Utah Valley vs Evansville
Friday, Sept. 2  |  3:30 p.m. MT/4:30 p.m. CT
Peoria, Ill.  |  Shea Stadium
Live Stats  |  UVU Match Notes



Utah Valley at Bradley
Sunday, Sept. 4  |  6 p.m. MT/7 p.m. CT
Peoria, Ill.  |  Shea Stadium
ESPN 3 (Live Video)  |  Live Stats  |  UVU Match Notes
 

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WOLVERINES HIT ROAD FOR PAIR OF CONTESTS AT BRADLEY UNIVERSITY
After opening its season with a 2-1 win over Washington last Friday, No. 18 Utah Valley University will play its next four matches away from Clyde Field beginning with The Hotels at Grand Prairie Classic this weekend at Bradley University in Peoria, Ill. The Wolverines will face Evansville on Friday at 3:30 p.m. MT in a neutral site contest before taking on host Bradley on Sunday evening at 6 p.m. MT in a game that will air on EPSN3.

"There has been a lot of attention on our program recently, but this team is not easily distracted, and they embrace the challenge of being on the road," UVU head coach Greg Maas said. "Evansville and Bradley are two respected programs and training this week has been very sharp, focused and disciplined in our preparation for both sides."

UVU is ranked No. 21 or higher in the four major polls including 16th by TopDrawerSoccer.com. The Wolverines are No. 18 in the NSCAA Coaches Poll and 21st by both College Soccer News and Soccer America. The four rankings are a first for the third-year program with each of the four rankings the highest the team has been slotted in each respective poll.

Utah Valley opened the season with a 2-1 win over then-No. 20 (TDS) Washington last Friday in front of 3,216 fans at Clyde Field in Orem. Paul Hoffmeister scored both goals for the the Wolverines, who played a man down for the final 40 minutes of the match following a red card. Hoffmeister scored an early goal on assists from Karson Payton and Gui Leme and then notched the game-winner in the 55th minute.

Elliott Rubio was named the WAC Defensive Player of the Week after registering five saves including a game-saving one with under two minutes to go. Rubio, a transfer from Akron, made his first collegiate start in the win over Washington. Hoffmeister, who notched his first career brace, was named to TopDrawerSoccer.com's National Team of the Week.

NATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR MAAS AND WOLVERINES
Head coach Greg Maas was recognized on Thursday by TopDrawerSoccer.com as one of the Top 10 coaches in Division I men's soccer. Also on the list is Seattle U head coach Pete Fewing. Seattle and UVU both represented the WAC in last season's NCAA Tournament. Last week, the Wolverines were also listed as a dark horse contender by TopDrawerSoccer among eight teams with shots to reach the 2016 College Cup. Both articles can be found at TopDrawerSoccer.com and require a premier subscription.

ABOUT THE ACES
Evansville (1-1-0) split its first two matches on a season-opening two-game road trip. The Aces fell 3-1 at Xavier before bouncing back with a 2-0 win at Northern Kentucky. Like Sunday's opponent Bradley, Evansville also hails from the Missouri Valley Conference. It will be the first meeting between the schools in men's soccer.

ABOUT THE BRAVES
Bradley (0-1-1) and Utah Valley will meet in a rematch of last season's contest at the Holiday Inn Express Invitational in Orem in early September. The Wolverines won that match 4-1 in front of a record crowd of 3,452 fans at Clyde Field in Orem. The Braves opened the season in a tournament in Spokane where they played host Gonzaga to a 1-1 draw before a 1-0 loss to San Diego State. Bradley also defeated No. 9 Notre Dame, 1-0, in an exhibition on Aug. 17.

COMING UP
Utah Valley returns to Illinois next week where the Wolverines will face Loyola Chicago and Northern Illinois in the NIU adidas Invitational in DeKalb. The Wolverines return home on Thursday, Sept. 15 in a 5 p.m. MT start against Gonzaga before hosting CSUN on Sept. 17 at 7 p.m. MT.