After picking up a pair of shutout home wins over Houston Christian and UTRGV, the Utah Valley men's soccer team returns to the road to take on WAC foes Seattle U and San Jose State. Kickoff against the Redhawks is scheduled for Friday at 8 p.m. MDT, while Sunday's matchup with the Spartans is slated for 2 p.m. MDT.
Following the two victories over HCU and UTRGV, Utah Valley finds itself squarely in the mix in the WAC at the midway point of the conference schedule. With five games remaining in WAC play, the Wolverines (4-5-1, 2-2 WAC) sit in a tie for fifth place with six points, just four points out of a top-two spot that would mean a bye into the semifinals of the WAC Tournament.
Utah Valley will have a chance to gain some ground on that coveted top-two spot this weekend as the Redhawks (4-6-1, 3-1 WAC) and Spartans (7-3-2, 3-0-1 WAC) sit in third and second place respectively in the WAC table.
BROADCAST INFO
Friday's game against the Redhawks will be streamed on ESPN+, with Sunday's matchup with the Spartans being broadcast on WACInternational.tv.
ABOUT THE REDHAWKS
The Redhawks faced one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the nation, facing three teams that were ranked in the top 10 of the United Soccer Coaches Poll at the time of the game, and an Oregon State side that was ranked No. 5 to begin the season. The Redhawks picked up an upset win at then-No. 4 Notre Dame to open the season.
Seattle U has started off strong in WAC play, picking up wins over UNLV, UTRGV, and Utah Tech, as well as a home loss to HCU.
HISTORY VS SU
Seattle U has long been an Achilles' heel for Utah Valley since the Wolverines joined the WAC in 2014. Utah Valley holds a 1-6-3 all-time record versus the Redhawks, with two of the ties ending in PK shootout losses at the WAC Tournament. SU picked up a 2-1 victory in Orem when the two teams last met in Orem last season.
ABOUT THE SPARTANS
SJSU enters the week on a seven-match unbeaten streak, with six wins and one tie. The Spartans are one of two remaining unbeaten teams in the WAC alongside 4-0 Air Force, who was idle last week. SJSU has yet to trail through four conference games thus far.
HISTORY VS SJSU
Sunday's meeting marks the 10th time the Spartans and Wolverines have met on the pitch. SJSU has won five-straight in the series, including a 4-3 comeback victory that ended Utah Valley's season last November at the WAC Tournament in Phoenix, and hold a 5-3-1 advantage all-time in the series.
WHO TO WATCH FOR
Seattle U's Richard Bedats earned WAC Offensive Player of the Week honors this past week for his effort in a come-from-behind victory over Utah Tech. Bedats scored goals in the 65th and 78th minutes off the bench to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 win. SJSU's Beau Leroux enters the week as the joint-top goal-scorer in WAC play with five, tied with Air Force's Thaddaeus Dewing. The sophomore forward was named WAC Offensive Player of the Week after scoring a brace against UTRGV on October 2.
CAN I GET A KNECHT-ION?
Freshman forward Owen Knecht has burst onto the scene this season with four goals through the first 10 matches of the season, including a brace last Thursday against Houston Christian. Entering this week's games, Knecht sits in third place in goals scored during conference play with three and leads all WAC freshmen in goals scored.
TORRES HONORED BY THE WAC
Senior defender Nico Torres was honored this week as the TicketSmarter WAC Defensive Player of the Week for the week ending October 17. Torres was instrumental in the two shutout wins over Houston Christian and UTRGV, holding HCU to two shots on goal and UTRGV to zero shots on goal in the wins.
KWIZERA IN THE PLAYOFFS
Former UVU midfielder Jojea Kwizera and MLS club CF Montreal moved on to the Eastern Conference semifinals with their 2-0 victory over Orlando City SC on Sunday. Second-seed CFMTL moves on to face reigning champs New York City FC on Sunday. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. on ESPN. Kwizera was the 15th overall pick in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft, the first-ever MLS draft pick for the Utah Valley men's soccer program.
