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Show DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE 8 Friday, August 31, 2012 SOCCER Utes tie Tigers, prep for Weber State Matt Ellis STAFF WRITER For the second straight game, the Utes were outshot in total shots and shots on goal. And, for the second straight game, they managed to escape without adding a defeat to their record. Utah (2-I-I) survived its first real road test of the season Thursday in Colorado Springs, Colo. as it played no minutes en route to a 2-2 tie with Colorado College. The Tigers finished with a 21-13 advantage in total shots and a 9-7 edge in shots on-goal, but it was the Utes who had a 2-1 lead with fewer than io minutes to go in regulation. In the 82nd minute, Colorado College's Jessie Ayers scored her second goal of the season off an assist from Jaclyn Silsby to tie the contest. Neither team could pull away in the final minutes of regulation to avoid extra time. "You have to give Colorado College some credit," said Utah head coach Rich Manning. "They pushed hard for the equalizer and they got it." Just as in the waning minutes of regulation, neither team was able to tally a goal in either overtime period as they combined for just five shots during the 20 minutes. "We definitely had some tired legs and minds out there, and I think we made some plays that we normally wouldn't make," Manning said. "Overall, [it was] a good lesson for us." In the 52nd minute with the score still tied at zero, Silsby scored off of a rebounded shot to give the Tigers the lead, only to have Utah's Avery Ford tie things up eight minutes later. After taking a cross from Leslie Muirhead, Ford immediately looked toward the goal. "I turned to go and I saw the opportunity," Ford said. "I took a chance and it went in." It was the first goal Utah has ever scored against Colorado College, having been outscored 5-o in two previous meetings between the schools. The Utes weren't done. In the 77th minute, the offense found its stride again as Katie Taylor put a cross in the direction of Jenny Hutton, who shot it over goalie Kate Scheele's head to give Utah a lategame lead. "Over the past couple of games, we've been working on being connected and making sure that when we get to the final third we don't just freak out and shoot it," Hutton said. "That was really important to close [it] down and not just kick it forward." For the second game in a row, Utah backup goalkeeper Lindsey Luke put on a strong performance in place of injured starter Cheyanne Mulcock, as she finished with seven saves. Mulcock is expected to return to action in about three weeks. Next up for the Utes is in-state rival Weber State, which has not scored a goal yet this season and is 0-3-0. However, Manning doesn't seem to care about the Wildcats' struggles to this point. "Whatever Weber has done in their first three games has nothing to do with Saturday," he said. "They have a couple really good attackers ... We expect ourselves to be challenged." No matter what the Wildcats throw at the Utes, Luke will be ready. "I just think every game matters, so I try to prepare the same for every game and expect every opponent to be tough," she said. In order to back up the stellar play of its substitute goalkeeper, Utah hopes to keep its offense rolling. "We are making progress," Ford said. "We are really working on getting connected with the midfield and offense and getting a feel for each other. We are doing it really well — now we just need to start taking chances." Saturday's game will take place at Wildcat Soccer Field in Ogden. Start time is set for 12 p.m. m.ellis@ chronicle.utah.edu EASY WIN continued from Page 6 shoulders going into next week." White's measured optimism epitomizes how the Utes should be feeling after this win. Nobody will ever complain about a 41-0 victory, but that doesn't mean there aren't areas the Utes need to improve in — and quickly. Much of the necessary upgrading is on the offensive side of the ball, particularly in the passing game. In his first game back since Oct. 4 of last season, quarterback Wynn played well but still left much to be desired. Wynn finished with zoo yards and two touchdowns on 19-of-27 passing, which is better than the ioi yards he posted in last season's opener. However, 200 yards is what many Pac-12 quarterbacks are capable of posting in a half, and Wynn struggled in some key areas. "I would like to see us connect on a few more deep balls," said head coach Kyle Whittingham. "We didn't stretch the field enough. I thought he [Wynn] threw the short and intermediate routes well ... he just didn't throw his best deep balls tonight." It wasn't an all-conference type of night, but you can't complain too much about Wynn's performance. Other than a first-quarter interception that was a result of a woefully short fade throw, his play was clean. Wynn completed more than 7o percent of his passes and reached the end zone twice. He also directed a 91-yard, 21-play touchdown drive that spanned the third and fourth quarters. The 10-minute 43-second possession was the longest in Rice-Eccles Stadium history, and it ended with Wynn's second touchdown. John White also played well, though not as well as one would expect against a team that allowed 170.7 rushing yards per game in the Big Sky last season. White finished with 119 yards on 24 carries, which is the kind of performance that netted him 1,519 rushing yards last season. But the defenses the Utes will face from here on out will be far stingier than the Northern Colorado unit. Utah did excel defensively, however. The unit was predictably dominant up front and allowed just 114 total yards. The Utes know their defense will be their backbone this season, and if the offense can catch up to the defense, good things are in store. Unfortunately for the Utes, the offense still lags far behind the defense at this time. Wynn must become more dynamic, and the rushing game needs to prove it can be as effective against FBS defenses. But unlike after last season's opener, at least things are pointed in the right direction. j.bullinger@ chronicle.utah.edu Nip you in.4 need a crystal ball to see thrfuir;" i' •e... but for current, breaking news, look into www.dailyutahchronicle.com |