OREM, Utah — Utah Valley tied a Western Athletic Conference Tournament record with seven goals in a commanding 7–0 shutout win over fourth-seeded Abilene Christian in Wednesday night's semifinal at UCCU Stadium.
The top-seeded Wolverines advance to Saturday's WAC Tournament championship match against No. 2 seed California Baptist. With the win, UVU improves to 14-4-2 overall, matching the 2015 team (14-7-1) and 2022 team (14-5-3) for the most single-season victories in program history.
Utah Valley dominated all facets of the semifinal, firing a WAC Tournament-record 39 shots to Abilene Christian's two and holding a decisive 18–0 advantage in shots on goal. The Wolverines also tallied nine corner kicks while holding ACU to three.
"It was a really fun performance to watch," said head coach Chris Lemay. "I thought we moved the ball well and played a brand and style of soccer that I genuinely enjoy watching. I'm a picky soccer guy, so when I say that, it means a lot. We're playing our best soccer at the right time of the year."
Bailey Peterson opened the scoring in the 11th minute, cutting through the right side of the box before firing a shot across goal into the far post for a 1–0 lead. Josie Shepherd doubled the advantage in the 29th minute, blasting home a loose ball from the top of the penalty area after a blocked shot by Ruby Hladek.
Jacey Wood added to the lead in the 36th minute, cleaning up a scramble in front of the net to make it 3–0 heading into halftime.
Utah Valley kept the pressure on after the break, with Faith Webber slotting home a right-footed strike in the 49th minute to make it 4–0. Hladek followed with a rebound goal in the 53rd minute after her initial penalty kick was saved, extending the lead to 5–0.
Webber added her second of the night in the 57th minute on a follow-up from her own shot to push the margin to 6–0. Taylor Nelson capped off the scoring with a long-range strike from 30 yards out in the 65th minute to tie the tournament record at seven goals.
"I thought we did a really good job playing at max speed," Lemay said. "Our focus was on the speed of play, minimal touches, attacking space when we had it, and bringing a lot of energy and movement. When we play at that tempo, we're a lot to handle."
Webber led the Wolverines with a match-high 10 shots, including five on goal. Goalkeepers Leah Wolf and Mia Roberts combined for the clean sheet, with Wolf anchoring the box for 75 minutes before Roberts closed out the final 15.
While the Wolverines seek to defend their home turf in Saturday's title match, Lemay emphasized his team's mindset is focused on opportunity, not revenge.
"It has nothing to do with revenge," he said. "Our goal from day one has been to get back to the NCAA Tournament. We're one game away from that, sitting on 14 wins, tying the most in program history. This group wants to do something no other UVU team has done before."
Utah Valley will face California Baptist in Saturday's WAC Tournament Championship at UCCU Stadium. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. MT. The match will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
