Utes Fall on Senior Day

SALT LAKE CITY – The University of Utah ladies’s soccer crew fell to Kansas Jayhawks, 2-0, on Sunday afternoon in Big 12 Conference motion at Ute Field.

With only one match left within the 2025 common season, Utah now sits at 7-9-3 total and 2-6-2 in opposition to Big 12 Conference opponents. Kansas improves to 12-3-3 and 6-3-1 in league play.

“We were in a must-win situation today to keep our NCAA tournament hopes alive,” stated coach Hideki Nakada, “and unfortunately, we came up short. Kansas is an extremely physical team and I thought our players put in an excellent effort to match their intensity, especially in the first 45 minutes. I felt the game would come down to whoever scored first and it’s disappointing that it unfolded the way it did.”

Next Thursday is our true Senior Day, and we’ll do every little thing we will to ship our seniors off on the precise observe

Erin Gibbs tallied 5 saves on Senior Day, however the Jayhawks used two objectives within the ultimate quarter-hour – together with a penalty kick aim after a video assessment – to drag away late. Kansas led in photographs (15-4) and photographs on aim (7-1) and held a 9-0 benefit in nook kick alternatives.

Both defenses have been in prime type within the opening half as the 2 sides mixed for simply six photographs and just one on aim within the opening 45 minutes. Utah generated the primary likelihood of the day within the eighth minute when Lilliah Blum drew a foul 25 yards from aim to arrange a free kick, however Bella Woods’ shot was blocked by the wall of Kansas defenders. KU received the same look on a free kick outdoors the field within the twenty fourth minute however the shot flew large of the aim.

 

Kansas was capable of put the primary shot on aim within the fortieth minute off a nook kick, however Gibbs knocked the ball away for her first save of the afternoon. Defenses gained out within the ultimate minutes of the interval, conserving the ball largely within the midfield, and the 2 sides went into the locker room in a scoreless draw.

 

Gibbs made her second save of the day with a diving cease within the 57th minute to remove the would-be go-ahead aim. She logged her third cease by simply dealing with a header despatched her approach within the sixty fifth minute. The senior made one other save within the 72nd minute when Kansas despatched a header on aim off its sixth nook kick of the day.

 

Utah put its first shot on course within the 74th minute when Blum discovered herself in area after a well-placed header by Ali Swensen, however her left-footer was knocked away by the diving keeper. On the counter assault, a handball within the field arrange a Kansas penalty kick that received by Gibbs, giving the Jayhawks a 1-0 lead within the seventy fifth minute. Utah threatened with an assault minutes later, however Shannon Davidson’s cross was minimize out earlier than she might join with Kelly Bullock.

 

Kansas was capable of prolong the result in 2-0 with a aim within the 83rd minute, leaving Utah with out sufficient time left to mount a comeback.

“It’s been a season where a lot has gone against us,” stated Nakada, “many of those things out of our control, and that’s tough because so many of these games are decided by one play. Next Thursday is our true Senior Day and we’ll do everything we can to send our seniors off on the right note.”

Prior to the match, Utah acknowledged its 9 graduating seniors – Erin Gibbs, Brooklyn Blaylock, Alex Schoenstadt, Devi Dudley, Kelly Bullock, Grace Watkins, Ava Hetzel, Ryann Cull and Ali Swensen.

Next Up

Utah will wrap up the common season on Thursday, Oct. 30, in opposition to BYU. The match is slated to start at 7 p.m. at Ute Field and can be streamed on ESPN+.

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