LAS CRUCES, N.M.—Sadie Bockbank,
Leesa Stowe, and
Whitney Paskins each found the back of the net to lead the Utah Valley University women's soccer team to a 3-0 shutout over New Mexico State in the Wolverines' Western Athletic Conference opener at the NMSU Soccer Athletic Complex.
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"We are thrilled with the shutout win to open WAC play," said Utah Valley head coach
Chris Lemay. "To get three points on the road in our first league game of the season is huge. It was great to see everyone compete at a high level and get time on the pitch. We also did a good job of managing our minutes tonight as we prepare for a tough game on Sunday at UTRGV."
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Utah Valley (2-9-1, 1-0-0) got on the scoreboard in just the 10th minute as
Amber Tripp passed the ball to the right side of the box to
Sara Callister who then crossed it to Brockbank who kicked it into the lower left side of the goal for the score. The goal marks Brockbank's second goal of the season and her first game-winning goal of the year.
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Leesa Stowe scored her second career goal and first since the 2016 season as she kicked a towering shot from 25 yards out on the right side of the field. The ball floated just over the reach of the NMSU keeper into the upper right 90 to give UVU a 2-0 advantage in the 51st minute.
Amber Tripp was credited with an assist on the score.
Whitney Paskins score her team-leading third goal of the season in the 79th minute on a pass from Stowe. Stowe tallied three points on the day after tallying one goal and one assist in the match.
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Utah Valley out-shot NM State 13-6, including a 7-6 advantage on frame. The Wolverines tallied seven corner kicks to NMSU's one.
Brooklyn Nielsen played just over 80 minutes in goal before being relieved for the final 10 minutes by
Sarah Davis. The pair teamed up for UVU's first shutout of the season.
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The win also marked the first-ever collegiate coaching victory for
Ashley Hatch, who recently joined the team as a volunteer assistant after wrapping up her professional season with the Washington Spirit of the NWSL.
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Utah Valley will continue WAC road play as the team now travels to Edinburg, Texas for a Sunday afternoon match at UT Rio Grande Valley. Kickoff is set for noon (MT) on Sunday at the UTRGV Soccer and Track & Field Complex.
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