The Utah Valley University women's soccer team will travel the 3.4 miles down University Parkway to take on crosstown foe BYU in a UCCU Crosstown Clash matchup at South Field on Friday night.
Friday's match at BYU marks Utah Valley's ninth road match of the season. The Wolverines have played eight of their 10 matches on the road this year. Utah Valley enters Friday's match with a 3-7-0 record. The Wolverines went 0-2 last week with a 3-2 double-overtime loss at home to Washington State and a 2-0 setback on the road at North Dakota State.
Despite putting a couple of shots into the back of the net in a 12-minute span in the second half, Utah Valley couldn't hang on as the Wolverines dropped a heartbreaking 3-2 double-overtime decision to Washington State on Sept. 14. Amber Tripp and Sydney Fitzpatrick recorded the goals in the loss to the Cougars.
Despite outshooting the Bison, 15-7 on shots and 9-3 in shots on goal, Utah Valley fell on the road to North Dakota State, 2-0, on Sept. 17, at Dacotah Field in Fargo, North Dakota. The Wolverines outshot North Dakota State, 13-7 on the day, including a 9-3 advantage on goal. Hannah Bruce and Libby Weber led Utah Valley with three shots apiece. Fitzpatrick, Breanna McCarter and Ashlyn Farnes each had two shots. Utah Valley also won the corner kick battle, 11-3.
Breanna DeWaal leads UVU and the WAC with 42 shots and 21 shots on goal this season. She also leads the Wolverines and ranks tied for seventh in the WAC with three goals through 10 matches. McCarter and Fitzpatrick each have two goals, while Doriana Moul, Farnes, Weber and Tripp have each recorded one goal this year. Brooklyn Nielsen leads UVU in the box with 20 saves and a 1.60 goals allowed average. As a team, Utah Valley ranks third in the WAC in shots and first in the WAC with 76 corner kicks this season.
BYU enters Friday night's match with a 2-4-3 overall record. The team has won two of its last three matches, including a 3-2 win at home over Kansas on Monday night. The Cougars have played a tough schedule with matchups against three nationally-ranked teams this year in UCLA, Colorado and Utah. The team has played five of its nine matches at South Field where the Cougars hold a 1-1-3 record this season. Senior forward Nadia Gomes leads the team with three goals, two assists and eight points this season. Three other Cougars have scored two goals. Senior keeper Hannah Clark has played all nine matches in goal for BYU this year. She has two shutouts with 33 saves. BYU has found the back of the net 10 times this year, while allowing opponents 13 goals.
Utah Valley and BYU will meet on the pitch for the third time in the teams' histories on Friday night at Clyde Field. BYU leads the series, 2-0-0, with both games played in Provo. The two teams last met on November 14, 2015, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament with the Cougars taking a 1-0 win.
Utah Valley has logged 11,800 miles this season. The team has already played in six 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. UVU opened the season with a 2-4-0 record in the month-long road trip. UVU holds a 1-6-0 road record and a 1-0-0 record at a neutral site this season. Friday's match at BYU marks the ninth game on the road for UVU this year.
Utah Valley is tied for third in the nation in corner kicks this year. The Wolverines also rank 10th in the nation in corner kicks per game. The Wolverines have a WAC-best 76 corner kicks this year, an average of 7.60 per game. Utah Valley leads the Western Athletic Conference with 6.90 shots on goal per game. The team also ranks third in the WAC with 148 shots this season. The Wolverines' 148 shots rank them tied for 37th in the country. UVU ranks 34th nationally with 69 shots on goal this year.
Utah Valley sophomore forward/midfielder DeWaal ranks tied for sixth in the nation with 22 shots on goal. She also ranks sixth nationally with 42 shots. She ranks 22nd in the nation in shots on goal per game at 2.10 a match and ranks 37th in the country at 4.20 shots per game. DeWaal leads the WAC in each category.
Friday night's match kicks off at 7 p.m., at South Field in Provo. The game will be broadcast live via Utah Valley's website with Brandon Crow and former UVU player Melanie Ostler handling the play-by-play and color duties.
Jason Erickson works in the communications office at the Utah Valley University athletic department. For more information on Wolverine athletics, visit GoUVU.com.