#21 Utah Valley at Seattle U
Friday, Sept. 30 | 7pm PT/8pm MT
Seattle, Washington | Championship Field
Live Video (WDN) | Live Stats | UVU Match Notes
WOLVERINES HIT ROAD FOR FINAL NON-CONFERENCE ACTION
No. 21 Utah Valley University opens WAC play at defending champion Seattle University on Friday at 7 p.m. PT/8 p.m. MT in a game can be seen live on the WAC Digital Network.
The contest is a rematch of last season's WAC Tournament Championship, a 1-1 draw that Seattle U advanced on following penalty kicks. While the championship gave the Redhawks the automatic bid, both schools represented the WAC in the 48-team NCAA Tournament with the Wolverines receiving an at-large berth. UVU (7-2-0) also finished second during the 2015 WAC regular season to the Redhawks (4-4-0).
"There's no extra motivation needed for this one — this team has been looking forward to this match since last year," said head coach
Greg Maas. "Training this week has been spirited, we're getting healthier by the day, and there's no question this team is determined to put their best foot forward against an exceptional side in Seattle."
This week saw the release of the first official NCAA RPI for men's soccer and Utah Valley came in at No. 10, higher than any UVU program has ever been in the NCAA RPI. The Wolverines are ranked 21st in the both the NSCAA Coaches Poll and by TopDrawerSoccer.com, and are 19th in the College Soccer News Top 30.
Utah Valley split two road games last week, falling 3-2 at Sacramento State before a 1-0 shutout of UC Davis, which marked the program's 30th victory in just two and a half seasons of existence. The Wolverines have recorded shutouts in four of their last five games with three of those finishing one-nil.
Karson Payton had a goal and an assist while
Gui Leme scored his first career goal in the loss at Sac State.
Alex Neff scored the game-winner against UC Davis, rebounding a saved
Skyler Milne header midway through the first half.
ABOUT THE REDHAWKS
Seattle U is 4-4-0 on the season and is a perfect 2-0-0 at home so far this season. The Redhawks' non-conference schedule included road matches at ranked opponents West Virginia, Akron, and Gonzaga as well as games at Harvard and Dartmouth. Most recently, Seattle dropped a 2-1 decision at crosstown rival Washington, who entered the NSCAA coaches poll this week at No. 16.
Utah Valley is seeking its first win against the Redhawks, having gone 0-2-2 so far in the series history. The teams played to a 1-1 draw in the first meeting in 2014 before a 1-0 SU win in Seattle two weeks later. Last season, the Redhawks defeated UVU 2-0 in Orem before the WAC Tournament Championship in November in Kansas City. Following the tournament, Seattle U defeated UCLA in the round of 32 to advance to the Sweet Sixteen before falling at Syracuse.
COMING UP
The Wolverines return home next week to host CSU Bakersfield on Thursday, Oct. 6 and UT Rio Grande Valley on Saturday, Oct. 8. Both matches start at 7 p.m. MT.
