LA JOLLA, Calif.—Sadie Beardall and Nixan Jackson each found the back of the net as Utah Valley battled UC San Diego to a 2-2 draw in Big West action Saturday night at Triton Soccer Stadium.
Utah Valley moves to 5-4-2 overall and 1-0-1 in Big West play, while UC San Diego is now 5-2-3 overall and 1-0-1 in league play.
The Wolverines controlled much of the match, outshooting the Tritons 31-13 overall and holding an 18-8 advantage in shots on goal.
"It's a tough one," Utah Valley head coach Chris Lemay said. "We certainly felt like we did enough to get three points. There were critical moments that we could have done better, and had we been more efficient in a couple of moments on both sides, defensively and offensively, we think the final score could have been different."
Jackson led Utah Valley with eight shots, including four on frame. Addie Olson added five shots with two on goal, while Kate Booth recorded four shots, all of which were on target. Madeleine Boucher played all 90 minutes in goal for the Wolverines and finished with six saves.
Utah Valley generated 11 shots, including eight on goal, through the first 29 minutes before breaking through for the opening score.
Bailey Peterson sent a ball into the box from the left side, where Beardall rose above the defense and headed it into the net in the 29th minute to give Utah Valley a 1-0 lead.
UC San Diego pulled even in the 50th minute when Kannadi Borg played a ball through the middle of the UVU defense to Karize Madero, who finished with her left foot from the top of the box to make it 1-1.
The Tritons then moved in front in the 59th minute. Anya Lin delivered a corner kick from the left side, and Kat Harris connected on a header into the left side of the net to give UC San Diego a 2-1 advantage.
"I thought San Diego did a nice job of never putting their heads down," Lemay said. "They absorbed a lot and continued to push. They stunned us in the first 10 minutes of the second half, and then we settled back in. We felt like we were good enough tonight to earn three, but at the end of the day, minor mistakes in major moments was the issue."
Utah Valley answered just six minutes later.
Peterson switched the ball across the field to Jackson on the right side. Jackson worked around a Triton defender before angling a shot into the back of the net in the 65th minute to level the match at 2-2.
The Wolverines nearly found the game-winner in the 84th minute when Beardall fired a shot that deflected off the UC San Diego goalkeeper, hit the right post and bounced back into play.
Utah Valley will continue its Big West road swing Wednesday, Sept. 30, when the Wolverines travel to Irvine, California, to take on UC Irvine. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. MT, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
