ST. GEORGE – Utah Tech women’s soccer survived a scare at home Friday night, edging out Portland State 2-1 in their final non-conference game of the 2025 campaign.
The Trailblazers scored two goals within five minutes of each other in the second half to complete the comeback.
The match began slowly, with the first shot on goal not coming until the 20th minute. Utah Tech forward Lataya Brost fired a shot that was promptly saved by Portland State’s redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Finley Crabtree.
From the 25th to the 28th minute, Utah Tech went on a brief offensive surge, recording four shots—three of them on target—but Crabtree was up to the task, stopping them all.
Portland State capitalized on a key opportunity in the 39th minute. Sophomore forward Sydney Spotts delivered a cross into the box, finding the feet of sophomore midfielder Grace Sarabia, who calmly slotted it home to give the Vikings a 1-0 lead late in the first half.
Utah Tech had one final chance before halftime. Freshman forward Brooke Hendricks aimed a strike toward the bottom right corner, but Crabtree once again came up with the save—her sixth of the half.
Second Half
The Trailblazers came out pressing in the second half, with junior forward Ella Rusick forcing another save from Crabtree early on.
In the 49th minute, Brost nearly found the equalizer, but her shot rattled off the woodwork.
Then, in the 62nd minute, Michelle Rodriguez had a golden opportunity of her own—but like déjà vu, her shot also struck the post.
The Trailblazers, desperate for an equalizer, finally broke through in the 77th minute. Senior midfielder Kyah Le lofted a perfectly weighted pass to freshman forward Jocelyn Wright at the top of the box. With a single touch, Wright buried the shot into the bottom right corner, tying the game at 1-1.
Just five minutes later, Utah Tech completed the turnaround.
In the 82nd minute, forward Lacy Fox curled a ball into the box, where sophomore midfielder Bre Koscielski rose to meet it. Her header looped over Crabtree and into the back of the net, putting Utah Tech ahead 2-1.
Utah Tech would not allow any room for the Vikings to answer as they shut the door and secured the victory 2-1.
With the win, the Trailblazers improve to 4-3-2 as they finish non-conference play.
Utah Tech outshot Portland State in the match 25-5. Utah Tech also led in shots on target (9-1) and corner kicks (7-2) while dominating possession.
Up next
The Trailblazers start their conference schedule on Sunday, Sept. 28th at Southern Utah.
Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. MT and can be seen on ESPN+.
Photo courtesy of Stan Plewe, Utah Tech Athletics.
