COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – After claiming its first Mountain West tournament title, Utah State is headed to the NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament, making its first NCAA tournament appearance since joining the MW in 2013.
After earning the league’s automatic bid and third NCAA tournament berth in program history, the Aggies (14-7-1) will face BYU (16-2-3) to open the 2023 NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament in Provo, Utah. The winner of the match will advance to play the winner of Grand Canyon/USC in the second round.
This marks the 17th meeting between Utah State and BYU in program history. Earlier this season, the Aggies and Cougars faced off in the regular season with USU upsetting then-No. 1 BYU, 1-0, in Logan. Over the last three seasons, Utah State has a 2-0-1 record against the Cougars.
With a 9-2-0 record in MW action, Utah State earned the No. 2 seed in the MW tournament. The Aggies defeated Boise State (1-0) in the opening round of the league’s postseason tournament and followed up with a 1-0 victory over Colorado State to win the MW tournament title.
Four Utah State players earned a spot on the Mountain West All-Tournament team, highlighted by senior midfielder Whitney Lopez, who was named the tournament’s most valuable player after scoring the game-winning goal in overtime, sending the Aggies to the championship match. Joining Lopez on the all-tournament team include graduate goalkeeper Diera Walton, junior defender Addy Symonds-Weichers and sophomore midfielder Kaitlyn Richins.
Utah State’s roster features five All-Mountain West selections, including senior defender Kelsey Kaufusi, the MW Defensive Player of the Year. Additionally, USU’s head coach Manny Martins was selected as the 2023 MW Women’s Soccer Coach of the Year.
