CEDAR CITY, Utah – Southern Utah women's soccer wraps up a two-match homestand on Sunday, Oct. 18, when it hosts Northern Colorado in Big Sky Conference play at Thunderbird Soccer Field. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. MT.
The Thunderbirds then head out for road matches at Eastern Washington on Thursday, Oct. 22, and Idaho on Sunday, Oct. 25.
"Coming off a great result Thursday, we need to continue to get sharper in front of goal. Northern Colorado has proven to be difficult to break down in the final third so it will be a good test for us on the attacking side of the ball while we continuing to stay sharp defensively. Looking forward to finishing off this home weekend with a result in front of our Thunderbird fans."
Scouting the Thunderbirds
SUU is 4-7-3 overall and 1-2-2 in the Big Sky after a 1-1 draw with Northern Arizona on Thursday in Cedar City. Ashlyn O'Malley put the Thunderbirds ahead in the 13th minute off a Sicily Clark assist, and the Lumberjacks tied it on a 64th-minute penalty kick. The draw ended NAU's three-match winning streak.
SUU has allowed three goals in five Big Sky matches, and no league opponent has scored more than once against the Thunderbirds. They are 2-2-2 at home this season.
SUU led the Big Sky with 25 goals and was tied for the conference lead with 21 assists in Big Sky statistics through Oct. 12. The Thunderbirds have 26 goals and 22 assists through 14 matches.
Freshman forward Gracen Blieschke of Strathalbyn, Australia, leads the team in assists (4), points (12) and shots (34) and shares the goals lead with O'Malley (4). Blieschke's four assists were tied for the Big Sky lead through Oct. 12. O'Malley, a freshman from Rogers, Minn., has scored both of SUU's Big Sky goals: the winner against Portland State on Oct. 4 and the opener against NAU.
Freshman goalkeeper Tatum Trout of Huntington Beach, Calif., has started all 14 matches, with 61 saves, a 1.28 goals-against average and a .792 save percentage. Through Oct. 12, she ranked third in the Big Sky in save percentage and led all keepers in conference matches with 23 saves.
Notes on the Thunderbirds
Cedar City's own. Rylan Tebbs, a junior defender from Cedar City and Cedar High School, has 44 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. Tebbs' 36 career starts rank second among Cedar City natives behind Hunt's 40; starting each of SUU's four remaining regular-season matches would tie Hunt in the Nov. 5 finale against Utah Tech. Tebbs leads the team with 1,172 minutes and has played every minute of 12 of SUU's 14 matches.
Ironwomen. Seven Thunderbirds have started all 14 matches: Brooklyn Bradley, Dakota Hansen, Suika Shibutani, Tebbs, Trout, Ashlyn Woodbury and Nao Yasuda. Tebbs (1,172), Yasuda (1,144), Trout and Woodbury (1,104) have each passed 1,000 minutes, and Bradley is one minute away at 999.
Scoring up. SUU's 26 goals are tied with 2006 and 2013 for the fifth-most in a season in program history and are already more than any full season since 2022 (20 in 2023, 13 in 2024, 14 in 2025). One more would tie 2010 (27), and two more would tie 2011 and 2015 (28) for the second-most. The program record is 31, set in 2022.
Assist mark in sight. SUU's 22 assists tie the 2011 team for the second-most in a season in program history. One more would take sole possession of second, and three more would tie the record of 25, set in 2022.
Clean sheets. SUU's five shutouts rank fourth in a season in program history and are more than the 2023 and 2025 teams combined (two each). One more would tie 2005 and 2007 (6) for second; the record is eight, set in 2022, when Steven Lindquist was an assistant on staff. The Thunderbirds are 4-0-1 when they do not allow a goal.
Score first, outshoot. SUU is 4-2-2 when it scores first and 4-0-1 when it takes more shots than its opponent.
Best since 2022. SUU's four wins are the program's most in a season since the 2022 team won nine. The 18-0 win against Justice on Sept. 6 is the most goals and largest margin of victory in program history.
First-year head coach. Lindquist is 4-7-3 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. The Thunderbirds earned their first Big Sky win since returning to the conference, 1-0 against Portland State, on Oct. 4.
Scouting the Bears
Northern Colorado is 4-5-4 overall and unbeaten in the Big Sky at 1-0-2 after a 0-0 draw at Utah Tech on Thursday. The Bears have posted three straight shutouts, opening league play with a 0-0 draw against Idaho and a 1-0 win against Eastern Washington in Greeley.
UNC has nine goals in 13 matches, and nine of its matches have been decided by one goal or ended in a tie. Freshman forward Maddie Mori of New Westminster, British Columbia, leads the Bears with three goals and seven points, and two of her goals are game-winners. Senior forward Lexi Tuite has two goals, two assists and a team-high 22 shots.
Senior goalkeeper Thordis Melsted of Hafnarfjörður, Iceland, a North Alabama transfer, has 69 saves, five shutouts, a 1.40 goals-against average and a .793 save percentage. She has not allowed a goal in 270 minutes of Big Sky play.
Series History
Northern Colorado leads the all-time series 7-2-4. SUU's last win was 1-0 in Cedar City on Oct. 11, 2015, and the Bears are 5-0-1 against the Thunderbirds since. Each of UNC's five straight wins from 2016-21 ended 3-1.
The teams tied 1-1 in Greeley in the most recent meeting on Aug. 28, 2025. SUU has scored exactly one goal in each of the last seven meetings.
SUU is 2-4-1 at home in the series. Its other home win came 3-1 on Sept. 27, 2008, the most goals the Thunderbirds have scored against the Bears. Three of the four draws in the series went to double overtime: 0-0 in Cedar City in 2004, 1-1 at a neutral site in 2010 and 1-1 in Greeley in 2012.
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