BACK IN ACTION
Utah State soccer (2-1-1, 0-0-0 Pac-12) continues the nonconference portion of its 2026 campaign this week as the Aggies travel to Salt Lake City on Thursday, Aug. 27, to take on in-state foe Utah. The match is set to begin at 7 p.m.
FOLLOW ALONG
Thursday's match at Utah 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.
ICYMI
Utah State picked up an in-state road win on Monday as the Aggies defeated Utah Valley 1-0 in Orem. USU's lone goal came in the 35th minute, a left-footed strike from junior forward Ellie Hendrix. Sophomore keeper Ivy Nystrom came up big in her second career start, making five saves including a diving save on a penalty kick in the 74th minute to help secure the shutout victory.
AGGIES VS UTES
Thursday's game will be the 28th all-time meeting between Utah State and Utah, with the Utes holding a 20-6-1 advantage. USU snapped a seven-game losing streak to Utah in 2024 with a 2-0 win in Salt Lake City. Last season when the sides met in Logan, it was a 1-1 draw with a 28th minute Aggie goal from Ellie Hendrix and a 73rd minute Ute goal from Lilliah Blum.
All-time against current members of the Big 12, USU is 13-44-5, but is 3-3-3 over the past two seasons.
SCOUTING THE UTES
• Utah enters the week 2-0-1, with all three of its games coming against in-state opponents (vs Weber State, T 0-0; at Utah Valley, W 2-0; vs Southern Utah, W 3-0). The Utes have yet to allow a goal this season while scoring five and out-shooting their opponents by a combined 44-20.
• The team returned just one starter and seven letterwinners from last season's squad.
• Utah was picked 11th in the Big 12 preseason poll.
AGGIES VS THE BEEHIVE STATE
Utah State is in the middle of a five-game stretch with four contests against in-state opponents. All-time against in-state foes, Utah State is 35-43-5. Since 2021, however, the Aggies are 12-5-3 in Beehive state battles.
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.
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.
• It has been over three full calendar years since the Aggies last lost a home game (Aug. 24, 2023 vs Utah).
• In the past six years under Manny Martins, Utah State holds a 37-5-10 home record. During those games, the Aggies have out-scored opponents by a combined 118-36.
• 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 132-49-34 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 65-26-25 (.668) 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. They are one of just 10 sets of twins playing on the same team this season.
UP NEXT
Utah State will return home to host Utah Tech on Thursday, Sept. 3, at 7 p.m. The Aggies then travel to Boulder, Colorado, to face Colorado on Sunday, Sept. 6, at noon.
