Orem, Utah -- A header by
Tori Smith in the 81st minute gave Utah Valley University a 1-0 win over in-state foe Utah State University in front of a record crowd on Friday at Clyde Field. The Wolverines handed the Aggies their first loss of the year while senior
Jessica Duffin notched her second shutout of the year.
Utah Valley (2-1-0) scored the game-winner with under 10 minutes to go when junior
Melanie Ostler sent a free kick from 25 yards out into the left side of the box, where Smith found the back of the net to secure the win in front of 2,790 fans, a record for UVU women's soccer at Clyde Field.
"We knew this would be a battle of two good teams fighting it out on the field, it came down to who could focus enough and execute a goal. We were able to high pressure Utah State, making it difficult for them to get out of their defensive end and get into their rhythm and that was key for us to win the ball close to their goal," head coach
Brent Anderson said. "The team brought a lot of energy, but they fed off of the energy of our crowd and of the energy from the MAWL. It was big-time for us to set that attendance record, I could not be happier to have the support from our fans."
The win marks Duffin's 11th career shutout and comes on the heels of a 2-0 blank slate against Central Arkansas last Sunday. Duffin finished with five saves, with two coming in the waning minutes including a diving save off a header in the 88th minute of the mathc.
The Wolverines outshot the Aggies 16-10, while striker
Breanna McCarter led Utah Valley with three shots on the day. The Aggies (2-1-0) had six shots on goal to UVU's five.
UVU will next host unbeaten Montana on Sunday Aug. 30 at 11 a.m. at Clyde Field. A StatBroadcast and live video can be found on WolverineGreen.com.