OREM—Utah Valley women's soccer returns to UCCU Stadium on Wednesday night with an opportunity to clinch its first-ever Big West regular-season championship as the Wolverines host Long Beach State in their final regular-season home match. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. MT, with the match broadcast live on ESPN+.
Utah Valley enters the contest with an 11-4-3 overall record and remains unbeaten in its inaugural Big West season at 7-0-2. The Wolverines sit alone atop the conference standings with 23 points, three ahead of Cal State Fullerton (20) and five ahead of UC San Diego (18). Long Beach State is 9-4-5 overall and 3-3-3 in league play, sitting tied for fourth with 12 points.
The Wolverines can clinch at least a share of the Big West regular-season championship with a win over Long Beach State on Wednesday night. UVU can secure the outright championship with a victory and a Cal State Fullerton draw or loss at UC Irvine. The Wolverines can also clinch at least a share with a draw if Fullerton fails to win.
Utah Valley has already secured a berth in the 2026 Big West Women's Soccer Championship and is seeking its fifth consecutive regular-season conference championship after winning four straight WAC titles from 2022-25. An outright Big West title would secure the No. 1 tournament seed, a first-round bye and home-field advantage in the semifinals and championship match should the Wolverines advance. The Big West Championship will be played Nov. 4, 7 and 14.
Utah Valley enters Wednesday's match riding a five-match winning streak and is unbeaten in its last 10 contests, posting an 8-0-2 record during that stretch. The Wolverines have outscored their opponents 32-7 over those 10 matches and have scored 29 goals through their first nine Big West contests.
The Wolverines are coming off a dominant 4-0 road shutout of UC Santa Barbara on Saturday night at Harder Stadium. Freshman midfielder Sam Curtis scored the eventual game-winner in the 61st minute before Sadie Beardall, Addie Olson and Jacey Wood added goals. Beardall finished with a goal and two assists as Utah Valley outshot the Gauchos 26-8, including a 12-3 advantage in shots on goal.
The victory extended Utah Valley's regular-season conference unbeaten streak to 41 consecutive matches, dating back to Oct. 8, 2022, at Seattle U. The Wolverines have also gone unbeaten in 31 straight regular-season conference home matches, with their last home league loss coming against California Baptist on March 11, 2021.
Utah Valley swept all three Big West weekly awards on Monday, with Beardall earning Offensive Player of the Week honors, freshman goalkeeper Madeleine Boucher receiving Defensive Player of the Week recognition and Curtis claiming Rookie of the Week. Beardall recorded three goals and four assists for 10 points in wins over Sacramento State and UC Santa Barbara, earning her third offensive honor of the season. Boucher allowed just one goal over 166 minutes in the two victories, while Curtis recorded a goal and an assist, including the game-winner against the Gauchos.
Beardall was also named to the TopDrawerSoccer Women's Team of the Week on Tuesday, earning the honor for the second time this season.
The Wolverines continue to hold the No. 1 spot in the IWSOC Coaches Poll West Region Top 10 for the third consecutive week. Utah Valley earned the top ranking in the Oct. 27 poll, followed by UC San Diego, Oral Roberts, Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State.
Utah Valley ranks among the nation's offensive leaders, standing fifth in shots on goal per game (8.72), sixth in total assists (47) and total points (131), seventh in shots per game (18.61), and ninth in total goals (42) and assists per game (2.61). The Wolverines lead the Big West in scoring offense (2.33), points per game (7.28), shots per game (18.61) and goal differential (+26).
Senior forward Nixan Jackson ranks second nationally in total assists with 11, trailing only Alcorn's Annick Zouma (12). Jackson ranks fifth nationally in assists per game (0.61) and has recorded six goals and 11 assists for 23 points this season. She also enters Wednesday's contest just one assist shy of tying Ruby Hladek's Utah Valley career record of 32 assists.
Beardall leads Utah Valley with 11 goals, seven assists and 29 points, ranking 14th nationally in total points and 22nd in goals. The senior forward leads the Big West with 10 goals and 26 points in nine conference matches and ranks second in overall goals behind Long Beach State's Cherrie Cox (13). Beardall has scored in four consecutive matches, recording five goals during that stretch, and has three game-winning goals this season.
Curtis has recorded one goal and eight assists for 10 points this season, ranking 18th nationally in total assists. The freshman midfielder was also recently ranked No. 49 on the TopDrawerSoccer Midseason Top-100 Freshmen list.
Boucher has recorded an 11-2-3 record with a 0.80 goals-against average, 50 saves, five individual shutouts and one combined shutout this season. She made three saves in Saturday's win at UC Santa Barbara before combining with Mia Roberts for Utah Valley's sixth shutout of the season. Boucher's 0.80 goals-against average ranks second in UVU single-season history, trailing only CJ Graham's school-record mark of 0.78 in 2023.
Long Beach State enters Wednesday's contest coming off a 3-1 home victory over UC Riverside on Saturday night. Junior defender Natalie Arnold scored twice against the Highlanders, while senior forward Cherrie Cox added her 13th goal of the season. The Beach has won two of its last three matches, including a 2-1 road victory over UC Irvine on Oct. 17, and is 4-1-3 away from home this season.
Cox leads Long Beach State with 13 goals and two assists for 28 points, ranking 11th nationally in total goals and 18th in total points. Her 36 career goals are tied with Ashley Gonzales for the Long Beach State program record. Sophomore midfielder Ameera White follows with five goals and eight assists for 18 points, while senior forward Radisson Banks has four goals and three assists for 11 points. Junior forward Kailey Supa has added four goals and two assists.
Senior goalkeeper Aurora Schuck has appeared in 16 matches for Long Beach State, posting a 7-2-3 record with a 1.19 goals-against average, 40 saves and a .714 save percentage. Schuck has recorded four individual shutouts and one combined shutout, while the Beach has seven shutouts as a team. Long Beach State is averaging 1.89 goals and 14.17 shots per match.
Wednesday's contest will mark the third all-time meeting between Utah Valley and Long Beach State, with the Beach holding a 1-0-1 advantage in the series. The teams played to a 1-1 draw in Long Beach on Sept. 10, 2023, before Long Beach State earned a 2-1 win in Orem on Aug. 31, 2024. Wednesday's match will be the first meeting between the programs as Big West opponents.
The match will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Brandon Crow on the play-by-play call. Tickets are available at GoUVU.com/GetTix.
Following Wednesday's contest, Utah Valley will close out the regular season on Saturday, Oct. 31, when the Wolverines travel to face CSUN in Northridge, California. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. MT.
