SAN DIEGO — Adem Arous and Jose Montealegre each scored from the penalty spot as Utah Valley fought to earn a 2-2 road draw with the San Diego State Aztecs on Wednesday night.
The two sides battled through the elements all night, with strong winds and waves of heavy rain passing through. Despite the less than ideal conditions, the Wolverines were able to hold the bulk of the offensive pressure, out-shooting the Aztecs 20-9 along with an 8-1 advantage in corner kicks.
Utah Valley pinned SDSU back for much of the opening 30 minutes, aside from a couple of close calls in the 15th and 17th minutes. The Aztecs got just one shot on frame amid the chaos in the box, which was blocked by Edgar Correia.
The Wolverines had their best chance of that opening 30 minutes in the 24th minute on a corner. Toke Amtrup found himself alone at the back post, but was unable to hit the volley cleanly and his shot went wide left.
Utah Valley looked to have opened the scoring in the 42nd minute after a long ball over the top by Trevor Walk wasn't dealt with cleanly and trickled in, but it was determined that Brayden Tester fouled SDSU keeper Trevor Wilson when he went up to head it on.
The Aztecs struck first in the 51st minute on a long header, with Max Mair scoring his first of two goals on the night.
An extremely long VAR review in the 58th minute brought about the first penalty of the night for Utah Valley. Arous sent the keeper diving the wrong way to bring things back to level terms.
The score wasn't tied for long, as Mair restored the advantage in the 61st minute on an Aztec corner.
Utah Valley put the pressure on in the closing moments, with Arous, Montealegre, and Luca Wingaa Laursen each having multiple good looks at goal over the final 20 minutes.
The second penalty came late in the 89th minute as Oliver Watts was fouled just inside the 18 going up for a header. Montealegre sent the keeper diving the wrong way once again for the equalizer.
The Wolverines had one last chance in the 90th minute, getting a pair of dangerous crosses into the mixer, but were unable to register any shots.
Utah Valley returns to Orem for its final home regular season game on Saturday, hosting the No. 21 Oregon State Beavers for Senior Night. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. MDT, with the senior ceremony starting at 5:45. Tickets can be purchased at GoUVU.com/GetTix.
