Arizona soccer drops first Big 12 match to Utah

It wasn’t a pretty match for either team. For most of the 90 minutes, Arizona and Utah struggled to create opportunities. The Utes were the more aggressive team, controlling the ball for most of the game. It was the difference in their 1-0 victory to open both teams’ Big 12 conference play.

Arizona managed just five shots. Three of them were on goal, but none were truly dangerous. The problem came down to passing.

The Wildcats were unable to keep control of the ball when they won it. Time after time, passes were picked off or ended up out of bounds. While the Utes were not creating a lot of opportunities, they were able to find their teammates more consistently than Arizona was.

The Utes finally broke through in the 67th minute. The Wildcats had just managed to turn them back about two minutes earlier. A blocked shot and an off-target shot kept the game at a scoreless draw.

Arizona’s luck ran out just before the clock turned to the 68th minute. Utah’s talented duo of Taliana Kaufusi and Katie O’Kane hooked up for the goal. The assist by Kaufusi was put into the top left by O’Kane.

Arizona’s best chance didn’t result in a shot. In the 78th minute, Arizona forward Nicole Dallin won the ball just outside the box. With Utah’s defense out of sorts, she started to make a move towards the goal. She didn’t get far before she was taken down. Utah’s Devi Dudley was issued a yellow card on the play, but the Utah defense was able to re-organize itself and nothing came of it.

The Wildcats had several chances on four corner kicks and a few deep throw-ins in the waning minutes of the game, but they couldn’t connect on any of them.

Arizona does not play again this weekend. The team will be back on the road next week to face Baylor and TCU.

Lead photo by Madison Farwell / Arizona Athletics