Facing Seattle U on the road Thursday night, SUU fell 4-0 in the regular season’s penultimate match.
Although the scoreline was disappointing for the T-birds, something more important than the result came from the match.
Due to three wins in four games before Thursday night’s defeat and a draw between Abilene Christian and Grand Canyon, SUU clinched the sixth and final spot in the 2023 WAC Women’s Soccer Tournament.
The berth in the conference tournament is the first for the T-birds in 15 years, as they last appeared in the postseason during the 2008 campaign as members of the Summit League.
“We have spent four years improving the program,” SUU head coach Kai Edwards said of qualifying for the tournament.
“Last year was the best overall record in school history, this year is the first conference tourney in 15 years. That is all we are thinking about. We are pumped,” Edwards added.
Building the program
When Kai Edwards was named the head coach of the SUU soccer program before the 2020 season, he was taking on quite the project.
The team won just one match in 2019, and the previous head coach was fired in the middle of the lackluster campaign.
Despite dealing with challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic, Edwards immediately made an impact in Cedar City.
During his first season at the helm (Spring 2021) the T-birds recorded a 5-3-1 overall record, the first winning season for the program since 2007. The .611 winning percentage achieved during the campaign is also atop the team’s all-time record books.
After a down 2021 (Fall) season, SUU rebounded with a 9-6-2 record in 2022, the most single-season victories in school history.
Now in his fourth season, Edwards has led the T-birds to their first conference tournament appearance in 15 years, showing that the program is making continual progress under his leadership.
Up next
SUU (3-9-5, 3-4-1 WAC) now turns its attention to a road match with first-place Utah Valley to close the regular season.
The T-birds will battle the Wolverines in Orem on Monday, Oct. 23 at 6 p.m. The match can be seen on ESPN+.
Following the final game of the season, the WAC Women’s Soccer Tournament opponents and schedule will be finalized. This season, the conference tournament will be hosted by Cal Baptist in Riverside, California.
