After an impressive season that saw the Orem Owlz cruise to the best record in the league, win 14 games in a row and put out the league MVP in Roberto Lopez, they dropped the third and final game of the Pioneer League championship series to lose the title to the Great Falls Voyagers.
One thing that’s always plagued UVU has been winning on the road. As the women’s soccer team heads out on its first road trip and the volleyball team takes off for yet another tough trip, the records of both teams may suffer.
Unfortunately for the Wolverines the best example of struggling on the road happened to be last seasons women’s basketball team.
In the third and deciding game of the heated playoff series between instate foes the Orem Owlz staved off elimination by knocking off the pesky Ogden Raptors 9-7 Monday night behind Luis Jimenez’s five RBIs. With the win the Owlz moved on to face the Great Falls Voyagers in the Pioneer League Championship series.
If you’re a sports fan on the campus of UVU, you should be well aware of what has been taking place on the university baseball field all summer. But if you were born in a barn, here’s what you’ve been missing. Not only has the Utah Valley community been fortunate enough to have a Minor League baseball team playing nearby, it has one of the best and most consistent teams to boot.
Like the sprinter quick out of the blocks, or the swimmer first into the water, a good start can make the difference between gold and silver. A sputtering Yugo finds itself too far behind to make up ground when drag racing a Ferrari. So, Utah Valley University’s women’s soccer team has pounced out of the gate early in the 2008 season.
For years the Utah Valley University track and field team hasn’t been able to practice on campus or hold its own meets. For years the Wolverines have had to rent time on a track at Mountain View High School in Orem. But that won’t be the case for long. Last Monday, UVU Athletic Director Mike Jacobsen announced at student athlete orientation that construction on a new track facility would start in the spring.
At the end of last season, the UVU women’s soccer team flexed its muscle in finishing off a tough season by winning the United Soccer tournament championship. The special thing about last season is that there wasn’t a single senior on the team, and this year that will pay dividends.
Eli Manning has won one Super Bowl, and John Elway has won two. Michael Jordan won three NBA Championships — twice — and Lance Armstrong raced his way to seven consecutive Tour de France victories.
As another school year rolls around, most sports’ fans turn their attention to collegiate sports, and while UVU is in its first year as a university, the athletic teams have been competing against other universities at the Division I level for several years. Not only has UVU held its own in D-I competition, but has left several universities known for their athletic teams with their tails between their legs.
In a chance to disprove the MLS cynic, Real Salt Lake came into last Monday’s match against Toronto FC looking to defend its home field and first place in the Western Conference with a win. Having been a laughing stock of the MLS in its first four years, RSL proved its relevance with a 2-1 win over Toronto.
Real Salt Lake took a break from MLS action and celebrated Pioneer Day with a not-so-friendly visit from Costa Rica’s Deportivo Saprissa, Costa Rica’s premier soccer club. After a strong showing early by RSL, Saprissa showed its dominance in the second half as they pulled away with a 2-1 victory.
