Bullock, Gibbs Assist Utes Down Undefeated Washington

SEATTLE – Erin Gibbs posted her second straight clear sheet and Kelly Bullock offered her second game-winning objective of the season because the University of Utah ladies’s soccer workforce downed the beforehand undefeated Washington Huskies, 1-0, on Thursday night time at Husky Soccer Stadium in Seattle.

The Utes at the moment are 4-1-1 in 2025, their greatest mark by means of six contests since they had been 4-0-2 in 2014. They are additionally simply the second workforce to beat UW on their house discipline for the reason that begin of 2023.

“This was a big-time win against a very tough Washington team,” mentioned coach Hideki Nakada. “It was our biggest test of the season so far and our team battled for 90 minutes. I couldn’t be prouder of them.

“We knew Washington would problem us bodily and we needed to climate the storm within the first half-hour. But as we grew into the sport, I assumed we managed it the remainder of the best way.”

Both sides spent the first half searching for the perfect opportunity that would allow them to take the lead, but the goalkeepers were on their game. For the Utes, Gibbs made three saves, the last of which was on a corner in the 29th minute, when she was in the perfect position to stop a header. Utah’s attackers created a few opportunities of their own, but Washington’s Tanner Ijams made two stops.

For most of the second half, the Utes and Huskies remained in a stalemate, mostly due to Utah’s stubborn defense. Over the final 45 minutes, the visitors didn’t allow a single shot on goal and conceded just one corner. In their last four fixtures, the Utes have now held the opposition to a combined 10 on-target efforts. Utah has also held their opponent without a shot on goal in the second half in three of those four games.

The Utes, meanwhile, were searching for gap in Washington’s defense and they found it in the 84th minute. Off a Utah throw in, Grace Watkins took a pass from Ryann Cull on the edge of the box, then beat her defender off the dribble to move inside the 18 and lofted a perfect pass to Bullock in front of the goal that the senior forward redirected into the net for the night’s only goal. The Utes held off their hosts for the rest of the evening to pocket their third win in their last four tries.

“Kelly scored an unimaginable objective, created superbly by Grace,” said Nakada, “who was excellent on each side of the ball all night time. Ryann Cull and Brooklyn Blaylock did a improbable job neutralizing their harmful wing forwards and our middle backs, Ava Hetzel and Mia Paugh, had been great in dealing with their entrance line all through.:

For Bullock, this provides to her record of clutch tallies in her collegiate profession. She’s now recorded eight complete targets for Utah and 6 of them have been game-winners, together with each of her scores thus far in 2025. Each of Bullock’s targets throughout the present marketing campaign have been arrange by assists from Watkins, who now leads the workforce with 4 helpers.

Next Up

Utah’s subsequent contest shall be at house and can pit them in opposition to LSU on Sunday at 1 p.m.

 

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