No. 24 Utah Valley returns home for the first time in four weeks to host its first-ever Big West game against the defending Big West co-champions UC Irvine at UCCU Stadium on Wednesday.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. MDT, and tickets can be purchased at GoUVU.com/GetTix. The game will also be streamed live on ESPN+ and Big West International with Brice Larson on the call.
GAME DAY INFO
MATCHUP: Utah Valley (4-0-2, 0-0 BW) vs UC Irvine (4-4-1, 0-0 BW)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. MDT
GATES OPEN: 6 p.m. MDT
Utah Valley Game Notes
LAST TIME OUT
The Wolverines were held to a 1-1 draw on Sept. 21 against Utah Tech in St. George. Utah Valley took the lead in the 36th minute on a Brayden Tester header — his first goal as a Wolverine — before the Trailblazers netted an equalizer in the 75th minute.
As of Monday, Utah Valley is one of just seven teams in the country who remain unbeaten. With a win or a tie on Wednesday, the Wolverines would be the only D-I team to end September unbeaten in back-to-back seasons, and it would match the longest unbeaten streak to start a season at seven games. UVU’s .833 win percentage is also eighth-best in the nation.
Wednesday's game pits the top scoring offense in The Big West in UCI (1.67 goals/game) against the top scoring defense in UVU (0.67 goals/game). GK tandem Jackson Medina and Kolby Sessions have been two of the top keepers in the nation so far this season. The duo both rank t-17th in the nation in goals-against average at 0.67.
UVU's 0.67 team GAA ranks 15th nationally. Only California Baptist, UC San Diego, and Drake have a better team GAA west of the Mississippi. The team record for a full season is 0.75 in 2014.
With Dan McKay's assist on Tester's goal against Utah Tech, the Wolverines have now gotten goal contributions from 11 different players, in addition to Luca Wingaa Laursen and Landon Christiansen setting up the game-winning own goal at Marshall.
SCOUTING THE ANTEATERS
The ‘Eaters have fared well against a tough non-conference schedule, picking up wins over Loyola Marymount, Pacific, UC Riverside, and UC San Diego, and are perfect on the road at 3-0. Gage Lyons is UCI’s leading offensive threat with three goals and two assists while preseason All-Big West honoree Brady Treinen is tied for the team lead with three assists. UCI is one of three 2025 NCAA Tourney teams on the schedule this season along with Marshall and Oregon State.
SERIES HISTORY VS UC IRVINE
UCI leads the all-time series 2-1, with both wins coming in double overtime. The last meeting came in 2019, with the ‘Eaters clawing out a 2-1 win at Clyde Field. Utah Valley’s lone win in the series came in 2018, also a 2-1 win in Irvine. The first meeting came in the inaugural 2014 season as the Wolverines pushed then-No. 4 UCI to the brink in a neutral site matchup in Las Vegas, but fell 2-1 in double OT.
UP NEXT
The Wolverines will head to Southern California for a two-game road swing beginning on Saturday against another defending Big West co-champion in the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. MDT, and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
