OREM, Utah — Alejandro Silva scored a stunner of a goal in the 67th minute to help guide Utah Valley to a 2-2 draw against the Pacific Tigers on Saturday night at Clyde Field.
Silva pulled up from about 25 yards out to give the Wolverines a 2-1 lead, but Derick Roque's second goal of the night equalized for the visiting Tigers in the 77th minute.
"We've gotta finish our chances," said head coach Kyle Beckerman. "We created enough chances to win, but just didn't do it. We've just gotta keep improving, whether we win, lose, or draw. We're looking to tune in this and hopefully get a win [versus Mercer] going into the WAC."
The match got increasingly chippy as the night wore on, with a total of 11 yellow cards and one straight red shown to Pacific's Jose Maria Barrera in the 48th minute. Nine of the cautions came in the second half, including seven in the final 17 minutes.
Roque put the Tigers up early with a goal in the 13th minute on a set piece just outside the penalty area.
Michele Signorelli scored his third goal of the season in the 32nd minute to bring the Wolverines level at one apiece. Silva dribbled through the midfield before passing to Ura Miura, who flicked it on to Signorelli for the goal.
The Wolverines forced Pacific keeper Joshua Moya into six saves on the night, including four in the second half. Omar Yehya nearly put Utah Valley ahead in the 50th minute, but his shot was saved.
Nik Kizerian had a few good runs in off of the left flank, including one in the 66th minute that was saved by Moya out for a corner. The ensuing corner was part of the buildup for Silva's goal in the 67th minute.
The Wolverines played it short to Leon Olacio, who dumped it off to Kizerian. Kizerian then fed Silva, who dribbled towards the top of the 18 before unleashing an unsaveable shot into the upper 90 from about 25 yards out.
Utah Valley had a chance to take a 3-1 lead in the 73rd minute when the Wolverines earned a penalty, but Yehya's spot kick was saved by Moya. The Tigers would then equalize just four minutes later when Roque scored his second of the night.
Landon Carter made his best save of the night in the dying seconds of the match off of a Pacific set piece. Marco Martinez connected on a header in the six-yard box, but Carter was able to swat it away.
Utah Valley will have one final tuneup match before WAC play begins in just under two weeks. The Wolverines will host SoCon foe Mercer on Saturday, Sept. 23 at Clyde Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. MDT and the match will be streamed live on ESPN+.
