Utah Valley returns home for the final two home games of the regular season, hosting the UNLV Rebels on Thursday and the Utah Tech Trailblazers on Monday.
Both games are slated for a 6 p.m. MDT kickoff and will be streamed live on ESPN+, with live stats available at UVUStats.com. Tickets can be purchased at GoUVU.com/MSOCtix. Monday's game will be the team's Senior Night, where the Wolverines will honor their eight graduating seniors — Nik Kizerian, Tom Dobek-Pietrowski, Nate Kovalcik, Souley Diouf, Omar Yehya, Issaka Salifu, Lucas Valois, and Ben Ortiz.
Utah Valley is coming off of a 2-0 win at Air Force this past Sunday. Omar Yehya netted his team-best 11th goal of the year and Manuel Cordeiro scored a pinpoint set piece to lead the Wolverines to victory.
As of Oct. 21, Yehya is tied for sixth in the nation in total goals, and is one of just 16 athletes nationally to have double-digit goals so far this season. Last Wednesday, Yehya was named to TopDrawerSoccer's midseason top 100 list, coming in at No. 25. Yehya is the first Wolverine to be named to TDS' midseason list, and the second overall, joining Paul Hoffmeister, who was ranked No. 21 in the preseason ranking back in 2017.
Junior defender Keith Willey earned WAC Defensive Player of the Week honors for his role in the shutout. Willey played the full 90 in the Wolverines' 2-0 shutout win over Air Force on Sunday. Willey and the Wolverine defense held the Falcons without a shot on goal and just six shots overall. Willey also played a pivotal role in the Utah Valley attack, putting pressure on the Air Force back line with crosses over the top.
Junior transfer midfielder Gilles Aurelien has proven to be an offensive weapon in his first season at the D-I level. Entering the week, the JUCO product is tied for second in the WAC in assists at five, including one on Yehya's opener against Air Force.
KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE...
This week, Utah Valley will face the two closest D-I men's soccer programs in UNLV and Utah Tech. UNLV's home field at Peter Johann Memorial Stadium is 386 miles away, while Utah Tech's Greater Zion Stadium is 263 miles away.
SERIES HISTORY VS UNLV
Utah Valley has played UNLV more than any other opponent in its 11-season history at 13 games. The all-time series is currently tied at 6-6-1, with UNLV pulling out a dramatic 3-2 overtime win over UVU in the WAC Tournament last season.
ABOUT THE OLD HAMMER RIVALRY
With Utah Tech joining the WAC at the start of the 2020-21 athletic year, this brought the renewal of a dormant rivalry that dates back to the 1970s when UVU and Utah Tech were both junior colleges. Utah Tech and Utah Valley competed in Region 18 and the Scenic West Athletic Conference for over 30 years, from 1972-2003. Prior to the two schools' first meeting as WAC opponents in the 2020-21 basketball season, UVU and Utah Tech announced the renewed and rebranded "Old Hammer Rivalry," which is contested in 11 sports. Men's soccer is the newest addition to the rivalry slate, as Utah Valley added men's soccer in 2014. UVU leads the series 2-1, but the Trailblazers won the most recent meeting in 2023.
UVU AMONG NATION'S BEST IN ATTENDANCE
Despite having a reduced capacity of 1,050 at Clyde Field this season due to construction, the team is still averaging 981 fans, the 4th-most in the WAC and 8th in the nation in percent capacity. Utah Valley has ranked among the top 30 teams in the nation in average attendance every year in program history, including as high as 11th in 2018.
ROAD WARRIORS
Utah Valley is off to one of its best starts on the road through seven games in program history at 4-1-2. The team was unbeaten through five road games for the second time in program history before falling to GCU on Oct. 13. UVU's best road record came in 2021 — Beckerman's first season at the helm — when the team went 6-1-2 (.778) away from home.
UVU STATISTICAL RANKINGS IN THE WAC & NATION
As of Oct. 21, Utah Valley ranks among the best in the WAC and in the nation in many team and individual categories:
Goal Differential: 2nd WAC (+4)
Scoring Offense: 3rd WAC (1.57/game)
Shot Accuracy: 3rd WAC, 43.4% SOG
Assists: 3rd WAC (20)
Total Goals: 2nd WAC (22)
Goalie mins played: Ben Williams, t-1st WAC, t-11th NCAA (1,260)
Shutouts: Ben Williams, t-1st WAC, 36th NCAA (3)
Points/Game: Omar Yehya, 1st WAC, 13th NCAA (1.71)
Game-Winning Goals: Omar Yehya, 2nd WAC (3)
Assists (individual): Gilles Aurelien, 2nd WAC (5)
Goals (ind.): Omar Yehya, 1st WAC, t-6th NCAA (11)
Total Points: Omar Yehya, 1st WAC, 6th NCAA (24)
UP NEXT
Utah Valley will head to Southern California for the final two games of the regular season. The Wolverines will face the San Diego State Aztecs for the first time as conference foes on Oct. 31, then head to Riverside to take on California Baptist on Nov. 3.
