Utah Valley at California
Friday, Aug. 17  |  5 p.m. MT 
Edwards Stadium  |  Berkeley, California
Live Video  |  Live Stats  |  UVU Match Notes

Utah Valley at Wyoming
Sunday, Aug. 19  |  1 p.m. MT 
Louis S. Madrid Sport Complex  |  Laramie, Wyoming
Live Video  |  Live Stats  |  UVU Match Notes  |  Wyoming Match Notes

UTAH VALLEY SET TO OPEN 2018 SLATE AT CALIFORNIA, WYOMING
Utah Valley will open the 2018 season at California on Friday, Aug. 17, before traveling to Laramie, Wyoming, to face the Cowgirls on Sunday, Aug. 19.

Utah Valley returns 12 letterwinners and eight starters from last year's WAC tournament championship team, including first-team all-WAC honoree Hannah Bruce and second-team all-WAC standout Breanna McCarter. Last year's WAC Freshman of the Year, Amber Tripp, also returns for her sophomore season this year.
 
Bruce was a defensive force for the Wolverines in 2017, starting 22 of UVU's 23 matches during her sophomore campaign. She anchored a UVU defense that tallied five clean sheets, including four shutouts against WAC opponents. McCarter, who was also named to the WAC All-Tournament team last season, returns this year after ranking second on the team in goals scored (7), second in assists (5), and second in points (19) during UVU's championship run in 2017. Tripp ranked third on the team last year with five goals. She also tallied three assists and finished fourth on the team with 13 points.
 
UVU also returns a pair of veterans in Sara Callister and Alexis Peterson who sat out their senior seasons last year due to injuries. Both Callister and Peterson have been granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA. Peterson led the Wolverines in scoring during the 2016 season as she found the back of the net five times. She also ranked second on the team with 12 points in 2016. Callister most recently scored two goals and recorded a pair of assists in 2016.
 
Brooklyn Nielsen and Sarah Davis return to the box this season. Nielsen played in 18 matches last year, compiling 1.73 goals against average. She also tallied 54 saves and registered a .635 save percentage. She finished the season with a 9-8-1 record in goal last season with three shutouts. Davis saw time in eight matches as she recorded 1.55 goals against average with 17 saves and a .654 save percentage. Davis tallied one shutout and finished 2017 with a 1-4-0 record.

Utah Valley welcomes 10 newcomers to this year's squad, including BYU transfer Brianna Hatch. Hatch, a redshirt junior midfielder, played two seasons at BYU. She played in 13 matches over the two years, compiling five shots in 148 minutes of action. The Wolverines also welcome in a signing class of nine freshmen to the team.

BROADCAST INFO
Friday's match at Cal will be streamed on the UVU women's soccer Facebook page at facebook.com/uvuwomenssoccer. Sunday's match at Wyoming will be broadcast live on through Wyoming's website at GoWyo.com.  All UVU home games will be streamed live on the WAC Digital Network at WACSports.com/watch.

UVU IN SEASON OPENERS
The Wolverines hold an all-time 6-7-2 record in season-opening matches. The Wolverines hold a 1-5-0 record when opening the season on the road and a 3-2-2 record when opening the season at home.

ABOUT CAL
The Golden Bears recorded a 13-6-1 record last season and made a 14th-straight appearance at the NCAA Tournament. The team has lost All-Americans Emily Boyd and Indigo Gibson due to graduation, but returns five of its starters from last season. Miranda Nild returns to her starting role  after helping the Thailand women's national team qualify for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup earlier this spring. Nild tied for the team scoring lead last season with seven goals.  Junior forward Abi Kim also tallied seven goals on the year and is currently in France with the United States Under-20 Women's National Team at the U-20 FIFA Women's World Cup. Cal's attack also returns key contributors in midfielders Anja Koehler, Mia Corbin, and Luca Deza. Deza led the Bears in assists last season and was named to Pac-12 All-Freshman team. Defensively, the Bears will be led by sophomore Emily Smith, who collected Third Team All-Pac-12 and All-Region honors as a rookie while helping the Bears backline to 10 clean sheets. The Bears also welcome 11 freshmen to the team this season. Cal is coached by Neil McGuire, who enters his 12th season in Berkeley as the program's all-time wins leader.

ALL-TIME SERIES HISTORY VS. CALIFORNIA
Utah Valley and California will meet on the pitch on Friday for the first time in school history.

ABOUT WYOMING
Wyoming returns six starters and 16 letterwinners from last season's squad that went 8-9-2 overall and 4-6-1 in the Mountain West. Entering his seventh season at the helm, head coach Pete Cuadrado has an overall record of 54-51-15 during his tenure at UW and a 29-26-6 mark in league play. Senior Brittney Stark was selected to the All-Newcomer team a season ago. Several individuals will be looked upon to contribute during the 2018 campaign, including the six returning starters. Stark completed her junior campaign with a team-high eight goals, 18 points and three game winning goals. Fellow senior Taylor Burton recorded three goals and had two game winning goals, while senior Morgan McDougal finished with one goal and one assist in her first season with the program. Junior Michaela Stark added two goals and one assist followed by senior Jessie Gentle with two assists and three shots. In the only exhibition game of the season, the Cowgirls competed against the 16th ranked UCF Knights last Thursday night. UW dropped the contest 2-0. Wyoming plays at South Dakota on Aug. 16 before taking on UVU on Aug. 19.

ALL-TIME SERIES HISTORY VS. WYOMING
Utah Valley will take on Wyoming for the ninth time in school history on Sunday. Wyoming holds a 6-2-0 advantage in the series. The two teams played last season in Orem with the Wolverines taking a 2-1 win. The Wolverines have won two of the last three matches against the Cowgirls after dropping the first five matches of the series.

All-Time Series vs. Wyoming
Sept. 08, 2017    Utah Valley def. Wyoming, 2-1        Orem, Utah
Sept. 09, 2016    Wyoming def. Utah Valley, 1-0 (2OT)    Laramie, Wyoming
Sept. 05, 2014    Utah Valley def. Wyoming, 3-0        Orem, Utah
Sept. 16, 2012    Wyoming def. Utah Valley, 4-3 (OT)        Laramie, Wyoming
Aug. 26, 2011    Wyoming def. Utah Valley, 2-0    Orem, Utah
Sept. 04, 2009    Wyoming def. Utah Valley, 2-1    Orem, Utah
Sept. 19, 2008    Wyoming def. Utah Valley, 1-0    Pocatello, Idaho
Sept. 14, 2007    Wyoming def. Utah Valley, 3-2    Laramie, Wyoming

THREE WOLVERINES NAMED TO PRESEASON ALL-WAC TEAM, WOLVERINES PICKED SECOND IN WAC PRESEASON COACHES POLL
The Utah Valley University women's soccer team was selected to finish second in the 2018 Western Athletic Conference Preseason Poll and UVU players Hannah Bruce, Amber Tripp, and Brooklyn Nielsen were each named to the Preseason All-WAC team.
 
The Wolverines went 5-2 in WAC play last season and finished second in the regular season standings. The team went on to claim the 2017 WAC Tournament championship and earn the WAC's bid to the NCAA Tournament where it took on eventual national champion Stanford. The Wolverines have won the WAC Tournament title two times over the past three years.
 
UVU was projected to finish second after receiving four of the nine first place votes for a total of 57 points. The Wolverines finished just three points behind Kansas City, which received five first place votes for a total of 60 points. Seattle U was selected third (50), followed by Grand Canyon (38) in fourth, UT Rio Grande Valley (37) fifth, and New Mexico State (30) in sixth. CSU Bakersfield was picked seventh with 26 points with WAC newcomer California Baptist being selected eighth with 16 points. Chicago State rounded out he poll in ninth place with 10 points.
 
Bruce anchored the UVU defense to five shutouts last season, including a pair of clean sheets during WAC play and another in the semifinals of the WAC Tournament. The junior defender helped the squad hold its opponents to just 11.7 shots per match. Bruce also helped the offense with five assists last year. Bruce earned first team All-WAC honors for her play in 2017.

Tripp earns a preseason all-WAC selection after ranking third on the team last season with five goals, including four during WAC play. The sophomore forward also tallied three assists for 13 points in 2017. She fired 27 shots, including 15 on goal. Tripp earned WAC Freshman of the Year honors for her play last year.
 
Nielsen led Utah Valley with three shutouts in goal last season for the Wolverines. The junior keeper logged 1,612 minutes in the box last year and recorded a .635 save percentage. She picked up nine wins and allowed 31 goals on the 206 shots she faced.

UVU WINS SECOND WAC TOURNAMENT TITLE IN THREE YEARS
Utah Valley tied Seattle U, 1-1, in double overtime and then claimed the 2017 WAC Women's Soccer Tournament championship 3-1 in penalty Kicks to earn the team's second WAC tournament title in the last three years last season. The tournament title earned the Wolverines the WAC's auto bid to the NCAA Tournament where it dropped a 9-1 decision at eventual national champion Stanford. UVU's lone goal at Stanford was the only goal of the season that Stanford allowed on its home pitch during the 2017 season.

NWSL STAR ASHLEY HATCH JOINS UVU COACHING STAFF AS VOLUNTEER ASSISTANT COACH
Utah Valley University women's soccer coach Chris Lemay has announced the hiring of US Women's National Team member and current Washington Spirit player Ashley Hatch as a volunteer assistant coach.

Hatch currently plays professionally for the Washington Spirit in the NWSL. She was drafted second overall in the 2017 NWSL Draft by the NC Courage where she was named the 2017 NWSL Rookie of the Year after tying a league record with seven goals. She led the Courage to the NWSL Shield in 2017 and an appearance in the NWSL Championship Final. Hatch currently ranks fourth the NWSL with 55 shots. She also ranks ninth in the NWSL in shots on goal (21).
 
The NWSL standout made her debut for the senior US Women's National Team on October 19, 2016 against Switzerland. She played for the U-23 WNT in Sweden for the 2017 U-23 Nordic Tournament where she scored a goal against the host country to secure a victory for USA. She most recently played for senior USWNT on April 5, 2018 against Mexico.
 
In October 2017, Hatch joined defending W-League champions Melbourne City for the 2017-18 W-League season. She made 14 appearances and scored a pair of goals in her debut season with the team. Melbourne City's success earned the team an appearance in the Grand Final against Sydney FC where Hatch helped the team to a third-straight championship.
 The Gilbert, Arizona native enjoyed a stellar collegiate career. She started all four years at BYU, where she claimed 47 goals, recorded 21 assists, and earned All America honors. She earned All-WCC First Team honors following her senior season and was named a finalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy, which honors the top women's soccer player in the country. Hatch ranked third in the nation in scoring her senior season, scoring an impressive 19 goals, including a pair of hat tricks. She was ranked the No. 7 player in the national by Top Drawer Soccer and was named the Collegiate Women's Athlete of the Year at the Utah Governor's State of Sports Awards.
 
Hatch is working toward her bachelor's degree in family life at BYU. She is one of four siblings, including current UVU midfielder Brianna Hatch.

UVU'S FIRST-EVER INTERNATIONAL TRIP IN COSTA RICA A HUGE SUCCESS
The Utah Valley University women's soccer team wrapped up its international trip to Costa Rica with a 2-1 setback to the Costa Rica Women's National Team on May 16 at the San Sebastian Sports Complex in San José, Costa Rica.
 
The team enjoyed a 10-day, 9-night first-ever international trip with a 2-1 record with wins over San Carlos and Moravia. The team scored a combined 15 goals and conceded only two goals over the three matches.

The game wraps up the team's first-ever international expedition. Besides the three matches against international competition, UVU was able to participate in a community service project. The Wolverines were able to spend time with students at a school that assists children living in extreme poverty conditions. The team also had the opportunity to visit a number of historical and cultural venues in Costa Rica. The squad was able to enjoy the beautiful scenery, beaches, and waterfalls that the country has to offer.
 
"We literally saw all of Costa Rica," said Lemay. "We had unbelievable excursions, trained in local villages, and had a powerful experience spending time with the children at the school. We had 20 players with us and 15 of them had never even been outside of the country before. It was an incredible team bonding experience for us. We saw an unbelievable country and ended the trip with a match against the country's full national team. It exceeded all expectations and brought us closer as a team. This experience is something that can never be taken away from us. It was a very positive experience for us."

CLYDE FIELD MAGIC
Utah Valley holds an impressive 71-34-10 all time record at Clyde Field. The team has lost just five matches over the past four seasons on the home pitch. UVU went 5-1-0 at home last season, including wins over Wyoming, Seattle U, New Mexico State, UT Rio Grande Valley, and Grand Canyon. The Wolverines went 5-2-1 during the 2016 season and were unbeaten at home during the 2015 season with a 9-0-1 mark. UVU has consistently ranked in the top-40 nationally in attendance.

ABOUT UVU'S ATHLETICS NCAA HISTORY            
Until 2003, Utah Valley University competed as a NJCAA athletic program. The 2003-04 season was the school's first competing at an NCAA Division I level. In the summer of 2009, UVU'S provisional status was lifted and the program became a full member of NCAA Division I on July 8, 2009. Until then, UVU teams and individuals were not eligible to compete in NCAA championship events.
The Wolverines spent six seasons as an independent before the Great West Conference became an all-sports league in 2008 and began its first full season in 2009. UVU also became a university in 2008, changing its name from Utah Valley State College (UVSC) to Utah Valley University (UVU).

Utah Valley is the first and last school ever to jump from the junior college ranks to NCAA Division I status.