SALT LAKE CITY – The University of Utah dominated Weber State on the pitch, 7-1, in a Sunday night face off at Ute Field.
After their first loss of the season, the Utes (2-1-1) came back with a vengeance and showed their dominance in Sunday’s game against in-state opponent, Weber State (0-4-2).
“I told the team after Wednesday that we would need a big response today and I think we did just that,” said head coach Hideki Nakada.
Two Utes completed hat tricks, senior forward Katie O’Kane and graduate forward Taliana Kaufusi, marking this as the first recorded double hat trick in program history. The last hat trick in the record book was also O’Kane, completed in a match against Oregon in October of 2023.
“During my coaching career, I have never had a double hat trick, so that was a really special moment,” said Nakada. “But, those guys being able to score those goals was because of team work. Watkins didn’t have to pass to Kaufusi, but she did because she felt it was the right option and it paid off. They did a much better job playing as a collective group, which allowed us to create the chances and put away the goals.”
The Utes outshot the Wildcats 12-5, making this the third of four opponents this season to fall to the Utes efforts.
O’Kane was quick to put a point on the scoreboard for Utah, scoring unassisted off a corner kick in the 9th minute. This is the third game this season the Utes have scored in the first 10 minutes of a match.
The California native tallied her next goal in the 16th minute, with an assist by senior defender Maryn…
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