UTAH VALLEY TO TAKE ON SIX SEEDED BYU IN FIRST ROUND OF NCAA TOURNAMENT
Utah Valley travels down University Parkway to take on BYU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night at South Field in Provo. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.
The match between Utah Valley and BYU on Friday will mark the eighth time the two teams have met on the pitch with BYU holding an all-time 6-1 advantage in the series. The Wolverines picked up their first-ever victory over BYU earlier this season with a 4-2 win on Sept. 10 at South Field. The matchup will mark the second time that the two programs have played in the NCAA Tournament as BYU took a 1-0 win over UVU in the first round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament.
UVU heads into NCAA Tournament play after earning the program's first-ever at-large bid. 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 then 13th-ranked BYU and a tie against No. 20 Central Florida at home. UVU won the WAC regular season title this season with a 9-1-1 league mark.
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 their first-ever NCAA Tournament victory in their last appearance in 2020 with a 1-0 win over No. 25 Memphis.
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).
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.
BROADCAST INFO
Friday night's NCAA Tournament match at BYU will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Spencer Linton will be handling the play-by-play duties. ESPN+ is available on the ESPN app and on ESPNplus.com.
UVU AT THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Utah Valley is making its fourth appearance at the NCAA Tournament and first appearance since the 2020 tournament, which actually took place in the spring of 2021. The Wolverines hold an all-time 1-3 record at the tournament. The Wolverines picked up their first win at the tournament with 1-0 win in the first round over Memphis on April 28, 2021.
All-Time UVU WAC Tournament Results
Nov. 14, 2015 First Round BYU 1, Utah Valley 0 Provo, Utah
Nov. 11, 2017 First Round Stanford 9, Utah Valley 1 Stanford, Calif.
Apr. 28, 2021 First Round Utah Valley 1, Memphis 0 Greenville, N.C.
May 01, 2021 Second Round Arkansas 3, Utah Valley 1 Greenville, N.C.
ABOUT BYU
BYU enters the first-round match against the Wolverines with a 10-2-6 overall record. The Cougars finished second in the West Coast Conference with a 6-0-3 record. BYU has won five of its last six matches, including a 2-1 win at Loyola Marymount in the team's regular season finale on Nov. 5. The Cougars are ranks No. 15 in the latest United Soccer Coaches national top-25 poll. The team holds the No. 20 RPI in the country. BYU is making its 23rd appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The team made a run to the championship match of last year's tournament, falling to Florida State in the championship game. The BYU offense runs through junior forward/midfielder Brecken Mozingo. Mozingo leads the Cougars with 12 goals, 10 assists, 34 points, 104 shots, and 41 shots on goal this season. Junior midfielder/forward Olivia Wade, junior midfielder Jamie Shepherd, and freshman forward Allie Fryer each have seven goals, while junior forward/midfielder Bella Folino has five. 10 different players have scored a goal for BYU. Sophomore keeper Savanna Mason leads the team in the box with a 1.17 goals against average, 39 saves, and five clean sheets. As a team, BYU averages 2.5 goals and 26.3 shots per game.
SERIES HISTORY VS. BYU
Utah Valley and BYU will meet on the pitch for the eighth time on Friday night. BYU holds an all-time 6-1 series advantage. Seven of the eight games in the series have been played on South Field in Provo. Three of the seven matches have been decided by just one goal. Utah Valley picked up its first win over BYU earlier this season on Sept. 10, taking a 4-2 come-from-behind win in Provo.
All-Time Results vs. BYU
Sept. 10, 2022 Utah Valley def. BYU, 4-2 Provo, Utah
March 17, 2021 BYU def. Utah Valley, 4-1 Provo, Utah
Sept. 16, 2019 BYU def. Utah Valley, 1-0 Orem, Utah
Sept. 21, 2018 BYU def. Utah Valley, 3-1 Provo, Utah
Sept. 22, 2017 BYU def. Utah Valley, 3-0 Provo, Utah
Nov. 14, 2015 BYU def. Utah Valley, 1-0 (NCAA Tourney) Provo, Utah
Sept. 27, 2012 BYU def. Utah Valley, 1-0 Provo, Utah
UVU TEAM LEADERS
Faith Webber leads the Wolverines in goals (14), points (35), shots (99), shots on goal (52), and game-winning goals (5). Heather Stainbrook has 13 goals, followed by Julianna Carter with nine. Hannah Lee and Sydney Bushman each have four goals. Nicole Ray has three goals and Isabella Steward has two. Five other Wolverines have one goal this year. Lee leads the team with 12 assists. Leah Wolf leads UVU in the box with seven wins. Idalia Serrano has a team-best 33 saves and three shutouts.
COMEBACK KIDS!
Utah Valley has recorded four come-from-behind wins this season. Utah Valley's first comeback of the season came in a 4-2 win over No. 13 BYU (Sept. 10). After falling behind 1-0 in the fifth minute, Utah Valley scored three first-half goals and another late in the second half to defeat the Cougars, 4-2.
In what was the most improbable comeback of the season, Utah Valley fell behind 3-0 in the second half at home against California Baptist (Sept. 30) before scoring four unanswered goals in a 32-minute span to defeat the Lancers, 4-3.
Utah Valley fell behind 1-0 at Grand Canyon (Oct. 2) at halftime before scoring two second-half goals to defeat the Lopes, 3-2.
The Wolverines then overcame a 2-0 halftime deficit to Grand Canyon in the WAC Tournament semifinal (Nov. 4) to win in double overtime, 3-2. UVU scored three unanswered goals, including two in the second half to win in double overtime, 3-2. Webber recorded a brace, including the game winner in the 108th minute to secure the comeback win.
COMEBACK WINS IN 2022
Sept. 10, 2022 Down 1-0 UVU def. BYU, 4-2 Provo, Utah
Sept. 30, 2022 Down 3-0 UVU def. California Baptist, 4-3 Orem, Utah
Oct. 02, 2022 Down 1-0 UVU def. Grand Canyon, 2-1 Phoenix, Ariz.
Nov. 04, 2022 Down 2-0 UVU def. Grand Canyon, 3-2 (2OT) Seattle, Wash.
WIN STREAK SNAPPED AT SEVEN
With its 1-0 loss to NM State in the WAC Tournament championship match on Nov. 6, UVU had its seven-match win streak snapped. UVU had won seven straight after a 3-2 come-from-behind WAC Tournament semifinal win on Nov. 4 over Grand Canyon. The Wolverines had not dropped a game since falling 3-0 at Seattle U on Oct. 8. It had been 28 days without a loss prior to the setback against NM State. UVU has now won seven of its last eight matches and nine of its last 11.
WOLVERINES MAKE FIFTH WAC TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH APPEARANCE IN LAST SIX YEARS
Utah Valley played in its sixth WAC Tournament title match on Sunday. The Wolverines played in their fifth WAC Tournament championship match in six years.
UVU TIES SCHOOL RECORD FOR WINS IN A SEASON
Utah Valley defeated Grand Canyon, 3-2, in double overtime on Nov. 4 in the semifinals of the WAC Tournament to pick up its 14th win of the season. The 14 wins ties the school record for wins in a season with the 2015 team, which went 14-7-1. A win over BYU on Friday would break the school record.
UTAH VALLEY RECEIVING VOTES IN UNITED SOCCER COACHES TOP-25 POLL
Utah Valley is receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches Top-25 national poll for the first time in school history.
The Wolverines hold the second-highest point tally of others receiving votes with seven, just behind Xavier at 13 points. UVU is one of 11 teams on the others receiving votes list. UVU is just two spots away from breaking into the top-25.
Utah Valley has played three teams that are currently in the top-25 and holds a 1-1-1 record in those games. The Wolverines dropped a 4-1 decision to Alabama on Sept. 6. The Crimson Tide is ranked No. 3 in the poll. UVU defeated BYU 4-2 on Sept. 10 in Provo. BYU is currently ranked No. 15 in the poll. The Wolverines also played Central Florida to a 0-0 draw. UCF is ranked No. 20 in the poll.
UTAH VALLEY WINS WAC REGULAR SEASON TITLE
Utah Valley defeated in-state foe Utah Tech in the Old Hammer Rivalry, 2-0, on Oct. 29 at Clyde Field to claim the outright Western Athletic Conference regular season title. UVU finished atop the WAC regular season standings with an 8-1-1 record (28 points), followed by Seattle U at 8-1-2 (26 points). NM State finished third at 7-2-2 (23 points).
STAINBROOK BECOMES UTAH VALLEY'S ALL-TIME CAREER LEADER IN GOALS SCORED AND POINTS TALLIED
Utah Valley junior midfielder Heather Stainbrook recently became the UVU all-time leader in goals scored and points tallied. Stainbrook broke the all-time goals record of 26 set by both Sadie Brockbank (2017-21) and Jenni Clough (2005-08). Stainbrook scored her 27th career goal in the 69th minute in a 5-0 win over Southern Utah on Oct. 27. She then scored her 28th career goal, a game winner, in a 2-0 win over Utah Tech on Oct. 29. Julianna Carter ranks fifth on the career goals list with 24 goals and fourth on the career points chart with 68. Carter is approaching the UVU all-time career assists record. Carter currently has 20 assists and is just five short of the UVU career record of 25 set by Amber Tripp from 2016-21.
WEBBER BREAKS UVU SINGLE SEASON SCORING MARKS
Faith Webber has broken the UVU single season records for goals (14) and points (35). Webber broke the previous single season goals record of 12 set by Natalie Baker in 2011 with 14. Stainbrook also broke the mark and sits just behind Webber with 13 goals. Webber broke Natalie Baker's single season points record of 30 set in 2011 with 35 this season. Stainbook is just behind Webber in points with 33 this year. Webber also broke the UVU single season record for game-winning goals with five. Hannah Lee has tied the UVU single season assists record of 12 set by Teryn Mendenhall in 2003.
UVU HOLDS TOP RPI IN THE WAC
Utah Valley holds the best RPI in the WAC this season at 36 in the latest RPI released by the NCAA on Nov. 7. Utah Valley is one spot ahead of Buffalo (37) and two spots ahead of Lamar (38). NM State is second in the WAC at 67, followed by Grand Canyon (78), Seattle U (107), Utah Tech (154), California Baptist (181), Southern Utah (183), SFA (215), Tarleton (241), UTRGV (264), Sam Houston (292), and Abilene Christian (297).
UTAH VALLEY RANKS NO. 4 IN LATEST UNITED SOCCER COACHES PACIFIC REGION TOP-10 POLL
Utah Valley moved one spot to No. 4 in the latest United Soccer Coaches Pacific Region Top-10 Poll released on Monday. The Wolverines have spent 10 straight weeks in the poll.
After debuting at No. 10 in the week one poll, Utah Valley has since moved up six spots to No. 4 in the latest poll. The Wolverines are the only WAC team and the only non-Pac-12 team in the poll. The Pacific region consists of teams from the Mountain West Conference, Pac-12, and WAC.
UVU IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
As of Nov. 6, Utah Valley ranks in the top-10 nationally in eight different team statistical categories. The Wolverines rank second in total assists (59), third in assists per game (2.81), third in total goals (54), third in total points (167), third in shots per game (20.33), fifth in shots on goal per game (9.14), seventh in points per game (7.95), and eighth in scoring offense (2.57).
Individually, Faith Webber holds the best individual national ranking as she is third in shots on goal per game (2.48), fifth in shots per game (4.71), seventh in goals (14), eighth in points (35), and ninth in game-winning goals (5). Hannah Lee ranks fifth in assists with 12 and 11th in assists per game at 0.57.
