The Air Force Falcons women’s soccer team will compete in the semifinal round of the Mountain West Conference Championship tournament as the No. 2 seed against third-seeded Utah State. The match is scheduled for Wednesday, November 5 at 4 p.m. MT at the Boas Soccer Complex in Boise, Idaho.
Air Force enters the semifinal after closing its regular season with a 1-1 draw against Colorado College during the City for Champions Cup at Weidner Field. Annika Jost scored for Air Force, assisted by Kendall Rippley, while freshman goalkeeper Sydney Nelms made her first collegiate start and recorded 11 saves. The result secured Air Force’s highest-ever seeding in program history for the Mountain West tournament.
Head coach Laura Busby received recognition as Mountain West Coach of the Year, marking the first time an Air Force women’s soccer coach has earned this honor since the program began in 1992. “Busby guided the Falcons to an 8-6-4 overall record, the team’s most wins since 2019, and a 6-2-2 conference record, marking Air Force’s best regular season finish since 1995.”
Sophomore Annika Jost was named Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year after leading the league with 25 points and averaging 1.39 points per game. “Annika Jost capped off a standout season for the Falcons, becoming the first Air Force player since 2019, and just the second in program history, to earn Mountain West Player of the Year honors.” She also made it to both national and school leaderboards with her ten goals and four assists.
This year marks Air Force’s ninth appearance in the conference tournament and their first since 2017. Their all-time record against Utah State stands at four wins, ten losses, and three draws across seventeen meetings dating back to their first matchup in 1996. Earlier this season, Air Force defeated Utah State 2-1.
The Falcons have shown strength on offense with an average of 1.72 goals per game and eleven different players scoring at least once this season. On defense, Jordan Dillingham leads in minutes played while freshmen like AJ Heap and Zahra Friess have contributed significant playing time and key performances.
In goalkeeping duties this season, freshman Trishelle Lopez started fifteen matches with two shutouts and fifty-five saves; Kylie McElroy added another shutout earlier in non-conference play.
Utah State comes into this match following a quarterfinal win over New Mexico by a score of 1-0. Kaylie Chambers leads their attack with six goals and five assists this season; goalkeeper Taylor Rath has five shutouts.
The winner between Air Force and Utah State will advance to play for the Mountain West championship on Saturday evening in Boise.
