Utah Valley at San Diego State
Friday, Aug. 21, 2015   |   7 p.m. PT/8 p.m. MT
Live Video   |   StatBroadcast   |   Match Notes

Utah Valley vs Central Arkansas
Sunday, Aug. 23, 2015   |   11 a.m. MT
Live Video   |   StatBroadcast


WOLVERINES OPEN SEASON IN SAN DIEGO
Utah Valley University women's soccer opens its 2015 season at San Diego State on Friday at 7 p.m. PT/8 p.m. MT. The Wolverines have their home opener just two days later when Central Arkansas comes to Clyde Field for an 11 a.m. MT kick off on Sunday, Aug. 23. Friday's game can be seen by visiting GoAztecs.com while Sunday's contest will be streamed via WolverineGreen.com. UVU is 5-5-2 all-time in season openers.

ABOUT THE OPPOSITION
San Diego State is receiving votes in the NSCAA Top 25 Poll and will travel to Kentucky for a game on Sunday night following Friday's opener. The Aztecs defeated Long Beach State, 1-0, in an exhibition last week. SDSU is the preseason favorite to win the Mountain West Conference title, having won the last three MWC regular season and tournament titles, resulting in three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. SDSU is returning six starters and 15 letterwinners from last season's 15-win team.

Central Arkansas dropped its exhibition, 2-0, at Ole Miss last week and plays at Utah State on Friday night prior to coming to Orem on Sunday. The Bears were picked to finish 10th in the Southland Conference by the league's coaches, and 11th by the conference's sports information directors.

UP NEXT
The Wolverines host in-state foe Utah State next Friday, Aug. 28 at 7:30 p.m. MT in a game that will air on the WAC Digital Network. Two days later UVU will host Montana at 11 a.m. MT.

2015 SEASON PREVIEW
Utah Valley returns seven starters and 15 letterwinners from a team that won a school-record 13 matches last season. The 2014 team also set a single-season UVU record with nine shutouts, and won its first-ever WAC Tournament match.

"We had a great season last year," said Utah Valley head coach Brent Anderson. "We had a lot of success with 13 wins and nine shutouts. We've now got a challenge in front of us. We've got great teams on our schedule, a few more road games and the WAC continues to improve and get stronger. There are a lot of challenges but we are very excited. We have excellent players. Our upper classmen have really stepped up over the spring and summer. Their training and workouts have been intense. I know they are ready and excited to get out on the field and start kicking the ball, and then even more importantly, getting out on the field and kicking the ball against another team."
Goalkeeper Jessica Duffin returns for her senior campaign after breaking the UVU single-season record with nine shutouts last year. She also set a UVU single season record with an impressive 0.84 goals against average in 2014. Duffin heads into the new season just three shutouts shy of the all-time UVU career shutouts record.

"I really can't say enough about Jessica (Duffin)," Anderson said. "She was very solid for us last year and played every minute of every match. With hard work and hours of practice, she has put herself in position to succeed. She is not only a leader, but also our captain. She is the emotional backbone of our team. She's a student of the game and is always improving while helping others improve as well. She studies other positions so that she knows best how to position and coach her players out on the field."

The Wolverines return a pair of All-WAC honorees from last season in junior forward Kali Stubbs and senior midfielder Kasandra Anderson. Stubbs co-led the team with 15 points last season, tallying five goals and five assists. She also led the team with 38 shots last year. Anderson scored three goals and recorded four assists while

"Kali scored five of our goals last season, including a number of game winners," Anderson said. "We're expecting big things from her this year. Kasandra (Anderson) scored a couple of great goals for us last year and had a number of assists. She's been a great leader in the offseason and will be a strong leader out on the field for us this year."

"We also have a good mix of incoming players," Anderson said. "It's a large incoming class with 10 players coming in. What I've seen during the recruiting process is that every one of these players has the potential to step on the field and be an impact player right away."