Utah Valley continues WAC play on Saturday, hosting the San José State Spartans at UCCU Stadium for the middle game of a three-game homestand.
Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. MDT, and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Ethan Jordan and Amber Tripp on the call. Live stats will be posted at GoUVU.com/stats, and tickets can be purchased at GoUVU.com/MSOCtix. Fans can use promo code "MSOCbogo25" to get buy one get one free tickets.
Saturday's match is a pivotal game for a pair of teams vying for a WAC Championship. Both UVU and SJSU are 1-1 after two games, and a win would go a long way for both squads in keeping pace atop the WAC table.
LAST TIME OUT
Utah Valley ground out a 2-1 Senior Night victory over the Air Force Falcons on Thursday night behind goals from Isaac Emojong and Nil Grau. The two teams waited out a nearly two and a half hour weather delay that started at the 21:46 mark.
Emojong got the Wolverines started with an early goal in the 6th minute. Gilles Aurelien fed Jose Luis Martin Montealegre, whose flick skipped off Grau and settled for Emojong, who blasted it home with his first touch.
Utah Valley dominated the pressure leading up to the stoppage, but couldn't find paydirt. After the stoppage, the Falcons seized momentum and got their equalizer after a shot from the top of the box took a wicked deflection and went in the opposite direction Kolby Sessions was diving.
After a few close calls, the Wolverines broke the deadlock in the 77th minute after Grau earned and converted a penalty.
Utah Valley registered a season-high 29 shots in the victory, the second-most in a game in program history. The team record is 33, set on Oct. 21, 2016 against Houston Christian.
SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
SJSU is off to a hot start this season, recording a WAC-best seven wins during non-conference play. The Spartans top result was a 2-2 tie against then-No. 3 Stanford back on Sept. 17. SJSU opened WAC play with a 3-1 win over California Baptist at home, but fell on Thursday at Utah Tech by the same scoreline. The Spartans are led by Arnold Matshazi (7G/0A) and reigning WAC Offensive POTYAngel Iniguez (4G/6A) who are tied for the team lead in points.
HISTORY VS SJSU
The Spartans have had the Wolverines' number historically, as UVU is winless in the last 10 meetings (0-8-2). Only one of those defeats has been by more than one goal, however. UVU's last win in the series came in 2016, a 2-1 decision in San Jose. SJSU leads the all-time series 8-3-2. Last season, SJSU beat Utah Valley twice. In the regular season meeting at Clyde Field, the Spartans rallied from an early 2-0 deficit to win 3-2. At the WAC Tournament, SJSU got an 83rd-minute penalty after a lengthy VAR review, with reigning WAC Offensive POTY Angel Iniguez scoring the lone goal to end the Wolverines' season, 1-0.
UP NEXT
Utah Valley will have a week off before hosting another top team in the WAC in the California Baptist Lancers on Oct. 18. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. MDT, and tickets can be purchased at GoUVU.com/MSOCtix.
