#2 Utah Valley at #6 Grand Canyon (WAC Tournament Semifinal)
Friday, Nov. 3  |  8 p.m. MT 
GCU Soccer Stadium  |  Phoenix, Arizona
Live Video (WAC DN)  |  StatBroadcast  |  UVU Match Notes  |  WAC Tournament Bracket
 

UTAH VALLEY ENTERS WAC TOURNAMENT PLAY AS NO. 2 SEED, WILL TAKE ON SIXTH-SEEDED GRAND CANYON
The Utah Valley University women's soccer team takes the No. 2 seed and first round bye into this week's WAC Tournament in Phoenix, Arizona. The Wolverines will take on sixth-seeded Grand Canyon on Friday, Nov. 5 at 8 p.m. MT. Tournament host Grand Canyon defeated UTRGV, 1-0, in overtime on Wednesday night to advance to the semifinal match against the Wolverines, who had a first-round bye.

Utah Valley (9-11, 5-2) had its five-game win streak snapped last week in a 2-1 setback at Seattle U in the team's regular season finale. The Wolverines wrapped up regular season play having won five of its final six matches.

The Wolverines hold an all-time 4-3 record at the WAC Tournament since joining the league in 2013. Utah Valley went 1-1 at the tournament last year with a win over NM State and a loss in the semifinals to eventual champion Seattle U.

Breanna DeWaal leads the Wolverines with nine goals this season. Breanna McCarter has six goals this year, while Amber Tripp has five. DeWaal also leads the Wolverines with 67 shots, including a team-best 35 shots on goal. DeWaal and Tori Smith lead the team with six assists apiece. Nielsen leads the team in the box with an 8-7 record and three shutouts. She has 37 saves and owns a .638 save percentage on the season.

As a team, Utah Valley has netted 32 goals while allowing opponents 30. The Wolverines average 15.0 shots a match with a .507 shots on goal percentage. The Wolverines are holding opponents to a 1.50 goals per game average. UVU also holds a 300-205 shots advantage and a 138-94 edge on corner kicks.

UVU AT THE WAC TOURNAMENT
The Wolverines hold an all-time 4-3 record at the WAC Tournament since joining the league in 2013. Utah Valley went 1-1 at the tournament last year with a win over New Mexico State in the first round and a 2-1 setback to eventual champion Seattle U in the semifinals. UVU enters a WAC Tournament semifinal match for the fourth time. The team holds an all-time 1-2 record in semifinal games at the tournament.

All-Time UVU WAC Tournament Results
Nov. 8, 2013    First Round    #2 UMKC 2, #3 Utah Valley 0 (Las Cruces, N.M.)
Nov. 6, 2014    First Round    #3 Utah Valley 2, #6 UTRGV 1 - ot (Seattle, Wash.)
Nov. 7, 2014    Semifinals    #2 UMKC 1, #3 Utah Valley 0 (Seattle, Wash.)
Nov. 6, 2015    Semifinals    #2 Utah Valley 2, #3 UMKC 0 (Bakersfield, Calif.)
Nov. 8, 2015    Championship    #2 Utah Valley 2, #1 Seattle U 0 (Bakersfield, Calif.)
Nov. 3, 2016    First Round    #4 Utah Valley 2, #5 New Mexico State 0 (Kansas City, Mo.)
Nov. 4, 2016    Semifinals    #1 Seattle U 2, #4 Utah Valley 1 (Kansas City, Mo.)

BROADCAST INFO
Friday night's match at Grand Canyon will be broadcast live on the WAC Digital Network at WACsports.com/live. Michael Potter and Jordan Angeli will be handling the play-by-play and color duties.

SIX WOLVERINES EARN POSTSEASON WAC HONORS
The Utah Valley University women's soccer team was well represented at the Western Athletic Conference awards banquet in Phoenix on Tuesday night as six Wolverines received WAC postseason honors.
 
Utah Valley freshman forward Amber Tripp was named the WAC's Freshman of the Year. UVU sophomore midfielder Breanna DeWaal and sophomore defender Hannah Bruce received first team all-WAC honors, while junior forward Breanna McCarter, senior forward Tori Smith, and senior midfielder Libby Weber were named to the all-WAC second team.
 
Tripp ranked third on the team this season with five goals, including four during WAC play. She also tallied three assists for 13 points on the season. She tallied 23 shots, including 14 on goal. Tripp recorded one game-winning goal this season.
 
DeWaal led the Wolverines and the WAC with 67 shots, including a league-best 35 shots on goal. The sophomore midfielder led the Wolverines and ranked tied for fourth with nine goals. She ranks tied for second on the team and in the WAC with six assists. DeWaal's team-best 24 points ranks her fourth in the WAC. She also has a team-best four game-winning goals, ranking her tied for second in the league and 36th nationally.
 
Bruce anchored the UVU defense to four shutouts this season, including a pair of clean sheets during WAC play. The sophomore defender helped the UVU defense limit opponents to a 1.50 goals per game average. She also helped the squad hold its opponents to just 10.2 shots per match. Bruce also helped the offense with five assists this year.
 
McCarter ranks second on the team with six goals this season, including three goals during league play. She tallied four assists for 16 points this year. McCarter tallied 42 shots with 19 on net and registered the game-winning goal against Wyoming this season.
 
Smith tallied four goals and six assists for 14 points this season. Her six assists ties her for the team lead, while her 48 shots ranks second on the team. Smith also ranks second on the team with 27 shots on goal. She tallied two game-winning goals this year in wins over Seattle U and Chicago State.
 
Weber played both an offensive and defensive role for the Wolverines this season. The senior midfielder tallied two goals and a pair of assists for six points. She recorded 18 shots, including nine on goal. She scored the game-winning goal in a 2-1 win at Oral Roberts.

ABOUT GRAND CANYON
Grand Canyon enters Friday night's match with a 6-12-2 overall record. The team defeated CSU Bakersfield, 3-0, in its regular season finale to earn a spot in this week's WAC Tournament as the sixth seed. The Antelopes opened WAC Tournament play on Wednesday night with a 2-1 overtime victory over No. 3 seed UTRGV to advance to Friday's semifinal match. Wednesday night's game against UTRGV marked GCU's first-ever WAC Tournament match. Junior forward/midfielder McKenzie Cook scored both of GCU's goals in its 2-1 win over UTRGV on Wednesday night. Cook leads the 'Lopes with five goals, five assists and 15 points this season. Senior forward Milla Benedetti has helped with four goals and one assist, while senior defender Madison Cox has also tallied four goals. Senior keeper Blakely Fraasch leads the team in goal with 80 saves and four shutouts. She has played in all 20 matches for GCU this season.

SERIES HISTORY VS. GRAND CANYON
Utah Valley and Grand Canyon meet on the pitch for the 10th time on Friday night. UVU holds an all-time 6-3-0 advantage over the 'Lopes. The two teams match up in Phoenix for the fifth time with the series tied at 2-2 in Phoenix. The two teams split a pair of matches last season with each team winning on its home pitch. UVU won the last matchup between the two teams, taking a 1-0 victory in Orem on Oct. 20 of this season.
 
SCORING MACHINE
Utah Valley has scored 18 goals over its last six matches--an average of 3.0 goals per match. Since shutting out Chicago State on the road, 9-0, Utah Valley has continued its scoring spree, defeating New Mexico State 5-2, UTRGV 2-1, Grand Canyon 1-0, and CSU Bakersfield 1-0. Utah Valley's nine goals at Chicago State are the fifth most scored in a single match this season in the nation.

ROAD TRIPPIN'
Utah Valley has logged over 19,000 miles this season. The team is playing in its 11th different state of the season on Friday night. Utah Valley spent nearly a month on the road before the team opened its home slate against Wyoming on Sept. 8. UVU opened the season with a pair of matches in Hawaii. The team then traveled to Las Vegas, Northridge, California, Tulsa, and Tulsa, Oklahoma. The team then wrapped up non-conference play at Texas A&M in College Station, Texas. UVU finished its non-conference games away from Clyde Field with a 2-8 record. The Wolverines have played 13 of their 20 matches away from Clyde Field. UVU holds a 3-10-0 road record and a 1-0-0 record at a neutral site this season. Last week's match at Seattle U marked the team's 14th game of the year away from Orem,

UVU IN THE CORNER
The Wolverines have attempted 138 corner kicks this season -- the seventh most in the country. The team is also 13th in the nation in corner kicks per game this year at 6.90 per match. The Wolverines lead the WAC in both categories.
 
SERVING OTHERS
Utah Valley ranks 24th in the nation with 36 assists this season. The Wolverines' 36 assists ranks the team second in the WAC behind NM State's 37 helpers this season. Breanna DeWaal and Tori Smith are tied for the team lead with six assists apiece. The six assists ties the pair for second in the WAC.
 
INJURY BUGS
Utah Valley has lost four players to injury this season, including Alexis Peterson, Sara Callister, Sheridan Fox, and Sadie Brockbank. Peterson led UVU with five goals last season, while Callister scored two and Fox had one. In 2015, Fox led UVU with eight goals while Callister tallied three.

TAKING IT TO OVERTIME
Utah Valley has played five overtime games this season. The Wolverines opened the season with a 2-1 loss at Hawaii in overtime. The team then dropped back-to-back 2-1 overtime decisions at UNLV and at CSUN. The Wolverines also lost in double overtime at home to Washington State, 3-2. UVU picked up its first overtime win of the year, defeating UTRGV 2-1 in the first overtime.

SHOTS SHOTS SHOTS SHOTS SHOTS
Utah Valley leads the WAC with 300 shots this season and also ranks first in the league in shots per game at 15.0 per match. The team leads the WAC and is tied for 15th nationally with 152 shots on goal and is tied for 39th in the country in shots on goal per game at 7.68.