OREM, Utah — Omar Yehya ripped a shot into the back of the net in the 10th minute to give the Utah Valley men's soccer team an early lead that was never in doubt, as the Wolverines rolled to a 4-0 win over the Kansas City Roos on opening night at Clyde Field.
Yehya, in his first game as a Wolverine, also assisted on the fourth goal of the night with a breathtaking run down the right flank to cap the night before cutting it back to a waiting Ura Miura.
"We always want to set the tone," said head coach Kyle Beckerman. "We want to be on the front foot as much as we can. These boys took the message and ran with it today. They were eager to get out there. We knew it was going to be a group effort, and I thought everyone that came on kept the level high."
The win gives Utah Valley its 10th-consecutive win in home openers in its 10-season history. The Wolverines also picked up their ninth win in 10 tries in season openers, with nine wins and one draw.
Utah Valley picked up right where it left off a season ago with its sixth-consecutive win at Clyde Field after going a perfect 5-0 last year. The Wolverines out-shot the Roos 20-8, with a 7-3 advantage in shots on goal.
Yehya opened the scoring in the 10th minute off of a throw-in just inside the attacking half. Ben Ortiz threw it in to Owen Knecht, who flicked it on for Trevor Walk. Walk dribbled to the top of the 18 before passing it to Yehya, who curled it into the right side of the net with the outside of his boot.
Kansas City nearly leveled in the 34th minute when Brice Middleton broke down the right flank. Landon Carter stood tall at his near post to parry away the shot for an easy clearance.
Knecht doubled the lead in the 37th minute when he pounced on an errant Roos pass. Knecht eased the ball into the wide-open net from just outside the penalty area.
Tom Dobek-Pietrowski scored his first Wolverine goal just after the intermission in the 54th minute. Alejandro Silva lofted in a corner that found Elijah Gozo near the top of the penalty area. Gozo's rocket of a header forced the Roos' keeper into a tough save, but the rebound fell right to Dobek-Pietrowski, who tapped it in for the third goal of the night.
Miura capped the night with the Wolverines' fourth goal in the 66th minute. Yehya did most of the dirty work, rushing to the touchline just in front of the Utah Valley technical area to keep Ortiz's cross in play. Yehya then beat his man to the endline before cutting it back to a waiting Miura, who tapped it home.
Utah Valley will head to America First Field on Sunday to play host to the No. 23/RV Western Michigan Broncos, who are coming off a Sweet 16 run in last year's NCAA Tournament. Gates open at 12 p.m. MDT and kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. MDT. Fans should park on the west side of the stadium and enter up the Spanish Steps in the northwest corner. The match will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
