CEDAR CITY, Utah - Following a stellar run through their non-conference slate, the Southern Utah University women's soccer team will commence Western Athletic Conference play Friday afternoon, as they are set for a showdown with UTRGV in their first ever WAC conference game. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 pm MT, and the match will take place at the Thunderbird Soccer Field. 

Game Info

Southern Utah vs UTRGV

Date: September 16, 2022

Kickoff: 4 PM MT

Venue: Thunderbird Soccer Field

Stream: ESPN+

Live Stream | Live Stats

Preview

Southern Utah (5-1, 0-0) will enter Friday's match with the best winning percentage in non-conference play out of any program in the state of Utah. The Thunderbirds had a sensational start to the season, reeling off five straight victories to begin the year, which marks the longest winning streak in the history of the program. SUU will look to continue its superior non-conference play in WAC competition and become only the fifth team in program history to win their first conference match of the season.

A win on Friday will not come easy, as the T-birds face a strong UTRGV team. The Vaqueros (2-5, 0-0) had a loaded schedule to begin the season, facing two ranked opponents in #7 TCU and #23 Texas, in addition to a third Big 12 foe in Kansas State. 

After starting the season with four straight losses, UTRGV has won two of their past three matches, claiming a 3-0 victory over Texas Southern and a 1-0 win against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

The Vaqueros have struggled on offense at times throughout the start of their season, scoring only seven goals in seven matches thus far. Sophomore forward Amy Hislop has been the biggest offensive threat for UTRGV this year, as she leads the team in points (5), shots (17), and shots on goal (6), while ranking tied for first in both goals (2) and assists (1).

Junior midfielder Ana Recarte-Pacheco has been a strong presence on both offense and defense for the Vaqueros. She is tied for first on the team with two goals and has placed 42.9 percent of her shots on target this year.

UTRGV has a young core of talented defenders that have held down the back line, and the team has rotated between two freshmen in the net this season.

Southern Utah's offensive attack continues to rank first in the nation, as the Thunderbirds are averaging an incredible 3.83 goals per contest, and they have scored at least one goal in every game this season. The T-Birds boast a multitude of dangerous strikers that have attacked early and often since the start of the season. SUU has scored the first goal in every match they have played, and the team has scored within the first 16 minutes of each contest this year. 

The Thunderbirds also possess an incredibly strong group of defenders in front of goalkeeper Megan Short, who ranks tied for 25th in the country in save percentage and has tallied two shutouts. 

Since the season's initiation, Southern Utah's midfielders have battled to control the center of the pitch, and they will look to do the same on Friday against a strong and experienced UTRGV midfield, as SUU pursues a victory in their first-ever Western Athletic Conference match. 

Notable Stats

• Southern Utah is tied for 10th in the nation in total goals (23) and assists per game (3.0).

• SUU's winning percentage of .833 ranks as the highest out of any program in the state of Utah.

• Freshman Sammie Sofonia ranks seventh in the country in goals per game (1.0) and eighth in the country in total goals (6).

• The Thunderbirds have the best record in the Western Athletic Conference entering conference play.

• A win Friday would mark just the fifth time in SUU soccer history that the team has won their first conference match.

History

Southern Utah and UTRGV have met only once before, with the Vaqueros claiming a 1-0 victory over SUU in 2019. 

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