When he took over as the Utah women's soccer coach earlier this year, Rich Manning never would have dreamed that by late October his team would have just one loss in 13 games. Nor would he imagine that his team would have only trailed for a grand total of 24 seconds all season.
It's been a dream season so far for Manning, who has coached the Utes to a 9-1-3 record and a No. 23 national ranking. In the Mountain West Conference, the Utes are 2-0-1, coming off a disappointing tie at New Mexico on Sunday afternoon.
Things will get tougher this week for the Utes, who face San Diego State and UNLV, which have identical 2-1 MWC marks and are both 10-4. The Aztecs and Utes play at 3 p.m. Thursday at Ute Field, while the Rebels visit Saturday at 1 p.m.
So how have Manning's Utes done so well this year? It's a combination of things, from an experienced group of upperclassmen to a stingy defense featuring rotating goalkeepers to a confidence-inspiring coaching job by Manning.
"We've played very well," said Manning, who was an assistant at Santa Clara before moving to Utah. "You always hope for the best at the beginning of the season, but the girls have done a great job."
Manning is the first to tell you he inherited good players who were mostly juniors and seniors. Junior Missy Dennis, who has only started one game, leads the Utes in scoring with seven goals, while senior Shauna Gurr-Bingham leads the team in shots on goal and assists. Juniors Amber Brower and Heather Wilhelm-Carter are solid midfielders, while senior Maren Harper anchors a strong back line.
The two goalkeepers, who have traded off as starters all year, with senior Courtney Hills-McBeth starting one more game than junior Lynnsey Asay-Kimball, have helped the Utes allow a league-low nine goals all season. But Utah also ranks last in the league in saves thanks to a Ute defense that is not allowing opponents many scoring chances.
"One thing about having a good defense is that you're never out of a game," said Manning. "All 11 positions have played good defense, and we've been in every single game."
The only time the Utes trailed all season was at Oregon when they scored just 24 seconds after the Ducks had gone ahead 1-0. In the Utes' only loss, Saint Mary's scored late in the second half to tie the score and then scored with just 39 seconds left in the second overtime period.
The Utes' three biggest games of the year are coming up, with perennial league champion BYU up next week at Ute Field. Manning knows his team has a good shot at an NCAA berth regardless of whether they win the league tournament next month.
"We're in position to finish strongly and earn an at-large berth," he said. "But there's a lot to be decided still."
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