OREM — Utah Valley University women's soccer opens the 2026 season Thursday night as the Wolverines welcome Big Ten foe Michigan to UCCU Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. MT.

The match will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with Brandon Crow and former Utah Valley standout Amber Tripp on the call.

Tickets for Thursday night's match are available at GoUVU.com/GetTix. Fans attending the match should note that the visitors lot will be closed for the game.

Utah Valley enters its 24th season of NCAA Division I soccer and 10th under head coach Chris Lemay. The Wolverines begin a new era in 2026 as they compete in The Big West for the first time after concluding a highly successful run in the Western Athletic Conference.

UVU enters the season having won four consecutive WAC regular-season championships from 2022-25. The Wolverines went 9-0-1 in league play last season, outscoring WAC opponents 43-7 and finishing their time in the conference riding a 32-match regular-season unbeaten streak. Utah Valley finished the year 14-5-3 overall, advanced to the WAC Tournament championship match and earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament for the program's fifth NCAA appearance and second at-large selection.

The Wolverines were picked to finish fourth in the 2026 Big West Preseason Coaches' Poll, receiving 95 points and two first-place votes. Senior defender Mia Owens and redshirt junior midfielder Josie Clawson were named to the 11-member Big West Preseason Coaches' Team.

Owens and senior forward Nixan Jackson also received national preseason recognition after being named to the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Women's Players to Watch lists. Owens, the 2025 WAC Defensive Player of the Year, earned First Team All-WAC, All-Pacific Region, Scholar All-America and CSC Academic All-America honors last season. Jackson earned First Team All-WAC and All-Pacific Region Second Team accolades after recording five goals and 10 assists for 20 points. Her 10 assists ranked 17th nationally.

Thursday's match will be the third all-time meeting between Utah Valley and Michigan and the first played in the state of Utah. The series is tied 1-1, with UVU winning the most recent meeting, 2-1, in Ann Arbor on Aug. 15, 2024. Faith Webber scored both goals in the victory, including the game-winner with 30 seconds remaining. Michigan won the first meeting, 2-1 in overtime, in Ann Arbor in 2019.

Michigan enters the 2026 season under first-year head coach Dave DiIanni, who begins his 24th season as a collegiate head coach with a 346-100-48 career record. Michigan finished 6-8-4 overall and 3-4-4 in Big Ten play last season and was picked to finish 11th in the conference's 2026 preseason poll.

Michigan returns 14 letterwinners from last season, including leading scorer Elle Ervin, who recorded seven goals and 16 points, and assist leader Adi Walick, who tallied seven assists. Senior defender Campbell Jewell, junior forward Ella Jablinskey and junior defender Ellie Fife were each named to the Big Ten Players to Watch list. Fife started all 18 matches last season and led Michigan field players with 1,492 minutes.

Thursday also begins Utah Valley's second season at UCCU Stadium. The Wolverines went 9-1-2 at home during the facility's inaugural season and ranked 12th nationally in average attendance, drawing 18,035 fans over 12 home dates for an average of 1,503 per match.

The match will also mark the on-field debut of Utah Valley's new uniform patch partnership with The Policy Project. The Utah-based nonprofit is the official uniform patch partner for the Utah Valley men's and women's soccer programs beginning with the 2026-27 athletic season.

Following Thursday's opener, Utah Valley remains home to take on in-state rival Utah on Monday, Aug. 17 at UCCU Stadium. Tickets are available at GoUVU.com/GetTix.