HOUSTON, Texas – Bella Woods scored in the 15th minute and Erin Gibbs made four crucial saves as the University of Utah women’s soccer team earned a 1-0 victory over the Houston Cougars on Sunday afternoon in Big 12 Conference action at the Carl Lewis International Complex in Houston, Texas.

Utah 2025 ledger now stands at 6-5-3 overall and 1-2-2 in conference.

“This was a gritty win in a tough environment for our team today,” said coach Hideki Nakada. “Houston came in with only one loss and they showed why they’re such a difficult team to beat. Erin responded tremendously after Thursday’s game with a phenomenal performance today. We needed a special moment to win the game and Bella Woods delivered with a fantastic goal from distance.”

The Cougars were the first team on the attack, creating three shots and earning a couple corners in the first 10 minutes, but the Utes withstood the onslaught. Gibbs made a diving save on the first shot of the day and Utah’s back line helped ensure Houston’s other early chances did not result in a goal.

Utah’s offense then went to work and soon found the day’s only score. After a couple early opportunities were turned away, a Houston turnover resulted in the ball arriving at the feet of Woods, who launched a shot from 30 yards out that beat the keeper for a 1-0 lead. The Utes were just the second team to score first on the Cougars in Houston in 2025.

 

Just a few minutes after Woods’ score, Houston nearly equalized. Amanda Adams found herself alone inside the 18, but Gibbs, with the help of a couple teammates, cleared the ball off the line to keep Utah’s lead intact and the score remained 1-0 into halftime.

Half No. 2 began with Utah maintaining its stranglehold on the pace of play. The Cougars created a chance in the 62nd minute when Adelhia Ghonda received a pass in front of the goal, but good defense from Brooklyn Blaylock prevented the opportunity from becoming a shot and Gibbs pounced on the ball.

 

The home team’s search for the tying goal continued for the rest of the period and they nearly drew level in the 88th minute, when a through ball into the box sprung Samira Minor on goal, but Gibbs charged out to meet Minor and made a sliding save to deflect the shot back out of the box. The Utes controlled the ball for most of the final two minutes to run out the clock on their first Big 12 win of the year.

“The heat and humidity made it a real challenge,” said Nakada, “but our players battled for 90 minutes to earn an important three points. We’re looking forward to going home and preparing for another big match at Arizona next week.”

The Utes are the first team to shutout Houston on their home field in 2025. For Gibbs and the Utes, this makes four clean sheets during the current campaign and Woods’ goal is the third game-winner of her career.

Next Up

The next stop for the Utes is Tucson, Ariz., where, on Friday, they’ll take on the Arizona Wildcats at 7 p.m.

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