LOS ANGELES—Faith Webber recorded her second career hat trick to lead Utah Valley to a 3-2 road win over No. 19 USC on Thursday afternoon at McAlister Field in Los Angeles, California.

"I'm really proud of the effort that every single player put in today," said Utah Valley head coach Chris Lemay. "The grit and the concentration that our players had today is what it takes to win these types of games, but when we do it, I think we can play with anyone. We had a real heart-to-heart on Tuesday, and we talked a lot about what our character is and how we were going to respond to an ugly weekend. This was the only appropriate response for a team that's got this much talent and this much ambition to do good things this year. To say I'm proud is an understatement right now."

The win marks the third time in program history that Utah Valley (3-3-1) has knocked off a top-25 team and it is the second straight season to defeat a top-25 team on the road. UVU defeated No. 25 Memphis in the first round of the 2020 NCAA Tournament. The team then picked up a road win over No. 13 BYU last season in Provo. 

Webber's three goals is the second hat trick of her career and just the 11th hat trick in UVU history. Webber also recorded a hat trick in a 4-3 win over California Baptist last season in Orem.

"Over the course of the last three games we just know what it takes to beat a team like this," said Webber. "We knew we were capable of this. It's not like we weren't competing. The results might have swayed the other way but today we focused and did everything that we possibly could do as a team and the result showed. We know what it takes and we'll continue to do it moving forward.

Heather Stainbrook dribbled into the box and sent a ball into the hand of a USC defender and the Wolverines were awarded a penalty kick. Webber's PK was blocked but the she rebounded the ball and put it into the net to give the Wolverines a 1-0 lead in the 12th minute.

Webber picked up her second goal of the game in the 52nd minute as she placed a ball into the bottom left side of the goal to give Utah Valley a 2-0 lead.

Webber then secured her hat trick in the 61st minute as Stainbrook sent in a free kick from 30 yards out on the left side of the field. Webber got a foot on the ball and sent it into the goal to give the Wolverines a 3-0 advantage.

USC (3-2-0) started its comeback just a minute later in the 62nd minute as Florianne Jourde found the back of the net to cut the UVU lead to 3-1. USC's Maribel Flores then scored in the 78th minute to cut the Utah Valley lead to just one goal, 3-2.

The Wolverine defense then fended off numerous USC attacks over the final 12 minutes to secure the 3-2 UVU win.

USC outshot UVU 13-10 on the day, including an 8-4 advantage on frame. The Trojans had six corner kicks to UVU's three. Webber led the Wolverines with a match-high four shots, all on goal. Ruby Hladek had three shots, while Stainbrook, Haley Richardson, and Sadie Beardall each had one.

UVU's CJ Graham picked up her first win of the season  in the box for UVU and  tallied six saves.

Utah Valley continues play in SoCal as the team travels to play Long Beach State on Sunday afternoon at George Allen Field. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. MT. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

All-Time UVU Hat Tricks
Faith Webber (3 goals)           at #19 USC                  Sept. 7, 2023
Julianna Carter (3 goals)         vs. UTRGV                   Oct. 13, 2022
Faith Webber (3 goals)           vs. California Baptist   Sept. 30, 2022
Cassidy McCormick (3 goals)  at Chicago State          Oct. 18, 2019
Sadie Brockbank (4 goals)       vs. Chicago State         Oct. 5, 2018
Breanna McCarter (3 goals)    at Chicago State          Oct. 8, 2017
Jaime Lyons (3 goals)              vs. North Dakota         Oct. 23, 2009
Megan Berrett (3 goals)          vs. Delaware State      Oct. 29, 2005
Nichole Averett (3 goals)        vs. NNU                       Oct. 5, 2003
Taylor Cracroft (3 goals)         vs. Albertson College  Oct. 4, 2003
Taylor Cracroft (3 goals)         vs. Morehead State    Sept. 12, 2003

All-Time Ties or Wins over Top-25 Teams
Utah Valley def. #25 Memphis, 1-0    April 28, 2021             Greenville, N.C. (NCAA Tourney)
Utah Valley def. #13 BYU, 4-2            Sept. 19, 2022             Provo, Utah
Utah Valley ties. #23 UCF, 0-0            Aug. 24, 2022              Orem, Utah
Utah Valley def. #19 USC, 3-2             Sept. 07, 2023             Los Angeles, Calif.