OREM—The Utah Valley University women's soccer team has earned the program's first-ever at-large bid into the 2022 NCAA Tournament field and will take on crosstown rival BYU in the first round on Friday, Nov. 11 at South Field in Provo at 6 p.m. (MT)
 
The Wolverines gathered to watch the NCAA Selection Show on Monday where it was announced that the Wolverines had earned the automatic bid.
 
Utah Valley makes its fourth appearance at the NCAA Tournament with showings in 2015, 2017, and 2020. UVU holds an all-time 1-3 record at the tournament. The Wolverines picked up thier first-ever NCAA Tournament victory at the 2020 Tournament with a 1-0 win over No. 25 Memphis. 
 
"When I was hired at Utah Valley, I said that we needed to get this program in a spot where one bad day or one misfortune in one weekend doesn't affect our ability to get into the NCAA Tournament and we've finally got there and arrived," said Utah Valley head coach Chris Lemay. "It's something we've been building for a long time. Over the course of the season, we did prove that we're deserving as being recognized as one of the best teams in the country and you can't have a national tournament without one of the best teams in the nation. We're obviously very grateful to the committee for doing their due diligence and really doing their homework about how good we are and can be."
 
The Wolverines had one of the best seasons in program history, tying a school record with 14 wins and a top-40 RPI. The team has a top-15 road victory with its win at 13th-ranked BYU and a tie against No. 20 Central Florida. 
 
UVU is one of the top scoring offenses in the country as the team ranks in the top-five nationally in six statistical categories. The Wolverines rank second nationally in total assists (59), third in total goals (54), third in total points (167), third in assists per game (2.81), and fifth in shots on goal per game (9.14). 
 
Individually, Faith Webber ranks third in the nation in shots on goal per game at 2.48, fifth in shots per game (4.71), seventh in goals scored (14), and eighth in total points (35). Hannah Lee is fifth nationally in assists with 12, while Heather Stainbrook is 11th in the country in both goals (13) and points (33).
 
The Wolverines nearly swept the WAC major awards this season as Stainbrook was named the WAC Offensive Player of the Year, Jenna Shepherd earned WAC Defensive Player of the Year honors, and Lemay was named the WAC Coach of the Year. 
 
Utah Valley has won nine of its 11 games and had won seven straight matches until falling 1-0 to New Mexico State in the WAC Tournament championship match on Sunday in Seattle. Shepherd, Stainbrook, and Webber earned all-tournament team honors at the WAC Tournament. 
 
Utah Valley will take on No. 6 seed and crosstown rival BYU in the first round of the tournament on Friday at 6 p.m. at South Field in Provo. The Wolverines and Cougars will meet on the pitch for the eighth time with BYU holding an all-time 6-1 series advantage. Utah Valley defeated BYU, 4-2, on Sept. 10 in Provo. The loss was one of just two setbacks at home for the Cougars this season. It was Utah Valley's first-ever win over BYU. 
 
"BYU is a very talented team that has the ability to score goals from a number of different areas," said Lemay. "The fact that we know them can be an advantage as well. I don't think they're going to surprise us with anything. We have a lot of players on our team that have played club soccer with a lot of players on that team."
 
BYU went 10-2-6 this season and earned an at-large bid into the tournament. The team finished second in the West Coast Conference with a 6-0-3 mark. The Cougars rank 15th nationally with an RPI ranking of 20. BYU made a run to the championship game of the NCAA Tournament last season before falling to Florida State in the title match. 
 
UVU and BYU have played each other in the NCAA Tournament one time with the Cougars taking a 1-0 win in first round of the 2015 tournament in Provo.