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OREM, Utah -- Utah Valley University men's soccer will play its first Western Athletic Conference match on Saturday night against reigning champion and No. 24 Seattle University. Kick off is set for 7 p.m. from Clyde Field, where the UVU ranks sixth nationally in average attendance with 2,754 fans per game.

Seattle marks the third ranked opponent in the last four matches for the Wolverines. UVU (4-3-0) defeated then-No. 21 Denver, 2-1, at Clyde Field on Sept. 19, and after a 1-0 win over UC Riverside on Sept. 26 faced No. 4 UC Irvine, where it posted a near upset of the Anteaters.

"Our non-conference schedule has provided our team the experience necessary to enter the WAC season both prepared, and with tremendous confidence," said UVU head coach Greg Maas.

Utah Valley faced both Riverside and Irvine at the UNLV Rebel Classic last weeknd. Matt Gay scored the game's only goal in the win over the Highlanders and Derek Wilcox notched a shutout in his first career start. Two days later against UC Irvine, which is now ranked No. 3, Gay had the Wolverines in front with a penalty kick in the 52nd minute but the Anteaters would later get the equalizer in the 80th minute to force extra time. In the second 10-minute overtime frame, UC Irvine got the golden goal to stave off the UVU upset.

Gay scored both Wolverine goals at the classic to earn All-Tournament honors, as did Karson Payton, who assisted on Gay's goal in the victory against Riverside.

ABOUT SEATTLE UNIVERSITY
Seattle won both the WAC regular season and tournament championships last year and enters this season as the coaches' pick to win it again. In addition to the No. 24 national ranking by the NSCAA, the Redhawks are also the No. 1 ranked team in the West Region with Utah Valley coming in at No. 8 in that poll.

"The opportunity to kick-off the WAC season against No. 24 Seattle, in front of our 12th Wolverines, provides our team the benchmark for the remainder of the season," Maas said. "Seattle is a respected program with a lot of tradition and history, and we look forward to an entertaining and well-played match."

COMING UP
The Wolverines will host two more WAC games next week against Grand Canyon (Oct. 10) and UNLV (Oct. 12). Following those home matches the Wolverines will play their next three league games away from Clyde Field.

WAC WELL REPRESENTED IN FIRST NCAA RPI
The first NCAA RPI came out this week and the Western Athletic Conference has five teams ranked among the top 91 teams in the country. The Wolverines sit at No. 91 in their first official RPI listing, an impressive number for a first-year program. The WAC teams in front of UVU are: Seattle U (33), Air Force (62), UNLV (77) and Bakersfield (85).

MILITARY APPRECIATION
Saturday's game is also Military Appreciation night at Clyde Field. Any military member and their immediate family can enter the game for free. UVU Athletics is also teaming with the Wounded Warrior Project and will honor a few local wounded warriors and their families prior to the match and at halftime.