OREM—Kate Booth converted a penalty kick in the 89th minute to help Utah Valley earn a 1-1 draw against Cal State Fullerton on Saturday night at UCCU Stadium.
Utah Valley moves to 6-4-3 overall and remains unbeaten in Big West play at 2-0-2. Cal State Fullerton is now 5-2-5 overall and also sits at 2-0-2 in conference play.
"When you're one-nil down in the 88th minute, you're happy to score, obviously, and get a point out of it, but not happy that we were one-nil down in the 88th minute to begin with," Utah Valley head coach Chris Lemay said. "I thought we created a number of chances, but didn't do well enough in the final third and didn't execute in critical moments. To be in the position where we had to crawl ourselves back into this match and preserve a point is pretty disappointing at home. I don't think we played bad, but we weren't our best tonight."
Cal State Fullerton struck first in the sixth minute. Camryn Cruz sent a ball forward across midfield that led to a race for possession. As Utah Valley attempted to play the ball back toward goal, Cassie Villanueva was able to get the first touch and place a shot toward the far post past an oncoming Madeleine Boucher to give the Titans a 1-0 lead.
The Wolverines continued to apply pressure throughout the match before finally finding the equalizer in the closing minutes. Elle Young sent a free kick into the box, where Tess Livingston was pulled down, resulting in a penalty kick in the 89th minute. After a video review, the call on the field was upheld.
Utah Valley's initial penalty attempt was stopped, but Cal State Fullerton's goalkeeper was ruled to have come off her line early, giving the Wolverines another opportunity. Booth stepped to the spot for the retake and buried the penalty to level the match at 1-1.
Utah Valley controlled much of the match statistically, outshooting Cal State Fullerton 22-6 while holding a 10-1 advantage in shots on goal. The Wolverines also finished with a 7-1 edge in corner kicks.
Josie Clawson led Utah Valley with six shots, including three on goal, while Addie Olson added five shots with two on frame. Booth's equalizer was her third goal of the season.
Utah Valley now has a week to prepare for a road matchup at Cal Poly on Saturday, Oct. 10, in San Luis Obispo, California. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. MT, with the match broadcast live on ESPN+. The Wolverines return home on Saturday, Oct. 17, to host UC Riverside at 5 p.m. Tickets are available at GoUVU.com/GetTix.
