When considering the usual strength of Pac-12 soccer, starting off against Utah instead of a team like UCLA or Stanford looks like a way to ease into conference play. Historically, that’s been the case for Arizona, which has an 11-8-1 all-time record against the Utes. The problem of late has been winning in Salt Lake City.
“The altitude is different,” said Arizona goalkeeper Hope Hisey. “They actually bring a good crowd out there, and their fans are committed and they’re kind of ruthless, too. And they always get up to play at home, especially because I think my sophomore year we played them on their senior night or senior day.