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Southern Utah University Athletics

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SOUTHERN UTAH THUNDERBIRDS
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Women's Soccer Parker Haynie- Assistant Director of Communications

Thunderbirds Open 2023 Campaign On The Road

CEDAR CITY, Utah – The Southern Utah University Soccer team will open the 2023 season against the reigning Summit League Champions, the University of Nebraska at Omaha followed by a trip to the University of South Dakota.

Game Details 

SUU @ UNO

Date: Aug 17

Time: 7 p.m. CST

Location: Omaha, NE

Venue: Caniglia Field

Stream: LINK


SUU @ USD

Date: Aug 19

Time: 6 p.m. CST

Location: Vermillion, SD

Venue: First Bank & Trust Soccer Complex


Preview

SUU

The Thunderbirds are coming off a historic season in 2022 where they set six different program records and had multiple players move up in single-season and career rankings. The Thunderbirds return six of the top ten players in total minutes played last season, including Kiki Stewart who was one of the best defenders in the conference a season ago and Whitney Gardner who earned WAC All-Freshman team honors. 

It was a quality off-season for Head Coach Kai Edwards and his staff as they brought in some high-level players, including Julia Ortega and Mayu Yamamoto. Ortega, a goalkeeper transfer from Arizona State and Yamamoto an All-American from Snow College will look to make an immediate impact for the Thunderbirds.  

ONU

The Mavericks are also coming off a very impressive season. The Summit League title and a trip to the NCAA Tournament led to a contract extension for Head Coach Tim Walters who has over 40 wins in six seasons with the Mavericks. 

Regan Zimmers returns for the Mavericks, a tough, solid defender who was named to the All Summit-League First-Team a year ago. Zimmers helped the team to eight shutouts in 2022, including three straight in the conference tournament.

USD

The Coyotes had a tough season last year, finishing with an overall record of 4-9-5 on the year which included a 2-0 loss to the Thunderbirds. They'll open their 2023 campaign against a pair of Southern Utah schools. First playing Utah Tech on Aug 15 and then the Thunderbirds on Aug 19. 


Follow Along

For all the latest on Southern Utah Soccer, follow @SUUSoccer on Twitter and Instagram and like the Southern Utah Soccer Facebook page.

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Players Mentioned

Whitney Gardner

#22 Whitney Gardner

F
5' 8"
Freshman
Kiki Stewart

#26 Kiki Stewart

D
5' 4"
Redshirt Junior
Julia Ortega

#00 Julia Ortega

GK
5' 10"
Sophomore
Mayu Yamamoto

#31 Mayu Yamamoto

MF
5' 0"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Whitney Gardner

#22 Whitney Gardner

5' 8"
Freshman
F
Kiki Stewart

#26 Kiki Stewart

5' 4"
Redshirt Junior
D
Julia Ortega

#00 Julia Ortega

5' 10"
Sophomore
GK
Mayu Yamamoto

#31 Mayu Yamamoto

5' 0"
Junior
MF