SACRAMENTO, Calif. – No. 18 Utah Valley University fell in an upset, 3-2, at Sacramento State in the first game of the Copa de Causeway on Thursday. Gui Leme notched his first career goal for the Wolverines while Karson Payton had a goal and an assist.
 
The Wolverines (6-2-0) found themselves in a two-nil hole less than seven minutes in before coming back to tie it midway through the first half. The Hornets (4-3-0) regained the lead in the 41st minute on what turned out to be the game-winner.

"The start to the match was uncharacteristic of this team, but our response to equalize at 2-2 showed tremendous character. Their third goal right before half, however, was inexcusable," said UVU head coach Greg Maas.

Ivan Ramirez scored just two minutes into the match before Alex Bettencourt made it 2-0 in the seventh minute of action.

Leme's goal came in the 22nd minute and got the Wolverines on the board on an assist from Payton. Payton then tied the game in the 27 minute, scoring on an assist from Aaron Meyer.
 
Ramirez picked up the game-winner with just under five minutes left in the half to register a brace and snap Utah Valley's three-match winning streak. The goals scored by Sac State also end a string of three consecutive Wolverine shutouts. It also marks the first time a team has scored more than two goals against Utah Valley in the program's brief history.
 
UVU played up a man over the final 20 minutes after a second yellow was shown to Nate Nugen, resulting in a red card. The Wolverines finished with 16 shots but couldn't get the equalizer and avoid the upset. The Hornets finished with seven shots – five on goal – all of which came in the first half.

"The second half was a different game. We had Sac State on their heels the entire half and created enough chances to score five goals -- we simply couldn't find the back of the net," Maas said. "We will learn from this, move forward, and get ready for a complete game against UC Davis on Saturday."
 
UVU wraps up the Copa de Causeway and non-conference play on Saturday at 4 p.m. MT at UC Davis. The Aggies defeated Saint Mary's on Thursday, 2-1, getting the golden goal four minutes into the first overtime frame.