UVU OPENS WAC SCHEDULE FRIDAY
Utah Valley University opens defense of its 2016 Western Athletic Conference championship with a pair of games this weekend. UVU hosts San José State on Friday night at 7 p.m. MT from Clyde Field in Orem before traveling to CSU Bakersfield for a Sunday afternoon match, slated for 1 p.m. PT/2 p.m. MT. Both matches air live on the WAC Digital Network.

SERIES HISTORY
The Wolverines have gone 3-0-0 against San José State all-time and are 2-1-1 vs CSU Bakersfield. Last season, Utah Valley defeated the Spartans, 2-1, in San José and topped the Roadrunners, 3-0, in Orem. 

MAAS on OPENING WAC PLAY
"Opening weekend in the WAC is always exciting — each match is a head-to-head battle and every result matters in the overall table," UVU head coach Greg Maas said. "Split weekends are never easy, but we're thankful to open in front of our 12th Wolverines who have helped to establish UVU's Clyde Field as one of the best environments in all of college soccer."

LAST TIME OUT
UVU finished its eight-game non-conference schedule at 3-5-0, after falling twice last week, at Washington (4-0) and at Gonzaga (2-1). Against the Bulldogs in Spokane, Diego Serna got his first career goal on an assist from goalkeeper Elliott Rubio coming off of a goal kick. 

ABOUT SAN JOSE STATE
Like Utah Valley, San José State (2-6-0) is also looking to snap a four-match losing streak in Friday's contest. After playing four straight to open the season at home -- going 2-2-0 in those matches -- the Spartans lost three straight road matches before a 1-0 defeat to San Diego last Sunday. Senior Jeremy Romero has scored five of the team's nine goals on the season.

ABOUT CSU BAKERSFIELD
The Runners (2-5-0) play at Seattle U on Friday night before going home to host UVU on Sunday. CSUB has also lost four in a row and is coming off of a 1-0 loss to Cal Poly in its only game last week. The Runners fell to Gonzaga (4-1) and St. Francis (2-1, OT) the week prior in a tournament at UNLV, and have played just one game at home so far this season, defeating UC Riverside 2-0 in the season opener. 

COMING UP
Utah Valley makes its Texas trip next week with games in San Antonio at Incarnate Word (Oct. 6) and in Edinburg against UT Rio Grande Valley (Oct. 8).