Utah Valley hits the road for the first time in over a month for the team's first two WAC road games of the season, at UTRGV and Grand Canyon.
Thursday's match against the Vaqueros is slated for a 5:30 p.m. MDT start, with Sunday's game at GCU scheduled for an 8 p.m. MDT kickoff. Both games will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Omar Yehya has been on a tear so far this season, netting a team-best nine goals and adding two assists. As of Oct. 7, Yehya ranks tied for sixth in the nation in goals scored and ninth in total points (20). Against Lindenwood, Yehya tied a program record with a goal contribution in seven straight games, matching the record set by Blake Frischknecht in 2019. Yehya's nine goals are also tied for second-most in a single season in program history, and is now chasing Frischknecht once again for the school record.
Freshman Isaac Emojong has burst onto the scene with four goals in his first nine collegiate games. As of Oct. 8, Emojong is one of just 11 freshmen in the nation with 4 or more goals at this point in the season.
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 the WAC lead in assists at 4, and also netted his first goal as a Wolverine against Seattle U.
LAST TIME OUT
Utah Valley dropped its first two games of the conference season, falling 2-1 to Seattle U on Thursday before seeing a 2-0 slip away in a 3-2 loss to San José State on Saturday. Utah Valley has never started WAC play 0-3.
IT'S BEEN A MINUTE
Utah Valley will head to UTRGV for the first time since 2021, but it will be the first time the team plays a game in Edinburg since 2019. The scheduled game in 2021 was canceled due to extreme weather in the Edinburg area. This will be the fourth game overall at UTRGV for the Wolverines, with UVU holding a 2-1 record there all-time. UTRGV is one of three current WAC schools that Utah Valley has never faced in the WAC Tournament (Utah Tech, San Diego State). Utah Valley is 6-2 all-time against the Vaqueros.
TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT
In the 10-game series between Utah Valley and Grand Canyon, all but one game has been decided by one or fewer goals, including a stretch of four straight overtime games from 2017-19. The lone game decided by more than a goal was in 2016, with Utah Valley winning 3-1 at home. The two sides played to the first tie in series history last season in Orem, which eliminated the Lopes from WAC Tournament contention. This will be the final conference game against GCU, as the Lopes are leaving for the WCC at the end of this athletic year. GCU holds a slim 5-4-1 advantage in the all-time series.
ROAD WARRIORS
Utah Valley is off to its best start through four road games in program history, surpassing the previous bests set in 2015 (3-1) and 2021 (2-0-2). The 2021 team — in Kyle Beckerman's first year at the helm — set program records for best road win percentage (.778) and longest road unbeaten streak (7 games).
UP NEXT
Utah Valley will have a week off between games before the team heads to Colorado to face Air Force on Sunday, Oct. 20. The Wolverines will look to avenge their lone loss in the all-time series against the Falcons, which came the last time the team played at the Air Force Academy in 2022. The match will be streamed on WAC International, with live stats available at UVUStats.com.
