The Utah Valley University women's soccer team opens up Western Athletic Conference play this week on the road at UMKC and Chicago State. The Wolverines travel to Kansas City, Missouri, to take on UMKC on Friday at 6:30 p.m. MT, before heading to Chicago to face Chicago State on Sunday at 12 p.m.
Utah Valley heads into weekend fresh off a 1-0 loss at 23rd-ranked Texas A&M on Monday night. Utah Valley was impressive on the defensive side of the ball against Texas A&M as the Wolverines weathered 24 Aggie shots, including 12 shots on goal. Sarah Davis played all 90 minutes in goal for UVU, collecting a season-high 11 saves on the night. She withstood 21 Texas A&M corner kicks. Texas A&M scored the game's lone goal in the 65th minute after Haley Pounds put a penalty shot just out of reach of Davis on the left side to help the Aggies secure the 1-0 victory. Utah Valley's Breanna McCarter and Laken Flinders led the team with two shots apiece. The Wolverines did have a pair of near misses as the team tallied nine shots with five on goal.
Breanna DeWaal leads UVU and the WAC with 49 shots and 24 shots on goal this season. She also leads the Wolverines and ranks tied for eighth in the WAC with four goals through 13 matches. Breanna McCarter ranks second on the team with three goals, while Sydney Fitzpatrick has two. Tori Smith, Amber Tripp, Doriana Maul, Libby Weber and Ashlyn Farnes each have one goal. Brooklyn Nielsen leads UVU in the box with 21 saves, while Davis leads the team in goal with a 1.40 goals allowed average. As at team, Utah Valley leads the WAC with 181 shots this season. The team also leads the conference with 86 corner kicks.
UMKC enters Friday night's match with a 5-6-1 overall record. The team has won three of its last four matches, including a 1-0 win over Indiana State on Sunday, Oct. 1. The team returns home from a road trip to Illinois State and Indiana State last week. The Kangaroos hold a 3-1-0 record at home this season. Junior midfielder/forward Lexie Howard leads the team and the WAC in goals this season with seven. She also leads the team with 38 shots this year. Sophomore keeper Erin Roth leads the team and the WAC with an impressive 0.64 goals allowed average as she has only allowed three goals on the season. UMKC is coached by Chris Cissell who is in his seventh season with the team. He holds a 66-53-18 record with the Kangaroos.
Utah Valley and UMKC meet on the pitch for the ninth time on Friday. UVU holds an all-time 5-3-0 advantage over the Kangaroos. The two teams match up in Kansas City for the third time.
Chicago State enters the week with a 1-12-0 overall record. The team has lost 10 straight after picking up its lone win of the season on Aug. 25, at Saint Xavier. Freshman forward Jensyn Stanberry and sophomore forward Mariela Alba lead the team in scoring with two goals each. Freshman defender Samantha Noonan and sophomore midfielder Miranda Coen also have registered a goal this season. The team has allowed 77 goals by its opponents this season. The Cougars have used three keepers this season in junior Audra Wisehart, senior Gabby Kiemp and sophomore Bailey McFarland. Wisehart holds the one victory for CSU. Kevin Meek is in his first season as the head coach of the Cougars.
Utah Valley and Chicago State meet on the pitch for just the fourth time. UVU holds an all-time 3-0-0 record against the Cougars, including a 1-0-0 all-time mark against CSU in Chicago. The Wolverines defeated Chicago State, 3-0, last season in Orem.
Utah Valley has logged 13,118 miles this season. The team has already played in seven different states this year. Utah Valley spent nearly a month on the road before the team opened its home slate against Wyoming on Sept. 8. UVU opened the season with a pair of matches in Hawaii. The team then traveled to Las Vegas; Northridge, California; and Tulsa, Oklahoma. The team then wrapped up non-conference play at Texas A&M in College Station, Texas. UVU finished its non-conference games away from Clyde Field with a 2-8 record. The Wolverines have played 10 of their 13 matches away from Clyde Field. UVU holds a 1-8-0 road record and a 1-0-0 record at a neutral site this season. Friday and Sunday's matches mark the team's 11th and 12th games of the year away from Orem.
Utah Valley is tied for 15th in the nation in corner kicks this year (86). The Wolverines also rank tied for 22nd in the nation in corner kicks per game (6.62). The Wolverines lead the WAC in both categories. Utah Valley leads the Western Athletic Conference with 6.53 shots on goal per game. The team also ranks third in the WAC with 181 shots this season.
Friday's match at UMKC will be broadcast live on the WAC Digital Network, while Sunday's match at Chicago State will be an audio-only broadcast that will be available on CSU's athletic website.
Jason Erickson works in the communications office at the Utah Valley University athletic department. For more information on Wolverine athletics, visit GoUVU.com.