Newly-minted No. 18 Utah Valley returns home on Thursday for the first of three straight games against Big West foes, hosting the Sacramento State Hornets at UCCU Stadium.

Kickoff is slated for 5 p.m. MDT, and the game will be the first half of a doubleheader with the women's soccer team, who will host LSU immediately after the men's game. Tickets can be purchased at GoUVU.com/MSOCtix, and will be honored for both games.

Thursday's game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with Brice Larson and Amber Tripp on the call. International viewers can watch the game at WACInternational.tv. Live stats will be available at GoUVU.com/stats.

LAST TIME OUT

Utah Valley picked up its fourth straight clean sheet to start the season, blanking Omaha 3-0 on Sunday in a rain-filled match at Caniglia Field. UVU is the first team in WAC men's soccer history to start the season with four straight shutout wins.

The clean sheet prolongs the program record for shutouts to start a season, and with another shutout against Sac State, the team would tie the record for most consecutive shutouts at any point during a season (5 games, 2016). The record for longest time without conceding a goal is 544 minutes, which occurred during that same stretch.

Isaac Emojong opened the scoring in the 59th minute with a rocket from the top of the box after Mason Abdella forced a turnover in the Omaha box. Gilles Aurelien doubled that lead 11 minutes later with a blast from about 30 yards out into the top-right corner of the net. Lewis Knecht capped the scoring in the 83rd after converting a PK.

Utah Valley's torrid start has gained national attention, with the Wolverines entering the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 poll for the first time since 2017. The highest UVU has ever been ranked is 12th, which occurred during the team's 2016 WAC Championship season. 

Dating back to last season's win vs. Air Force on Oct. 20, Utah Valley has allowed just one non-PK goal over its last nine games, and two goals overall. Through Tuesday's games, Utah Valley is the only team in the nation to have started the season with four shutout wins over D-I opposition, and one of 11 teams to have gone at least three games without allowing a goal. 

Utah Valley's +13 goal differential is the best in the nation among teams that have only played D-I teams, and is second overall behind only Portland. Utah Valley's 13 goals and 14 assists are also the most among teams that have only faced D-I opponents. Through four games, Utah Valley has gotten both goals and assists from nine different players.

Through Tuesday's games, Keegan Oyler is tied for the national lead in assists with four. Also among the nation's leaders are Emojong and Knecht, whose three goals are tied for 13th-most. Knecht's three goals are also tied for fourth most among freshmen nationally.

SCOUTING THE HORNETS

Sac State has struggled out of the gate, posting a 0-3-1 record against a tough slate that includes losses to now-No. 1 Stanford, undefeated GCU, and a tough Santa Clara squad that gave the Cardinal all it could handle in a 2-1 loss. The Hornets' lone draw came against Utah Tech, a 1-1 final at home. Sac State is led by junior forward Donovan Sessoms, who was a first team All-Big West selection in 2024 and has contributed on all three of the Hornets' goals so far this season (1G/2A).

SERIES HISTORY VS SAC STATE

Utah Valley got its first win in the three-game all-time series against Sac State last season, rallying for a 3-1 come-from-behind victory in Sacramento last season. Emojong and Keith Willey each scored against their hometown team in that win, with Willey's goal being the game-winner. The Hornets won the lone meeting in Orem back in 2017, scoring two second-half goals to take a 2-1 win.

WOLVERINES JUMP UP TO NO. 1 IN FAR WEST REGION POLL

Utah Valley moved up to No. 1 in the week two Far West region poll, leapfrogging over UC Irvine and San Jose State. Behind the Wolverines are UC Irvine and  California Baptist — both of whom are receiving votes in the Top 25 poll — and San Jose State, who dropped out of the others receiving votes despite winning its only game last week. The poll consists of teams out of the WAC and The Big West.

SESSIONS, EMOJONG  EARN WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS

RS-So. GK Kolby Sessions and So. MF Isaac Emojong were named the WAC Goalkeeper and Offensive Player of the Week for the 2nd week of play. Sessions made four saves in two shutout wins, including a point-blank tip save on a header against FGCU and an impressive diving save to preserve what was a 0-0 tie at Omaha on Sunday. Emojong extended his goal-contribution streak to four games with an assist against FGCU and a goal against Omaha.

CHASING WIN NO. 100

With its next win, Utah Valley will secure its 100th win in program history. 55 of the team's 99 wins thus far have come at home, with an overall record of 55-22-10 at Clyde Field/UCCU Stadium (.686). Utah Valley secured its 50th home win in program history last season when it beat Lindenwood, 3-1. 

KWIZERA FACES TALL TASK IN WORLD CUP QUALIFYING PLAY

Utah Valley alum Jojea Kwizera received another international call-up this week, joining the Rwanda National Team for a pair of crucial World Cup Qualifiers against Nigeria on Sept. 6 and Zimbabwe on Sept. 9. With four games to play, Rwanda sits 2nd in its group, five points behind South Africa, with the top team automatically qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. A 2nd-place finish would mean having to run the gauntlet through the CAF playoffs and the FIFA playoff tournament, needing as many as four wins to qualify. Kwizera is hoping to lead Rwanda to its first-ever World Cup.

UP NEXT

Utah Valley stays home for one more game before hitting the road again, hosting the UC Davis Aggies on Wednesday, Sept. 10 at UCCU Stadium. Tickets can be purchased at GoUVU.com/MSOCtix.