LAS VEGAS — A dominating performance from start to finish saw the Utah Valley men's soccer team leave Las Vegas with a 4-0 victory over the UNLV Rebels Sunday night at Johann Memorial Stadium.
Mateo Palomino, Aaron Nixon and Mark Andros each scored and Alejandro Silva added a goal and an assist to propel the Utah Valley men's soccer team to a crucial victory that puts Utah Valley in control of its own destiny heading into the regular season finale on Friday.
"I thought it was a really good performance from start to finish," said head coach Kyle Beckerman. "The boys showed a lot of quality with the ball and a lot of grit defensively. Now our focus switches to Cal Baptist and another important game at home."
The win puts the Wolverines in sixth place heading into the final matchday of the season on Friday. The top six teams make the WAC Tournament, set to be held in Riverside, Calif. on November 9-13, with Utah Valley holding a slim two-point edge over seventh place UTRGV. A win or a tie would guarantee a tournament berth as the Wolverines defeated the Vaqueros earlier this season.
The Wolverines dominated possession in the early going, earning three corner kicks inside the opening 10 minutes. Those three corners produced three shots, including a bouncing shot from Silva that forced a save out of Rebel keeper Andrew Sway.
Moments after nearly opening the scoring, Palomino headed home the first goal of the night off a set piece from Silva in the 17th minute. Silva lofted a cross from the near touch line and Palomino rose highest at the far post to give the Wolverines an early 1-0 lead.
Nixon capitalized on a defensive miscue in the 50th minute to double Utah Valley's lead. Nixon's high press forced a turnover on the left side of the penalty area. Nixon then dribbled to his right past the keeper and fired a shot into the wide-open net.
Kendi Bellini came close to the Wolverines' third of the night off a feed from Owen Knecht in the 57th minute. Knecht broke down the left flank and fed a cross through the six-yard box, but Bellini's shot went just wide.
Silva added a third in the 65th minute to ice the game for Utah Valley. The ball bounced around the Rebel penalty area before landing at the feet of Ura Miura. Miura poked it free for Silva, who slotted it just inside the near post.
Andros put the finishing touches on the victory in the 90th minute, chipping a shot into the right side of the goal past the lunging Sway.
Utah Valley returns home for its final home game of the regular season on Friday against California Baptist. The Wolverines will be honoring this year's senior class prior to kickoff, with Senior Night festivities set to begin at 5:45. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. MDT and the match will be streamed on ESPN+.
