CEDAR CITY, Utah – Southern Utah women's soccer returns to Thunderbird Soccer Field on Thursday, Oct. 15, to host Northern Arizona in Big Sky Conference play. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. MT.
Thursday's match opens a two-match homestand for the Thunderbirds, who host Northern Colorado on Sunday, Oct. 18, at 1 p.m. MT.
"Northern Arizona is a disciplined team that doesn't give up much, so we have to be sharp in the final third and make the most of the chances we create. Our group has defended well in conference play, and having two matches in front of our home crowd this week is a great opportunity for us."
Scouting the Thunderbirds
SUU is 4-7-2 overall and 1-2-1 in the Big Sky after a 1-0 loss at Weber State on Sunday. The Thunderbirds are 2-2-1 at home this season, and their four wins are the program's most in a season since the 2022 team won nine.
SUU leads the Big Sky with 25 goals and 1.92 goals per game and is tied for the conference lead with 21 assists, according to Big Sky statistics through Oct. 12.
Freshman forward Gracen Blieschke of Strathalbyn, Australia, leads the team in goals (4), assists (4), points (12) and shots (33). Her four assists are tied for the Big Sky lead, and her 33 shots rank third in the conference. Ashtyn Ivey, Sophia Memory and Ashlyn O'Malley each have three goals.
The Thunderbirds have allowed two goals in four Big Sky matches, with clean sheets in a 1-0 win against Portland State on Oct. 4 and a 0-0 draw at Idaho State on Oct. 8.
Freshman goalkeeper Tatum Trout of Huntington Beach, Calif., has started all 13 matches, making 56 saves with a 1.31 goals-against average. Her .789 save percentage ranks third in the Big Sky.
Notes on the Thunderbirds
Ironwomen. Seven Thunderbirds have started all 13 matches: Brooklyn Bradley, Dakota Hansen, Suika Shibutani, Rylan Tebbs, Tatum Trout, Ashlyn Woodbury and Nao Yasuda. Four have played more than 1,000 minutes: Tebbs (1,082), Yasuda (1,054), Trout (1,032) and Woodbury (1,014).
Every minute. Tebbs has played every minute of 11 of SUU's 13 matches and 1,082 of a possible 1,162 minutes this season. Trout has gone the distance in 10 matches.
Cedar City's own. Tebbs, a junior defender from Cedar City and Cedar High School, has 43 career appearances, the most by a Cedar City native in program history. She passed Rachael Hunt (41, 2020-22) at Idaho State on Oct. 8. Her 35 career starts rank second among Cedar City natives behind Hunt's 40, and SUU has five regular-season matches left.
Climbing the goals chart. SUU's 25 goals are tied with 2014 for the seventh-most in a season in program history. One more would tie 2006 and 2013 (26), two more would match 2010 (27), and three more would tie 2011 and 2015 for the second-most (28). The program record is 31, set in 2022.
Clean-sheet pace. SUU's five shutouts are the fourth-most in a season in program history. One more would tie 2005 and 2007 (6) for second. The record is eight, set in 2022, when Lindquist was an assistant coach on staff.
Record night. The 18-0 win against Justice on Sept. 6 is the most goals and largest margin of victory in program history.
Score first, outshoot. SUU is 4-2-1 when it scores first and 4-0-1 when it takes more shots than its opponent. The Thunderbirds are also 4-0-1 when they do not allow a goal.
Back in the Big Sky. SUU returned to the Big Sky this season after four seasons in the WAC (2022-25). The Portland State win on Oct. 4 was the program's first Big Sky victory since its return.
First-year head coach. Steven Lindquist is 4-7-2 in his first season as a head coach. He joined the SUU staff as a volunteer assistant in 2021 and was associate head coach before being named head coach for 2026.
Scouting the Lumberjacks
Northern Arizona is 6-4-2 overall and 2-0 in the Big Sky after a 1-0 win against Eastern Washington on Oct. 8 and a 3-0 win against Idaho on Oct. 11. The Lumberjacks have seven shutouts, the most in the conference, and have allowed eight goals in 12 matches.
Redshirt junior forward Micala Boex leads NAU with six goals and 13 points, and her 57 shots lead the Big Sky. Goalkeeper Lexi Saveski leads the conference with an .879 save percentage.
Series History
Northern Arizona leads the all-time series 18-2-4. The Lumberjacks were the first opponent in SUU program history: the Thunderbirds opened their inaugural season with a 3-1 loss in Flagstaff on Aug. 31, 2001.
SUU is unbeaten in two of the last three meetings, with a 1-1 draw in Cedar City on Sept. 3, 2023, and a 0-0 draw in Flagstaff on Sept. 22, 2024. NAU won the most recent meeting 2-0 in Cedar City on Sept. 12, 2025.
SUU's most recent win in the series was 1-0 in Flagstaff on Oct. 20, 2017. Its last home win against the Lumberjacks was 3-1 on Aug. 21, 2011, and the Thunderbirds are 1-8-3 all-time at home in the series.
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