League-leading Utah Valley returns home for a pivotal Big West matchup on Saturday against the Sacramento State Hornets as the Wolverines look to maintain their slim lead atop the table.
Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. MDT, and tickets can be purchased at GoUVU.com/GetTix. The 2016 WAC Championship team will be honored at halftime to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the program's first league title.
GAME DAY INFO
MATCHUP: Utah Valley (6-1-2, 2-1 BW) vs Sacramento State (3-6-2, 0-0-2 BW)
THEME: World Cup Night - Wear your favorite international soccer kit!
KICKOFF: 6 p.m. MDT
GATES OPEN: 5 p.m. MDT
TICKETS: GoUVU.com/GetTix
LIVE STREAMS: ESPN+ / Big West International
LIVE STATS: GoUVU.com/stats
Utah Valley Game Notes
Sacramento State Game Notes
LAST TIME OUT
Utah Valley snuck out of Fullerton with a 2-1 win over the Cal State Fullerton Titans on Wednesday. Two goals were scored in the final 11 minutes, with Nil Grau netting the game-winner in the 85th minute.
Grau was at his sharpest on Wednesday, assisting on Luca Wingaa Laursen's opener in the 24th minute before scoring the game-winner. Grau is the first Wolverine with two goal contributions in a game since Jose Montealegre against SJSU last season.
Luca Wingaa Laursen scored his first collegiate goal to open the scoring against CSF. It's the third-straight game one of UVU's Danes have contributed to a goal, after Oliver Watts assisted on a goal at UCSB and was assisted by Wingaa Laursen on his goal against UC Irvine. All three of UVU's Danes that have played this season have earned a Big West weekly award, with Watts being named this week's Rookie of the Week.
With the win and other results around the conference, Utah Valley moved atop the league standings, level on six points with UC Irvine at the de facto midway point of the conference schedule. UVU, UCI, UC Santa Barbara, and Cal State Bakersfield have all played three league games, while Sac State, CSUN, and Fullerton have each played only two.
WHAT’S AT STAKE
A win for the Wolverines on Saturday would secure the program’s best start to league play since the 2019 season when the team rattled off five wins in a row. It would also provide a cushion heading down the home stretch of the schedule, as three of Utah Valley’s next four games are against Pac-12 opponents.
SCOUTING THE HORNETS
The Hornets have been a scrappy bunch and have been especially tough on their home turf, but haven’t been able to find the same success on the road. Prior to Wednesday’s loss at home to Gonzaga, Sac State had gone four games unbeaten, including picking up a point with a 1-1 draw at UCSB. The Hornets are led by the attacking trio of Zac Giles (5G/5A), Sean Battistessa (5G/0A) and Hiroshi Yang (4G/2A), with Giles accounting for nearly 40% of the team’s total shots this season.
SERIES HISTORY VS SAC STATE
The Wolverines and Hornets face off for the third straight year, with Utah Valley coming out victorious in each of the last two meetings to level the all-time series at 2-2. Last season, then-No. 18 UVU rolled to a 3-0 win at home, with goals from Toke Amtrup, Noah Pogue, and Dan McKay. It was UVU's fifth of six-straight shutout wins to start the 2025 season, and was the 100th win in program history.
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Entering Saturday's match, Utah Valley has the best scoring defense in The Big West, allowing just 0.889 goals/game, ranking 22nd in the nation. The Wolverines also rank 12th in win percentage at .778, and are one of just 22 teams in the country with one or fewer losses this season.
SHARING THE ROCK
Entering the weekend, Utah Valley leads The Big West and ranks 40th nationally in assists per game at 2.00. Nil Grau's goal vs Fullerton was the team's first unassisted open-play goal of the season, excluding Jose Montealegre's PK vs UCSB and the own goal vs Marshall.
UP NEXT
Utah Valley will hit the road for its first of three Pac-12 Crossover matches, traveling to San Luis Obispo to take on the Cal Poly Mustangs on Wednesday. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. MDT, and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
