Utah Valley will look to build some momentum heading into WAC play as the Wolverines host SoCon foe Mercer on Saturday for the final non-conference game of the regular season.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. MDT and the match will be streamed live on ESPN+, with Brandon Crow and Ben Perkins on the call. Live stats will be available at UVUStats.com.

LAST TIME OUT

Utah Valley (1-4-2) drew 2-2 with Pacific last time out. Michele Signorelli scored his third goal of the season to bring the Wolverines level going into halftime. Alejandro Silva scored a spectacular goal from about 25 yards out to give Utah Valley a 2-1 lead in the second half, but a brace from the Tigers' Derick Roque provided Pacific the two goals it needed. Silva's strike won this week's WAC Top Play contest on Instagram and Twitter, the first Wolverine to win the contest since Aaron Nixon's bicycle kick vs CSUN in 2021. 

WOLVERINES SETTING THE PACE IN SEVERAL OFFENSIVE CATEGORIES 

Utah Valley is among the league leaders in several offensive categories. The Wolverines lead the WAC in corner kicks and shots per game, rank third in shots on goal per game, and rank fourth in goals scored. 

SILVA MOVES UP ASSISTS LEADERBOARD

With assists in his last two games, junior MF Alejandro Silva sits in third place all-time on the Utah Valley career assists leader board with 15. Silva assisted on a pair of equalizers last week, assisting Omar Yehya's goal vs Cal Poly and Michele Signorelli's goal vs Pacific. The career record is held by Aaron Meyer, who recorded 21 assists. Silva also ranks among the top 50 nationally among active players in career assists.

UVU RANKING AMONG NATION'S BEST IN ATTENDANCE

Utah Valley ranks 17th in the nation in home attendance so far this season, with an average attendance of 1,544. It is the 2nd-highest average attendance west of the Rockies and the 4th-highest average attendance west of the Mississippi, behind only Portland, Creighton and Oral Roberts. Utah Valley has consistently ranked among the top 30 teams in the nation in average attendance, including ranking 27th in 2022.

ABOUT THE OPPOSITION

The Mercer Bears (4-1-3) bring in a veteran squad that currently holds the best record in the SoCon through the non-conference portion of the schedule. Leading the charge for Mercer is midfiellder Dylan Gaither, a three-time All-SoCon honoree who currently ranks second in the nation among active players in career points with 81. Another veteran presence for the Bears is grad transfer midfielder Omar Hernandez, who is fourth among active players in games played with 81.

UP NEXT

Utah Valley heads out on the road for the first two games of the WAC schedule. The Wolverines will head to Seattle U to take on the Redhawks on Thursday before heading to the Bay Area to take on San José State the following Sunday. Thursday's game at Seattle U will be broadcast on ESPN+, while Sunday's match at SJSU will be shown on WAC International.