Utah Valley travels to Salt Lake City on Friday for its first preseason friendly of the 2026 season, facing off with the Snow College Badgers at the Salt Lake Regional Athletic Complex.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. MDT, and admission is free. Fans will be able to purchase season tickets UVU Athletics employees at the game. The game will be played on field one, which can be found on the map linked above.
SEASON PREVIEW
Utah Valley returns an experienced group from a season ago under first-year head coach Michael Chesler. In total, Chesler returns seven starters from 2025 and 12 players overall, while bringing in 16 newcomers, only five of whom are freshmen.
On the defensive side, senior goalkeeper Kolby Sessions will look to build off his historic debut campaign as a Wolverine after tying the single-season shutouts record and ranking among the best keepers in the nation in save percentage (34th) and goals against average (15th). Aiding Sessions on the backline is stalwart center back Toke Amtrup, who is the leading returner in minutes played with 1,273 out of a possible 1,350 and is the only returner who started every game in 2025.
On the offensive side, the Wolverines return three of their top scoring threats in Nil Grau, Noah Pogue, and Jose Luis Martin Montealegre. Grau (5G/2A) and Pogue (4G/2A) each registered at least 10 points in 2025, marking the first time since 2022 that the Wolverines return multiple 10-point scorers from a previous season. Montealegre (2G/5A) is the team's leading returner in assists and will look to help fill the creative void left by the departure of wing back Keegan Oyler, who now plays professionally for AC Boise.
Among the "newcomers" is a familiar face in 2022 WAC Freshman of the Year Owen Knecht, who returns to the team after serving a two-year Church mission to Paraguay. Knecht, who will operate primarily as a wing back, registered six goals and six assists across the 2022-23 seasons, including a team-leading five assists in 2023.
Of the 16 newcomers, 11 have prior collegiate experience, including an NJCAA national champion in Indian Hills CC transfer midfielder Adem Arous. Arous defeated fellow debutant midfielder Bismark Ayamba and Daytona State to win the 2025 championship.
Grad transfer defender Edgar Correia brings a high-profile pedigree to Orem in his final collegiate season. Prior to spending two years apiece at Central Arkansas and IU-Indy (formerly IUPUI), Correia played for the S.C. Braga and Benfica academies in his native Portugal. Correia is good friends with two-time Champions League winner João Neves, who currently plays with PSG, and AFC Bournemouth star Antonio Silva, who both play for the Portugal National Team. The trio played for the same academy teams at Benfica while growing up.
UP NEXT
Utah Valley will wrap up the preseason with a tough test on the road at perennial College Cup contender Denver on August 14. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. MDT. The Wolverines will then open the regular season at home with a visit from the Pacific Tigers on August 20. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. MDT, and tickets can be purchased at GoUVU.com/GetTix.
