I thought tonight’s game went well. They put some pressure on us early and we had some chances we needed to clean up, but once we got that first goal things started to open up for us. – UVU head coach Greg Maas.
Utah Valley University had three different players score two goals apiece in an 8-0 rout of Westminster in an exhibition match on Wednesday at Clyde Field.
Karson Payton, who scored the opening goal of the match in the 18th minute, Skyler Milne and Thomas Loomis each scored twice while Austin Buxton and Aaron Meyer also had goals for the Wolverines.
“I thought tonight’s game went well,” UVU head coach Greg Maas said. “They put some pressure on us early and we had some chances we needed to clean up, but once we got that first goal things started to open up for us.”
The Wolverines scored four times in each half, beginning with Payton’s goal on an assist from Lucas Cawley and Buxton. Buxton’s goal came in the 23rd minute when he deflected a Connor Salmon corner kick into the back of the net.
After Payton gave UVU a 3-0 lead in the 35th minute, Meyer scored his goal on a penalty kick just three minutes later.
In the second half, Milne scored consecutive goals in the 56th and 68th minutes. Both were unassisted. Loomis’ brace came in minutes 80 and 86, with the first coming on a long assist from Giovanny Vazquez.
The Wolverines outshot the Griffins, 20-2 overall and 13-1 on goal. Westminster, which is in its first season of a four-year transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II, had its shot on goal late in the match on a free kick, but Derek Wilcox recorded the save to preserve the shutout.
Both teams emptied their benches for the exhibition contest, with 27 Griffins and 25 Wolverines seeing the field.
Utah Valley plays its intrasquad Green and White match on Saturday at 7 p.m. That will be preceded by Meet the Team Night, with members of all 16 of UVU’s NCAA Division I programs on hand to meet fans beginning at 6 p.m.
Clint Burgi is the associate athletic director for communications and marketing at Utah Valley University. For more information on Wolverine athletics, visit WolverineGreen.com.