The Utah Valley University women's soccer team wraps up regular season play on Friday as the team welcomes WAC rival Seattle U to Clyde Field. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Utah Valley (9-6-2, 3-2-1) holds a four-game unbeaten streak dating back to a 1-0 overtime win at UTRGV on Oct. 14. The Wolverines went a perfect 2-0 last week with wins over Chicago State and UMKC. UVU shut out Chicago State, 3-0, before recording a season-high six goals in a 6-2 win over UMKC.
UVU tallied a season-high 45 shots, including a season-high 17 on goal in the win over Chicago State. Taylor Kirk, Breanna DeWaal and Breanna McCarter each registered a goal against Chicago State. DeWaal recorded her first-ever brace with a pair of goals in the win over UMKC. Libby Weber, Lexi Felis and Kirk also registered goals in the win over the Kangaroos.
Alexis Peterson leads the Wolverines with five goals this season. DeWaal and Kirk each have four goals this year, while McCarter and Sydney Fitzpatrick each have three. Abby Jameson has two goals and eight other UVU players have recorded one goal this year. Freshman DeWaal leads the Wolverines with 62 shots, including a team-best 21 shots on goal. DeWaal, Kirk and McCarter lead the team with four assists apiece. Nielsen leads the team in the box with a 6-2-2 record and three shutouts. She has 46 saves and owns a .821 save percentage on the season.
As a team, Utah Valley has netted 30 goals while allowing opponents 19. The Wolverines average 17.3 shots a match with a .378 shots on goal percentage. The Wolverines are holding opponents to a 1.12 goals per game average. UVU also holds a 294-185 shots advantage and a 93-65 edge on corner kicks.
Seattle U clinched its fourth-straight WAC regular season title last week with wins over UMKC and Chicago State. The Redhawks have earned the No. 1 seed and first round bye at next week's WAC Tournament in Kansas City. The Redhawks went 2-0-0 last week with a 3-1 win over UMKC and a 3-0 shutout over Chicago State. Junior defender Stephanie Speikerman was named the WAC Defensive Player of the Week for her play in the two wins last week. The junior defender anchored an SU defense that allowed just one goal in the two matches. Senior forward Brie Hooks leads the Redhawks with seven goals. She also has a pair of assists and also leads the team with 16 points. Sophomore forward Karli White ranks second on the team with five goals and 12 points. White leads the team with 54 shots, including a team-best 24 on goal. Redshirt freshman Ashley Routh leads the team in the box with 24 saves and four solo shutouts. SU has registered 22 goals this season while allowing 13.
Utah Valley and Seattle U meet on the pitch for just the third time. Seattle U holds an all-time 9-1-1 advantage over UVU. After dropping eight-straight matches to the Redhawks, Utah Valley was finally able to tie things up in a double overtime match in 2015. The Wolverines then picked up their first-ever win over SU in last year's WAC Tournament championship match, defeating the Redhawks, 2-0, to claim the team's first-ever WAC soccer title. The two teams met in a non-conference match earlier this season in Seattle with the Redhawks taking a 1-0 win.
Despite its Clyde Field unbeaten streak coming to an end at 14 matches on Oct. 7, UVU has enjoyed tremendous success on its home pitch. The Wolverines have lost just three matches at home in the past three seasons, posting an impressive 22-3-4 record. UVU holds an all-time 67-32-10 mark at home since the Wolverines became a Division I member in 2003. UVU went unbeaten at home last season with a 9-0-1 record. The team extended its Clyde Field unbeaten streak to 14 matches with its 2-1 overtime win over Grand Canyon on Sept. 26, before it was halted with a loss to CSU Bakersfield on Oct. 7. The Wolverines ranked 24th (1,074 per game) nationally in attendance at Clyde Field last season. UVU ranks 20th in the nation in attendance after welcoming an average of 1,197 fans through the gates though seven home matches this year.
Utah Valley has secured itself a spot in next week's WAC Tournament in Kansas City, Missouri. The tournament takes place Nov. 3-4, and 6, at Durwood Soccer Stadium on the UMKC campus. UVU enters the tournament as the defending champion.
Kirk, Jameson, Kalli Suesue, Felis and Melanie Ostler will each be playing their final match at Clyde Field and will be honored prior to kickoff. The match against Seattle will be broadcast live on the WAC Digital Network.
Jason Erickson works in the communications office at the Utah Valley University athletic department. For more information on Wolverine athletics, visit WolverineGreen.com.