzaga, draws versus Oregon State and Washington State, and a loss to Boise State.
• The Aztecs have scored 35 goals this season while surrendering 15.
• Junior forward Victoria Miller leads the squad this season with 20 points, coming on a team-best nine goals along with two assists.
SENIOR SALUTE
Prior to Thursday's match, Utah State will honor four players as part of its Senior Night ceremony. Players recognized will include forward Kate Christian, goalkeeper Allee Grashoff, forward Solena Sellers and defender Kasie Vigil.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
For her performance in Utah State's 5-0 win at Oregon State last week, sophomore forward Kunie Hirai was named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week. Hirai tallied the first brace of her career, scoring in the 36th and 72nd minutes to help the Aggies to the win. She also led the team in shots with four, while playing 40 minutes off the bench in the contest.
This was the first conference weekly honor of Hirai's career, while she is the third Aggie to earn Pac-12 OPTW accolades this year, joining Ellie Hendrix (Sept. 1) and Solena Sellers (Sept. 15).
SHUT 'EM DOWN
• Utah State boasts one of the nation's top defenses this season, allowing just 12 goals through 18 games.
• The Aggies have shut out 11 opponents this year, including five of its seven Pac-12 foes. The team's 11 shutouts rank tied for second in a season in program history (record is 15 in 2024).
• The team's 0.611 shutout percentage ranks 11th in the nation.
WELL-DESERVED RECOGNITION
Three members of the Utah State back line were recognized by TopDrawerSoccer on Oct. 21, 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.
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 42 goals have come from 14 different players, with eight players scoring three or more goals and nobody scoring more than five. Additionally, 17 different players have recorded at least one assist this season.
NO SHOT
• While offensively the Aggies rank in the top 10 nationally in both shots and shots on goal per game, defensively, USU has been suffocating as well.
• Utah State is averaging 18.9 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.
• 15 of the Aggies' 18 opponents this year have been held to four or fewer shots on goal, while 12 have been limited to two or fewer.
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.
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 ranks second in the Pac-12 and 48th in the nation.
• Winder 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.
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 every year. The past five seasons combined, the Aggies have limited opponents to 0.81 goals per game. Four of the top seven seasons for goals allowed average in program history have come under Martins. This year, the Aggies are limiting opponents to 0.67 goals per game, which ranks fourth in team history.
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.
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 75-28-27 (.678) record, including a 36-16-12 (.651) mark in conference games. In the three years prior to his arrival, the team won just 16 total games.
UP NEXT
Utah State will turn its attention to the Pac-12 Women's Soccer Championship, which will be hosted at Chuck & Gloria Bell Field on Nov. 11 and 14.
