Following a 1-1 opening week, the Utah Valley men's soccer team heads to Oregon for a tough two-game road swing, taking on Oregon State and No. 6 Portland.
Friday's match at Oregon State is scheduled for 8 p.m. MDT, and will be broadcast live on the PAC-12 Networks. Monday's match at No. 6 Portland is also slated for an 8 p.m. MDT kickoff and will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
LAST TIME OUT
Utah Valley fell to Western Michigan 3-1 on Sunday at America First Field in Sandy. WMU scored in the 9th minute off the foot of Carson Hodgson, but Michele Signorelli was able to equalize in the 51st minute. The Broncos took the lead for good in the 55th minute when MAC Hermann preseason watch list honoree Charlie Sharp put WMU ahead. A red card shown to Omar Yehya in the 70th minute put the Wolverines behind the 8-ball for the rest of the match, and Hodgson eventually put the game on ice in the 88th minute with his second goal.
ABOUT OREGON STATE
The Wolverines head to Corvallis to take on the Beavers for the second-consecutive year. In 2022, the two sides battled to a scoreless draw as Utah Valley held then-No. 5 Oregon State to just two shots on goal. The draw was the Wolverines' first-ever result over a top 10 team, after going 0-4 in their previous chances.
OSU is led by first-year head coach Greg Dalby, who comes to Corvallis after previous coaching stints at Penn State and Davidson. The two sides will see plenty of familiar faces, as eight Wolverines and nine Beavers — including former Utah Valley defender Mateo Palomino — saw action in last year's game. The Beavers went 1-1 last week as well, with a season opening loss to Florida International before bouncing back with a win over UC Riverside.
ABOUT PORTLAND
The Pilots were picked to finish first in the WCC in the preseason coaches poll. Portland advanced to the Elite 8 last season, ultimately falling to Pitt. Portland opened the season with a 3-0 rout of Sacramento State on August 25, and will host UC Santa Barbara on Friday before hosting Utah Valley. Pilot defender Kevin Bonilla was named to TopDrawer Soccer's national team of the week after contributing two assists and aiding in the shutout effort.
Wolverine forward Ben Ortiz returns to his old stomping grounds at Merlo Field on Monday. Ortiz appeared in 36 games over his three seasons at Portland, registering two goals and three assists.
UP NEXT
Utah Valley continues its stretch of road games with a pair of matches in Southern California. The Wolverines face UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, Sept. 9 before closing out the road trip at Cal Poly on Tuesday, Sept. 12. Both matches will be streamed live on ESPN+.
