Utah Valley kicks off a three-game homestand with a Senior Night showdown against the Air Force Falcons on Thursday night at UCCU Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. MDT, with the Senior Night ceremony being held after the game.

The team will be honoring its 11 graduating players — Ben Williams, Jaret Rocha, Abdou Samb, Gilles Aurelien, Jacob Vincent, Keegan Oyler, Keith Willey, Noah Pogue, Elijah Gozo, Deontae Ben, and Alex Fritcher.

Thursday's game will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Brice Larson and Amber Tripp on the call. Tickets can be purchased at GoUVU.com/MSOCtix.

LAST TIME OUT
The Wolverines opened WAC play with its first loss of the season, a 3-1 defeat at the hands of the GCU Lopes, who are now just outside the Top 25 in the others receiving votes.

Pogue scored his third goal of the season in the loss, tying him for the team lead in that category. Following Pogue's opener, the Lopes scored three unanswered goals, including a second-half brace by the nation's top freshman goalscorer Junior Diouf. 

Keegan Oyler registered his seventh assist of the season on the goal, extending his lead atop the nation's assist per game leaderboard at 0.88. Oyler's seven assists are tied for the fifth most in the nation, and are tied for the fourth most in a single season in program history.

Despite the loss, the Wolverines are still among the top teams in the nation both offensively and defensively. Entering the week, Utah Valley ranks 9th in the nation in team goals-against average (0.5) and 8th in the nation in scoring offense (2.63 goals/game). Both statistics are on pace to be program records. UVU is one of seven teams nationally to rank in the top 10 in both categories.

HISTORY VS AIR FORCE
The Wolverines have historically dominated the Falcons, with nine victories in 11 meetings. UVU officially holds an 8-1-2 record vs Air Force, with one of the two ties being a shootout win at the 2019 WAC Tournament. UVU has won the last two meetings, 2-0, and six of the last seven overall. Air Force's lone win came in 2022, a 3-1 decision at the Academy.

SCOUTING THE FALCONS
Air Force made a big splash in the coaching carousel this past offseason, poaching Oregon State's Greg Dalby to be its head coach. In two seasons at OSU, Dalby led the Beavers to the College Cup Final Four and two NCAA Tournament berths. The Falcons have a young squad this season with no upperclassmen. Freshman Marcos Goni is the team's top goal scorer with three, followed by Attila Toth and Sean Odle with two apiece.

SESSIONS AMONG THE TOP SHOT-STOPPERS IN THE NATION
Entering the week RS-So. GK Kolby Sessions ranks 10th in goals-against average (0.5), and 12th in save percentage. Sessions' six shutouts are also tied for sixth-most in the country, and is tied for the program record. Sessions' GAA and save percentage are on pace to be program records for a single season.

EMOJONG HITTING THE MARK
So. MF Isaac Emojong is among the nation's most accurate and efficient shooters, ranking 14th in the nation and leading the WAC in shot accuracy at 0.60 — meaning 60% of his shots are on goal — as well as ranking 22nd in the nation in SOG/game at 1.50.

KWIZERA WRAPPING UP WORLD CUP QUALIFYING THIS WEEK
UVU alum Jojea Kwizera (c/o 2021) and Rwanda finish up World Cup Qualifying play this week with a pair of must-win games against Benin on Oct. 10 and South Africa on Oct. 14, the two teams ahead of Rwanda in their WCQ group. The top team automatically qualifies for the 2026 World Cup, with the second-place team going into the CAF playoff bracket. Rwanda is currently tied for third in its group, three points behind Benin and South Africa.

UP NEXT
Utah Valley will have a quick turnaround, hosting the San José State Spartans on Saturday night at UCCU Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. MDT, and tickets can be purchased at GoUVU.com/MSOCtix.