UTAH VALLEY HEADS TO THE GOLDEN STATE TO TAKE ON SAN JOSE STATE, SANTA CLARA
After evening its record with a pair of wins at home last week, Utah Valley (2-2-0) travels to the Golden State to take on San Jose State and Santa Clara. Kickoff at San Jose State is set for 8 p.m. (MT), while the game at Santa Clara will begin at 2 p.m. (MT).
The Wolverines opened its home slate last week with a pair of wins over Cal Poly and Cal State Fullerton. UVU shutout Cal Poly, 2-0, in the team's home opener. The Wolverines then held on and withstood nine corner kicks to defeat Cal State Fullerton, 2-1. Julianna Carter scored the game winner and Breanna DeWaal scored a security goal late to lead UVU to the win over Cal Poly. Amber Tripp scored her third goal of the season before UVU secured the win over Fullerton with an own goal.
Through four matches this season, Tripp leads the team in goals (3), points (7), shots (9), and shots on goal (7). Jocelyn Bybee and Tripp have UVU's lone assists this year. Carter ranks second on the team with seven shots, including six on goal. Sadie Brockbank has six shots, including three on frame. Defensively, Allie Jara has logged 362 minutes in goal. Jara leads the team with 15 saves and a .714 save percentage.
THE LOWDOWN ON UVU
Utah Valley returns 12 letterwinners and six starters from last year's squad that made a run to the semifinals of the WAC Tournament. The Wolverines welcome back second-team all-WAC honorees Hannah Bruce and Madeline Moore to the squad. 2017 first team all-WAC honoree Breanna DeWaal also returns to the team after returning from an LDS Church mission in Romania. Leading scorer and point getter Sadie Brockbank also returns to the pitch for her sophomore season.
Bruce was a defensive force for the Wolverines in 2018, starting all 21 of UVU's matches last season. She helped anchor the UVU back line to four shutouts during WAC play. She also had one assist and five shots in 2018. Bruce led the team in minutes with 1,852 and earned second team All-WAC honors last season. Moore started and played in each of UVU's 21 matches last season. The midfielder tallied one assist, 14 shots, and three shots on goal in 2018. She played a major factor in UVU's four shutouts last year on the defensive end. Moore ranked second on the team in minutes played at 1,696.
DeWaal led Utah Valley to a WAC Tournament title and the team's second trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2017. She was named the WAC Tournament MVP and led the team with nine goals, six assists, and 24 points in 2017. She also earned All-WAC first team honors and was named to the United Soccer Coaches All-West Region Team.
Brockbank posted eight goals and four assists for a team-high 20 points last year. She also led the team with 58 shots, including 25 on goal in 2018.
IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Utah Valley ranks 38th nationally and first in the WAC in shot accuracy at .576. UVU keeper Allie Jara holds the highest national individual ranking as she ranks 20th nationally with three shutouts. Amber Tripp ranks 23rd nationally in shot accuracy at .778 percent. Tripp's team-leading three goals this season ranks 40th in the nation.
CLYDE FIELD MAGIC
Utah Valley holds an impressive 76-38-11 all time record at Clyde Field. The team has lost just seven matches over the past five seasons on the home pitch. UVU suffered its first losing record at home in 2018, going 3-4-1. UVU went 5-1-0 in 2017, 5-2-1 during the 2016 season and were unbeaten at home during the 2015 season with a 9-0-1 mark. The Wolverines are a perfect 2-0 at home this season. UVU has consistently ranked in the top-40 nationally in attendance.
ABOUT SAN JOSE STATE
San Jose State heads into Friday's match against UVU with a 1-1-2 overall record. The Spartans suffered their first loss of the season on Sunday with a 7-0 setback to No. 3 Stanford. After opening the season with a pair of ties, SJSU picked up its first win of the season with a 1-0 win over Loyola Marymount last Thursday. The Spartans have found the back of the net one time this season on Alexis Brewah's game winner over LMU. Alison Gallant leads the team with five shots, inlcuding a team-best three on frame. Ariana Romero has played all four matches in the box for the Spartans. She has tallied 19 saves with seven goals allowed.
ALL-TIME SERIES HISTORY VS. SAN JOSE STATE
Utah Valley and San Jose State will meet on the pitch on Friday for the first ime in the two team's histories.
ABOUT SANTA CLARA
S. The team dropped a 4-1 decision at Arizona State before picking up a 2-0 shutout victory over Minnesota. The team will host Northern Colorado on Friday before traveling to play the Wolverines on Monday. Maddie Bennett and Haley Brown lead the team with three points apiece as each scored a goal and made an assist last week. Noa Schumacher led the team in the box as she played all 180 minutes in goal last week. She picked up a shutout victory. Fullerton was picked to finish fourth this season in the Big West Conference preseason poll.
ALL-TIME SERIES HISTORY VS. SANTA CLARA
Utah Valley and Santa Clara will meet up on the pitch for the first time on Sunday.
TWO WOLVERINES NAMED TO PRESEASON ALL-WAC TEAM, WOLVERINES PICKED FOURTH IN WAC PRESEASON COACHES POLL
Utah Valley was selected to finish fourth in the 2019 Western Athletic Conference Preseason Poll and UVU players Breanna DeWaal and Hannah Bruce were named to the Preseason All-WAC team.
UVU was projected to finish fourth after receiving one first place vote for a total of 46 points. The Wolverines finished just two points behind UT Rio Grande Valley, which received 48 points. Seattle U was selected to win the conference as the team received six of the first place votes for 61 total points. Kansas City tallied two first place votes and received 52 points to claim the second spot. Grand Canyon (34) was picked fifth, followed by CSU Bakersfield (31) in sixth, and New Mexico State (22) and California Baptist (22) tied for seventh. Chicago State received eight points to finish ninth.
