OREM, Utah — Four different goal-scorers found the back of the net as the Utah Valley men's soccer team rolled past the UTRGV Vaqueros for a 4-0 win on Saturday night at Clyde Field.
Ura Miura opened the scoring in the 27th minute and the Wolverines never looked back, putting three past the Vaqueros in the second half. Parker Allen stopped both shots he faced for his second clean sheet in his last three games.
"We got some good goals tonight, but overall I thought the performance could've been better," said head coach Kyle Beckerman. "We knew it would be difficult, but we were able to get the job done."
The win pushes the Wolverines to 10 consecutive games unbeaten at Clyde Field since the start of the 2022 season. Utah Valley has picked up eight wins and two draws in its last 10 games on their home turf.
UTRGV put the first shot on frame in the 13th minute on an ambitious effort by the Vaqueros' Tristan Singh from about 40 yards out. Singh's shot was saved by a diving Allen, who parried it out for a corner.
Utah Valley broke through in the 27th minute after Trevor Walk stole the ball near the corner flag. Walk then sent a cross through the penalty area to an unmarked Miura, whose right-footed effort curled inside the right post.
Walk had another good look at goal in the 36th minute, but was jostled off balance right as he went to shoot, and his shot went wide right.
The Vaqueros came out hot to start the second half, and nearly caught the Wolverines in transition in the 48th minute. Kendi Bellini sprinted across the six and slid in front of a shot by UTRGV's Tinashe Simbo to send it wide.
Under a minute later, Utah Valley capitalized on another turnover in the UTRGV half, as Miura pounced on an errant pass. Miura then sent a perfectly weighted through ball to Owen Knecht, who chipped the keeper.
Walk scored his first collegiate goal in the 71st minute on a clinical counterattack from the Wolverines. After winning the ball back just outside the penalty area, Alejandro Silva sent a ball forward to Knecht, who fed a through ball to a sprinting Walk. Walk beat his man and fired a shot into the bottom-left corner of the net.
Omar Yehya put the icing on the cake for the Wolverines in the 90th minute after a through ball from Keith Willey made its way from midfield to the edge of the penalty area. Yehya drove past his defender and beat the keeper to his right for the final score of the night.
The Wolverines will face a tough test in their next game on Thursday when they host the preseason WAC favorites California Baptist at Clyde Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. MDT and the match will be streamed live on ESPN+.
