COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.  – Utah Valley University men's soccer advanced to Sunday's WAC Tournament Championship match after edging the Air Force Academy on penalty kicks, 6-5, on Friday night at Cadet Soccer Stadium.
 
After the teams played 110 minutes of soccer to a scoreless draw, Mitch Jensen made a big save on the Falcons' sixth attempt and Zahir Vazquez put away the decisive PK. The Wolverines (12-6-2) will now face top seed and 21st-ranked Seattle U on Sunday, in a rematch of the 2015 WAC Tournament final, with the conference's automatic berth on the line. 
 
"What an incredible match. Two great teams that fought to the bitter end, and thankfully we were able to advance to the WAC championship on Sunday against Seattle," UVU head coach Greg Maas said. "I couldn't be more proud of this team. Our grit and determination and never say die attitude were on full display. And I can't say enough about Mitch Jensen. Our team needed a hero today, and that was him. Time to enjoy this moment, and then we'll get ready for what's guaranteed to be a great final on Sunday."
 
Jensen and Air Force (8-10-1) goalkeeper Kainoa Likewise both came up big during regulation and overtime to earn shutouts. Jensen finished with a trio of saves while Likewise stopped eight would-be goals from UVU. The clean sheet for Jensen is his sixth of the season and second in a row in the tournament. He also has a school-record 11 shutouts during his career.
 
The Wolverines finished with 24 shots, nine on goal – the Falcons also recorded a team save – while Air Force had 21 shots, three on frame. Utah Valley was also whistled for 25 fouls while the Falcons were whistled for just eight.
 
Utah Valley is now unbeaten in its last five matches and will face a Seattle U team has won eight straight and is unbeaten in 13 straight games. The Redhawks defeated CSU Bakersfield, 1-0, in Friday's first semifinal. In the 2015 final, Seattle earned the WAC's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament on PKs, 5-4. In the earlier match between the teams this season, in Seattle, Utah Valley led 1-0 and was down a player following a first-half red card, but a late PK forced overtime and the Redhawks won on a golden goal early in the first extra frame.