UTAH VALLEY HEADS OUT ON SOCAL SWING
Utah Valley heads out on the road this week for its SoCal swing as the team travels to Los Angeles to take on No. 19 USC on Thursday before playing at Long Beach State on Sunday. Thursday's match at USC will kickoff at 4 p.m. (MT) while Sunday's match at Long Beach State will begin at 2 p.m (MT).
Despite outshooting both of its opponents last week, the Wolverines dropped a pair of in-state rivalry matches last week to Utah and now No. 1 ranked BYU. UVU dropped a 5-0 decision at Utah before falling 6-1 to BYU at home in front of a record crowd of 4,742 fans at Clyde Field. Sadie Beardall scored the lone goal of the week, heading in a Heather Stainbrook free kick in the 36th minute against BYU. Hannah Lee and Ruby Hladek led UVU with seven shots apiece over the two matches.
Webber leads the Wolverines in scoring through six matches, scoring five goals. Beardall and Sydney Bushman each have two goals, while Jenna Shepherd Gremillion, Hannah Lee, Haley Richardson, and Quincy Bonds each have one goal this season. Webber also leads the team with 11 points, followed by Beardall and Bushman with four. Nicole Olanda leads the team with three assists. Wolf lead the team in the box with 10 saves and holds a team-best 2.21 goals against average.
BROADCAST INFO
Utah Valley's match at USC on Thursday will be broadcast on Pac-12 plus, which will be available at https://pac-12.com/live/usc. Sunday's game at Long Beach State will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
ABOUT #19 USC
USC heads into Thursday's match with a 3-1-0 overall record. The team remained at No. 19 in this week's United Soccer Coaches Top-25 Poll. The Trojans played just one match last week, defeating Purdue 4-0 at home. USC has played a pair of nationally ranked teams this season, defeating then No. 4 Duke, 3-1, in Durham. The Trojans dropped a 4-0 decision at then No. 3 ranked North Carolina. Seven different players have scored a goal for USC this season led by junior forward/defender Kayla Colbert with two goals. Colbert also leads the team with six points as she also shares the team lead in assists with two.Freshman keeper Hannah Poulter leads the team in the box with a 3-1 record, including a pair of shutouts. Poulter has allowed just two goals and holds an impressive 0.60 goals against average. She has seven saves on the season.
SERIES HISTORY VS. USC
Utah Valley and Utah will meet on the pitch for just the second time on Thursday. USC won the only meeting between the two teams, taking a 4-2 win in Orem on Aug. 28, 2021. Thursday's match will mark UVU's first-ever match against USC in L.A.
ABOUT LONG BEACH STATE
Long Beach State enters the week with a 4-2-0 record. The team is receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches Top-25 Poll. The team will take on No. 4 UCLA on Thursday before hosting Utah Valley on Sunday. The Beach picked up a pair of wins last week, defeating Harvard, 3-2, at home before shutting out Fresno State, 1-0, on the road. Long Beach State does have a common opponent with the Wolverines in BYU, which defeating Long Beach State, 2-0, in Provo on Aug. 24. Redshirt senior forward/defender Elysia Laramie leads the team in scoring with six goals, followed by sophomore forward Cherrie Cox and senior forward Kassandra Ceja with two apiece. Laramie also fronts the team with four assists and leads the team with 16 points. She also leads the team with 17 shots, including 11 on frame. Junior keeper Zora Standifer leads the team in the box with a 4-1 record, including a pair of shutouts. She holds a 0.80 goals against average and has 22 saves on the year.
SERIES HISTORY VS. LONG BEACH STATE
Sunday's match at Long Beach State will mark the first time that the Wolverines have played the Beach.
