#20 Washington at #24 Utah Valley
Friday, Aug. 26  |  7:30 p.m. MT
Orem, Utah  |  Clyde Field
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UVU HOSTS BATTLE OF RANKED FOES IN SEASON OPENER
Fresh off of its first NCAA Tournament appearance, the Utah Valley University men's soccer team opens the 2016 season with a match up of two Top 25 programs when the 24th-ranked Wolverines host No. 20 Washington on Friday at 7:30 p.m. MT at Clyde Field.

The teams are both ranked in TopDrawerSoccer's preseason poll while Utah Valley is also ranked No. 28 in College Soccer News' Top 30 poll. The Wolverines were picked to finish second in the WAC -- behind Seattle U -- while the Huskies were tabbed third in the Pac 12 behind UCLA and defending College Cup champion Stanford. Friday marks the first time that UVU has hosted a game featuring two currently-ranked opponents.

"The Huskies are one of the most talented, experienced, and respected programs in the country," said UVU head coach Greg Maas. "The atmosphere is going to be electric, and the fact that it features two Top 25 teams makes it even more special for everyone involved — I'm just thankful it's at Clyde Field in front of our crazy 12th Wolverines."

Utah Valley returns the bulk of its 2015 roster that finished 14-6-2 and finished second in both the WAC regular season and tournament. The club will be anchored by two preseason All-WAC selections in center back Alex Neff and forward Skyler Milne -- both seniors. Thomas Loomis is the team's third and final senior on the 2016 roster. Milne led the team with nine goals a season ago, which included the program's first hat trick in a 3-2 win over San José State.

Junior Paul Hoffmeister, UVU's third preseason All-WAC selection, also returns along with Karson Payton, a second team All-WAC honoree in 2015. Other returning starters include Aaron Meyer, who ranked fifth in the nation with 12 assists, Connor Salmon, Giovanny Vazquez and Chander Baddley, who logged more minutes than any other player last season.

ABOUT THE HUSKIES
Washington finished 8-5-6 overall and 4-3-3 in Pac 12 play in 2015. The Huskies return four All-Pac 12 selections in Kyle Coffee, Justin Schmidt, Quentin Pearson and Henry Wingo. Wingo, a junior,  was also named to the Preseason All-Pac 12 Team. It's the first meeting between the two programs and first time UVU has faced a Pac 12 team.

COMING UP
Following the season opener at home, UVU will spend the next two weekends on the road. Next week the Wolverines travel to Peoria, Illinois and Bradley University where they'll face Evansville (Sept. 2) and Bradley (Sept. 4). The following weekend UVU will be back in Illinois to face Loyola Chicago and Northern Illinois on the NIU campus in DeKalb. The Wolverines' next home match will be Sept. 15 against Gonzaga.

OPENING DAY FESTIVITIES
Prior to the men's game, UVU's women's team host Southern Utah at 5 p.m. in a doubleheader. The MAWL (UVU's student section) will be hosting a tailgate while food trucks La Salsita Grill, Tushar Brazilian Express, World's Best Corndogs and Smokin' Star BBQ will all be in attendance in the lot just north of Clyde Field.

NEFF NAMED TO TDS BEST XI THIRD TEAM, NO. 33 ON TOP 100
Senior center back Alex Neff, a two-time first-team All-WAC selection, was selected to TopDrawerSoccer's Best XI third team and was also No. 33 on the nation's Top 100 players list. Neff was also selected to the NSCAA All-West Region first team and was a NSCAA Scholar All-American in 2015.