TAYLORSVILLE, Utah (November 18, 2021) – The No. 5 Salt Lake Community College Women's Soccer team had a strong showing in Pool D play of the NJCAA Division-I Women's Soccer Championships, earning another semifinal victory.
 
The NJCAA tournament structure has an off-day built in on Thursday, with semifinals and finals taking place over Friday and Saturday. With that in mind, the Bruins are focused on utilizing all of the time they have to focus on two things – preparation and recovery – in advance of tomorrow's semifinal matchup with No. 1 Tyler. 
 
Salt Lake coach Cassie Ulrich said her team is in a positive place as they prepare for the Friday semifinal.
 
"This is exactly where we want to be," he said. "The team is confident in their level right now and know what needs to be done. The sophomores who went last year are really leading the group in managing the moment."
 
There is something to be said for balancing the weight of expectations along with the freeing thoughts of potential victory. However, the rematch of last spring's NJCAA championship match will see a SLCC program that is well-equipped to balance the dueling emotions of the opportunity.
 
"It will be good to play Tyler again," Ulrich said. "Last year we defended most of the game and we expect that will be different this year. We've prepared all season for a moment like this. Not many teams play six matches in the regular season against Top-10 teams from across the nation."
 
Tomorrow's semifinal matchup with No. 1 Tyler, which is scheduled for play at 10:00 a.m. in Daytona Beach, Fla., will come soon enough. As for Thursday, the Bruins are focused on what they can control – being rested for what will hopefully be another two matches to close out the season.
 
"Today is all about recovery for the girls," she said. "They need to sleep, eat and hydrate with a light recovery activity. For the staff, today is about preparing our game plan."