OREM, Utah—Breanna DeWaal fired the ball into the back of the net for the game winner in the 74th minute to lead the Utah Valley University women's soccer team to a 1-0 shutout victory over Grand Canyon in the Wolverines' home finale on Friday night at Clyde Field.
 
The win pushes UVU's record to 8-10 overall and 4-1 in WAC play. UVU now stands alone in second place in the WAC standings with 12 points. The victory secures the Wolverines a spot in the six-team field at the WAC Tournament in Phoenix, Arizona, Nov. 1-5.  Utah Valley wraps up play at Clyde Field with a 5-1 record this season.
 
"We're thrilled to end the season with a 5-1 record at home and for a number of reasons that was an awesome win tonight," said Utah Valley head coach Chris Lemay. "I thought Grand Canyon was really good. I don't think their record indicates what kind of team they are. They gave us some trouble at times. I felt like our players closed the game out well. We've been in this position before where we were up a goal and didn't finish it off. There are a ton of things that we are taking away from this one and hopefully a ton of momentum to move us into Sunday's game."
 
Laken Flinders got the ball to DeWaal on the left side towards the front of the box. DeWaal then pushed the ball forward and sent a shot into the upper right corner of the goal for the game winner in the 74th minute. The goal is DeWaal's eighth of the season.
 
Utah Valley outshot Grand Canyon 16-7 on the night, including an 8-3 advantage on goal. The Wolverines registered three corner kicks to GCU's one. DeWaal, Breanna McCarter, and Amber Tripp led UVU with four shots each. Tripp led the team with three shots on net, while DeWaal and Sydney Fitzpatrick each had two.
 
Brooklyn Nielsen picked up her third shutout victory of the season in the box. The sophomore keeper tallied two saves on the seven shots she faced.
 
Utah Valley continues play on Sunday as the team travels to California to take on CSU Bakersfield. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. (MT). The game will be broadcast live on the WAC Digital Network at WACsports.com/watch.