Utah State Soccer to Play BYU in NCAA Championship on Nov. 10

LOGAN, Utah — Utah State soccer will be making its first NCAA Championship appearance since 2012, and just its third in program history, when the Aggies travel to Provo, Utah, to face 1-seed BYU. The teams will face off Friday, Nov. 10, at 6 p.m., at BYU’s South Field.

“It’s exciting, this is what our student-athletes came to Utah State to be able to accomplish,” said Utah State head coach Manny Martins. “This is what we’ve worked hard for since the beginning of our preseason. It’s not something that we talk about constantly, but it’s the goal. I think they’re a deserving group. They’ve worked hard throughout the season, they’ve grown throughout the season, and I think at this point we’re a group that certainly belongs.

Utah State punched its ticket to the tournament by winning the Mountain West Championships last week to earn the league’s auto-bid. The Aggies secured their first-ever MW title with a 1-0 win over Colorado State on Nov. 4 in the championship match.

“We’re so excited that we get the opportunity to be here, we’ve worked so hard this season,” said senior midfielder Whitney Lopez. “We knew we would make it because we’ve been dreaming about this and manifesting it. We’re all very excited.”

The Aggies were one of just two teams to defeat BYU (16-2-3, 7-0-3 Big 12) this season, earning a 1-0 win over the Cougars on Sept. 16 in Logan. In three years under Martins, USU is undefeated against BYU with a 2-0-1 mark.

Led by Martins, who was named the Mountain West Coach of the Year, the Aggies won a program-record nine league games this year and are currently 14-7-1 overall, the second-most wins in team history. USU had four all-MW selections, including MW Defensive Player of the Year Kelsey Kaufusi.

Utah State enters postseason play riding high with seven-straight wins, the fourth-longest winning streak in program history. During that streak, USU has allowed just a single goal, outscoring its opponents by a combined 12-1. This season, the Aggies have 10 shutouts while allowing just 0.72 goals per contest, both marks which rank third in team history.

This is the second time that USU and BYU will meet in the postseason. The teams faced off in 2012 in Provo, a 2-1 win for the 2-seed Cougars.

Should the Aggies defeat BYU, they will move on to face the winner of Grand Canyon and 8-seed USC in the second round on Friday, Nov. 17.

Fans can follow the Aggie soccer program on Twitter, @USUSoccer, on Facebook at /USUSoccer and on Instagram, @USUSoccer. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program on Twitter, @USUAthletics, Facebook at /USUAthletics and on Instagram, @USUAthletics.