Utah Valley vs. San José StateFriday, Oct. 16, 2015 | 7:30 p.m. MT
Clyde Field | Orem, Utah
WAC Digital Network | StatBroadcast | UVU Match NotesUtah Valley at CSU BakersfieldSunday, Oct. 18, 2015 | 1 p.m. PT/2 p.m. MT
Bakersfield, California
WAC Digital Network | Live Stats
WOLVERINES HOME FOR SJSU, AT CSUBUtah Valley University will play a pair of WAC matches this weekend beginning Friday at 7:30 p.m. MT against San José State at Clyde Field. The Wolverines will then travel to CSU Bakersfield for a Sunday afternoon contest against the Roadrunners at 1 p.m. CT/2 p.m. MT. Both games will air live on the WAC Digital Network.
The Wolverines (10-3-0, 3-1-0) suffered their first conference setback last weekend in a 2-1 loss at Houston Baptist. The loss pushed then-No. 23 UVU out of the national rankings, where the Wolverines had been for two weeks. Friday's contest marks the midway point in the WAC season, with Utah Valley and Seattle U tied atop the league standings.
"This weekend's matches are pivotal, and there's none more important than Friday's match vs. San José State," UVU head coach
Greg Maas said. "The team is rested, has had a great week of training, and they're looking forward to our home pitch in front of our 12th Wolverines."
ABOUT THE OPPOSITIONSan José State is coming off of its most lopsided win of the season, a 6-0 rout of Grand Canyon last Sunday. The Spartans are 4-7-0 overall and 2-1-0 in the WAC with a win 2-1 at Incarnate Word and a 1-0 loss to UNLV. Junior forward Rory Knibbs is tied for the league lead with eight goals, with half of those coming during conference play. Utah Valley has a 1-0 advantage in the all-time series, winning last season's match, 1-0, in San Jose.
CSU Bakersfield plays at No. 24 Seattle U on Friday night and enters the weekend at 4-3-3 overall and 1-1-1 in the WAC. The Roadrunners ended the Wolverines' season last November in Seattle in a 1-0 win in the WAC Tournament quarterfinals. Utah Valley won at CSUB during the 2014 regular season, 3-1. Sophomore forward Julian Zamora was one of 30 players named to the MAC Hermann watch list prior to the season, which goes to the top player in college soccer. Zamora has five goals to lead the 'Runners so far this season.
LAST TIME OUTPrior to being upset at Houston Baptist, UVU picked up a 1-0 shutout win at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley last Friday.
Paul Hoffmeister scored the game's lone goal and
Derek Wilcox notched his second straight shutout in the win over the Vaqueros. At HBU,
Aaron Meyer put the Wolverines up 1-0 in the first half but the Huskies answered just three minutes later with the equalizer right before halftime. Houston Baptist got the game-winner in the 52nd minute, notching its second straight upset of a nationally-ranked WAC foe after a 3-1 win over Seattle two days earlier.
UP NEXTSunday's match at CSU Bakersfield begins a string of three straight matches away from Clyde Field, capping the WAC road slate for the Wolverines. UVU plays at Grand Canyon next Friday, Oct. 23 and at UNLV on Sunday, Oct. 25.
