Opening Weekend is Here!

We are fast approaching Labor Day weekend...

And our first home games are upon us...the players were buzzing today at practice and we hope to put on a good performance. These are valuable experiences for our young team and we will be challenged by two good teams. It will be the start of the final season at home for a great group of seniors and we aim to make their last one a success... Amanda Sanchez, Amy Edman, Katy Reineke, Addie Hair and Jen Christoffers.



Friday, 7:30 PM Arizona at Utah

Rush Mayor's Cup night for all players and teams participating in the Mayor's Cup tournament. Free posters and "Meet the Team" autograph for all fans after the game.

Sunday, 1:00 PM Georgia at Utah

Camp Reunion Day and Avalanche Club Day.
We look forward to having all campers come back for a reunion party on Sunday....come and see friends made last summer.
Poster give away...

2008 Captains Bring Leadership, Experience to Young Group

The captains for our 2008 Utah team are (left to right) Emalee Rogers, Danielle Sample, Katy Reineke and Amanda Sanchez.


All have been an integral part of our program since 2005 (Sanchez is a red-shirt senior and joined the group in 2004). They are a talented bunch and have done a great job since early in the summer of welcoming a large group of new players and quickly getting us on the same page as we start a new season. They have been chosen to take on a great deal of responsibility in order to help us reach some lofty goals. It's clear that the players respect these veteran players and we expect they will continue to do a great job.

Overtime Goal Brings 1st win of the Year

It was hot...we were dropping like flies from fatigue and injury...the home team was pressing for a goal...and just when it seemed like things were looking VERY dark...we scored! And the result was a very hard-earned 2-1 Overtime win against a good UNC Greensboro team. It was a great show of character and teamwork. After a fine first half, featuring the first collegiate goal scored by freshman Katie Martinez, the home team really came out fired up for the second period. We struggled to find our game and couldn't keep the ball well...some fundamental mistakes were happening...however, the team never broke and stuck together. It was a great sign of a winning spirit that we hope to bring us a successful season.

You can read all about the dramatic Utah vs. UNC G game by clicking here!

You can also see video highlights of the game by clicking here!

So, what happens after the road trip....well...

3:50 PM (Eastern time)....Game end on Kelly Isleib goal
4:00 PM...team heads to locker room for shower and clean up
4:20 PM...team drives rental vans to gas station to fill up and find some food
4:40 PM...team finds Panera bakery and quickly orders 28 meals
5:40 PM...team arrives at Greensboro airport and check into Delta
6:25 PM...team boards flight to Atlanta...flight is delayed due to rain in Atlanta and sits on runway for 75 minutes
9:10 PM...flight arrives in Atlanta...team rushes down terminal to catch 9:30 PM flight to Salt Lake City
9:30 PM...team barely makes it on board...Lauren Hair and Katie Martinez are last to board as they quickly purchase pizza to go on the way to the plane!
1:15 AM (Eastern...11:15 Mountain time)...plane lands in Salt Lake City
11:45 PM....bags are picked up...some players catch rides with friends/family...others take cab back to campus

Late night return...and, by the way, classes start on Monday morning! Welcome to the first day of school!!

Tough Loss but Good Effort

We lost the first game of the season tonight against the Demon Deacons. It was a tough loss in that we got the game into overtime but couldn't hold on, falling 2-1. Read more about it at our Utah Utes web site here.

We have a very young team right now and each game provides valuable experience. Playing against a very good Wake team will serve us well as we continue to develop and learn. Several freshman players make their debuts tonight....Lauren Porter, Katie Martinez, Chelsea Forbes, Kellie Woodfield, and Anne Shallenberger all played in their first game as a Ute.

We had many others that got some important minutes...Christine Quinn played in just her second game. Emalee Rogers got her second career start. Morgan Skeen only played in eight games last year before injuring her knee. Nicole Cardon and Lauren Hair must feel like grizzled veterans with all of 21 games each under their belts.

The first game of the season can be surprising in that the game is faster and more physical than any practice or scrimmage. Also, there is the communication, team movement and combination play that needs to come together. There is no better way to start that learning process than to test ourselves against a quality team like Wake.

We have a terrific group of players that are united and determined to become an outstanding team. And we are confident that we will improve with each game. The more we play together...the better we will become.

We will stay in Winston-Salem tonight and then head out to Greensboro in the morning for a practice. And get ready for another big game against UNC Greensboro on Sunday.

Fun night at the baseball game

More notes from the baseball game....watch here as Danielle Sample and Addie Hair interview Wally the Warthog and find out if he's a fan of the Utah Utes...if he can take on the Utes and more...professional journalism as its finest!

Utes' Travel Notes on Tobacco Road

The first road trip of the season started yesterday (Wednesday) as we flew from SLC to Raleigh-Durham airport. With the two hour time difference, we arrived at 12:00 A.M. local time and got to the hotel in Winston-Salem at about 1:15 A.M. It's amazing how IHOP, Wendy's and MacDonalds' can sound so good when nothing else is open!

Thursday was EVENTFUL to say the least. It began with the nail-biting Gold Medal Soccer Game between the USA and Brazil, which the US won by a 1-0 score in overtime.

Then we headed off to the campus of Wake Forest University, just five minutes away for a little day-before-the-game kick around. Spry Stadium, the home of the Demon Deacon soccer team, is a beautiful park for soccer and we are looking forward to Friday's game.






























After training and dinner, we walked a few blocks to Ernie Shore Stadium to watch the minor league baseball game between the Winston-Salem Warthogs and the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. The evening was relaxing and filled with all kinds of fun...we will be using material from the game on the blog for a while! It was Cap Night, so the team members each got a free baseball cap. And the team was introduced during the middle of the 4th inning. See photos and video below for more fun!




Member of the Ute team pose with Wally the Warthog while enjoying the minor league baseball game on Thursday night.










Sophomores Alyssa Toomey and Morgan Skeen participate in a "dance off" during the 6th inning break...This is stuff of Ute team legend and there will be video to come....Can't Miss TV here!














Freshman Chelsea Forbes gets help with an "itch" on the nose while posing for photos as a Warthogs player

Scrimmage, Part Two

Saturday brought another scrimmage day. The Utes played a 10 vs. 10 format...with 30 minute halves...and at the end of the scrimmage, there was a 20 minute session on set pieces.

The team will take a much needed day off on Sunday (except for some getting treatment). Many of the players will use the day to move into the dorms. Freshman Katie Martinez, from the Denver, Colorado area...had her parents and sisters drive into town to help with the move tomorrow. And, freshman goal keeper, Hannah Turpen, was visited by her folks and two brothers, who drove up from Orange County, California.

The team will resume preparations for next Friday's season opener (at Wake Forest) on Monday morning. The time off should allow several players with strains, pulls, dings and general soreness to regenerate for the start of the season.