OREM—Utah Valley University women's soccer head coach Chris Lemay has released his team's 2021 schedule which features non-conference home games against Pac-12 foes Arizona and USC and road matches at Oklahoma and Alabama.
 
Utah Valley heads into the 2021 season fresh off winning last season's WAC regular season championship and WAC Tournament title. The Wolverines became the first UVU team in school history to win an NCAA Tournament match, shutting out No. 25 Memphis, 1-0, in the first round.
 
"We are looking forward to a challenging fall schedule that includes some perennial power houses," said Lemay. "True to our past scheduling tactics, we will be playing a very difficult non-conference slate by design. We are prideful that our program has been the top RPI team in the WAC over the past two seasons and if we can get some results, the schedule created will allow for us to be in a good position to retain that title. The matches that jump out are Arizona and USC at home and Oklahoma and Alabama on the road. Those four matches will all be great tests to see where we fit on the national stage. The other non-power five games and our WAC matches will also be exciting and will present different challenges."
 
Utah Valley will play five of its first seven non-conference matches at home this season. The team will also play seven of its nine non-conference games in the state of Utah. The Wolverines will open the season at home on Friday, Aug. 20 against Arizona. The Wildcats have been to the NCAA Tournament five out of the last seven years. UVU will then take on Northern Arizona at Clyde Field on Monday, Aug. 23. NAU went 7-2-1 last season and advanced to the Big Sky Conference Tournament championship match, but the game was canceled due to COVID protocols.
 
The Wolverines will travel up I-15 to Ogden to take on in-state foe Weber State on Thursday, Aug. 26. The team will then return to Orem for a first-ever matchup against two-time national champion USC at Clyde Field on Saturday, Aug. 28. USC will be the first team with a national championship on its resume to play against the Wolverines at Clyde Field.
 
UVU will then travel back up I-15 to Logan to play Utah State on Friday, Sept. 3. The game will mark the eighth meeting between the two teams and fifth matchup in Logan. Utah Valley will then head back to Orem to host a pair of games against Mountain West Conference foes San Jose State and Boise State on Monday, Sept. 6 and Friday, Sept. 10, respectively.
 
Utah Valley heads out of the state of Utah for the first time as the team wraps up non-league play in the South with games at Big 12 opponent Oklahoma on Thursday, Sept. 16 and Southeastern Conference foe Alabama on Sunday, Sept. 19.  UVU holds an all-time 1-1 record against the Sooners with a 1-0 win in Norman in 2016 and a 1-0 loss in Salt Lake City in 2018. The match at Alabama will mark the first-ever contest between the two schools.
 
With the additions of new conference members Abilene Christian, Lamar, Sam Houston State, and Stephen F. Austin, the Western Athletic Conference will now feature a divisional schedule. UVU would not play any of the new league members until the WAC Tournament.
 
The Wolverines will play in the western division and will play home and away games against Grand Canyon, New Mexico State, Dixie State, California Baptist, and Seattle U. UVU will open WAC play at home against Grand Canyon on Sept. 23.
 
The WAC Tournament will take place Nov. 3-7 at Championship Field in Seattle Washington. The winner of the tournament receives the league's automatic bid to the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Utah Valley will play one exhibition game this season on Aug. 14 at Southern Utah.