BACK IN ACTION
Utah State soccer (0-1-1, 0-0-0 Pac-12) continues the nonconference portion of its 2026 campaign this week as the Aggies host Portland at Chuck & Gloria Bell Field on Thursday, Aug. 20, at 7:30 p.m., before hitting the road to take on in-state foe Utah Valley on Monday, Aug. 24, at 7 p.m., in Orem.
FOLLOW ALONG
Thursday's match, along with all home and league contests this season, will be streamed free on the Pac-12 YouTube channel. Monday's match at Utah Valley will be streamed 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.
THE CHAMPS (X3) ARE BACK!
Utah State is coming off of back-to-back-to-back league tournament titles and NCAA Tournament appearances in the past three years. The Aggies are one of just five non-P5/Big East teams to make each of the past three NCAA Tournaments (South Dakota State, Pepperdine, Milwaukee, Maine).
Prior to this stretch of three-straight tournament bids, the Aggies had played in just two tournaments in program history.
NEW LEAGUE, WHO DIS?
After spending the past 13 seasons in the Mountain West Conference, Utah State made the jump to the Pac-12 this season, along with fellow MW schools Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State. Those teams joined existing members Oregon State and Washington State, while Gonzaga and Texas State were added as well.
PICKING THE PAC
Utah State was picked to win the Pac-12 by the league's coaches in the preseason poll. The Aggies were picked ahead of (2) Texas State, (3) Boise State, (4) San Diego State, (5) Washington State, (t6) Colorado State, (T6) Gonzaga, (8) Fresno State and (9) Oregon State.
Additionally, the three players representing USU on the Pac-12 Preseason Impact List include junior defender Kaeda Wilson and sophomore midfielders Kunie Hirai and Mia Lopez.
ICYMI
Utah State opened the season with a loss and a draw last week, falling on the road to No. 15 Kansas 2-0 before hosting Michigan in a 2-2 draw. Against the Jayhawks, USU held strong allowing just four shots on goal, but two of those shots found the back of the net as Kansas scored in the 17th and 84th minutes. Against the Wolverines, The Aggies posted a 16-5 shots advantage and controlled most of the contest, but a pair of second-half goals, including one in the last second of the match, helped Michigan escape with a draw.
AGGIES VS PILOTS
Thursday's game will be just the second all-time meeting between Utah State and Portland, with the lone showdown coming last season in Portland. The Pilots took that match 2-1, despite a 10-5 shots advantage by the Aggies, with a 39th minute goal from Hailey Still and a 62nd minute goal from Violet Rademacher. USU's lone score of the contest came courtesy of Hadli Barrera in the 54th minute.
All-time against current members of the West Coast Conference, USU is 12-13-2.
SCOUTING THE PILOTS
• Portland enters the week 0-1-0, with their lone contest being a 1-0 loss at No. 12 Washington last week. In 2025, the Pilots went 10-3-6, including a 7-1-3 mark in conference play.
• The team returns eight starters, including top scorer Violet Rademacher, who tallied seven goals in 2025, and goalkeeper Sophia Hills, who started all 19 matches last year.
• Portland was picked second in the WCC preseason poll, behind only Pepperdine.
AGGIES VS WOLVERINES
Monday's game will be the 11th all-time meeting between Utah State and Utah Valley. The Aggies lead the series 8-2-0, including wins in all three meetings under coach Manny Martins. When the sides met last season in Logan, USU earned a 2-0 victory, out-shooting UVU 16-9 and allowing just one shot on goal in the contest. Summer Diamond scored in the 58th minute, and Hadli Barrera found the net in the 77th minute to secure the win.
All-time against current members of the Big West Conference, USU is 25-47-8 overall, but is 4-0-1 in the past five years under coach Manny Martins.
SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES
• Utah Valley enters the week with an 0-1-1 record, having posted a 1-1 draw at home against Michigan and a 2-0 loss at home to Utah.
• In 2025, the Wolverines went 14-5-3 last season including an unbeaten 9-0-1 mark in league play to win the WAC before going on to play Colorado in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, a 2-1 overtime loss.
• The team returns five starters from last season's squad.
• Utah Valley was picked fourth in this year's Big West preseason poll.
PUTTING IT TO THE TEST
Utah State will play one of the nation's most-challenging nonconference schedules this season, a slate which features six power conference opponents, eight teams which finished last season in the top 85 in RPI and five teams which made the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Entering the season, it ranks tied for the 20th-toughest nonconference schedule in the country, and the toughest by a non-P4/Big East squad.
2025 HONORS
Utah State was well-represented with postseason honors last season. Those returning include:
• Junior midfielder Austin Miller was named to the All-Mountain West Second Team
• Sophomore defender Summer Sofonia was named to the United Soccer Coaches All-Pacific Region First Team, the only freshman in the country to earn all-region first-team accolades.
• Head coach Manny Martins and staff were named the Pacific Region Coaching Staff of the Year for the third-straight season.
HERE TO STAY
Utah State head coach Manny Martins, who has led the Aggies to the winningest five-year stretch in program history during his time in Logan, signed a contract extension following last season which will keep him in Logan through at least the 2030 season.
U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A!
Utah State has several players who have spent time on the national stage recently:
• Sophomore midfielder Mia Lopez was called up to the U-19 US Women's National Team for camps this spring and summer in Portugal, Argentina and Georgia.
• Sophomore defender Capriel Winder spent a week with the U-20 US Women's National Team at its training camp in Kansas City last October.
• Junior forward Austin Miller and sophomore forward Kunie Hirai were selected for the US Soccer College Talent ID Camp in June of 2025.
WELCOME TO BELL
• Chuck & Gloria Bell Field has been one of the most difficult places in the country for opposing teams to play in recent years. Utah State has gone undefeated at home each of the past two years, including a 6-0-3 record at Bell Field in 2025.
• In the past six years under Manny Martins, Utah State holds a 36-5-10 home record. During those games, the Aggies have out-scored opponents by a combined 116-36.
• 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 131-49-34 at home.
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 63-26-25 (.664) record, including a 31-15-11 (.640) mark in conference games. In the three years prior to his arrival, the team won just 16 total games.
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.
SISTER, SISTER
Utah State's 2026 roster includes three pairs of sisters. The Aggies the only team in the country with three three sets of siblings.
• Sophomore forward Samantha Sellers is the younger sister of senior defender Solena Sellers.
• Sophomore midfield/defender Capriel Winder is the younger sister of junior defender Talia Winder.
• Sophomore midfield/forward Hadli Barrera and sophomore defender Bentli Barrera are twins.
UP NEXT
Utah State will travel to Salt Lake City to face in-state foe Utah on Thursday, Aug. 27, at 7 p.m.
