TEMPE – Friday night will begin Sun Devil Soccer’s third season in the big 12 Conference as Arizona State will kick off the conference portion of its 2026 schedule against Utah (7 p.m. MST / ESPN+). The match will mark the first time the Sun Devils and Utes have met in Tempe as Big 12 foes after the two joined the league from the Pac-12 Conference.
Television:
- Ryan Sykora (play-by-play) and Jow Lowery (analyst) will call Friday night's action on ESPN+, which will be available to stream on either the Disney+, ESPN or Hulu apps.
Series History:
- When Arizona State and Utah met during the 2025 season, Pauline Nelles (2022-25) became the Sun Devils’ new leader in career clean sheets as the Netherland native was credited with her program-best 25th clean sheet as ASU beat Utah, 1-0, on Oct. 23, 2025.
- The one-goal win – courtesy of a Sierra Bergen goal in the 83’ – gave Arizona State its first win over Utah in Salt Lake City since 2014.
- Despite Utah holding an 8-7-4 all-time series record, Arizona State has a 5-2-3 mark against the Utes in matches played in Tempe.
- Following last season’s 1-0 win over Utah, the Sun Devils will be looking for back-to-back wins over the Utes for the first time since 2013 – a 2-1 double overtime win in Tempe on Nov. 3 – and 2014 – a 2-1 regulation loss in Salt Lake City on Nov. 2.
- Additionally, Arizona State will be looking for its first set of ‘back-to-back wins’ against Utah after having won the first match of the ‘back-to-back’ in Salt Lake City.
- Arizona State is looking for its first win over Utah in Tempe since Oct. 31, 2021, when the Sun Devils bested the Utes, 4-1, in a Pac-12 Conference match.
- Friday night’s match will mark the first time Arizona State and Utah have opened conference play against each other since Sept. 27, 2019, when the two programs played to a 2-2 double overtime tie in Tempe.
Kicking Off:
- A victory over Utah on Friday night would give Arizona State wins in back-to-back Big 12 openers for the first time in program history.
- 2024 – L, 0-1 at BYU (Sept. 12)
- 2025 – W, 2-1, vs. No. 10 BYU (Sept. 18)
- The Sun Devils last won back-to-back conference openers in 2022 (3-2 at Colorado, Sept. 23) and 2023 (2-0 vs. Oregon State, Sept. 22).
- Entering Friday evening’s match, Arizona State has a 6-1-2 all-time record in conference-opening contests under 10th-year head coach Graham Winkworth.
- Arizona State will enter the match with 11 different Sun Devils having scored at least one goal so far this season.
- If another different student-athlete adds their name to that list, the 12 different goal scorers would mark the most in a single season for ASU under 10th-year head coach Graham Winkworth.
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