Utah Valley University’s men’s soccer team (2-1-0) comfortably defended Clyde Field in a 3-1 victory over UC San Diego (0-0-3) on Thursday night, earning its first home win of the 2024 campaign.
After a successful two-game stint in California, the Wolverines carried their strong away form back home. UC San Diego struggled to break through Kyle Beckerman’s well-organized side, allowing the Wolverines to secure all three points.
The Wolverines started composed, capitalizing on the wide areas of the pitch using the speed of captain Omar Yehya, Trevor Walk, and Souley Diouf. It didn’t take long for standout freshman Isaac Emojong to make an impact, delivering an impressive assist from a free kick early in the match. Emojong’s assist, Diouf’s penalty kick, and Yehya’s composed tap-in highlighted the match. One could say the Wolverines are aiming to make Clyde Field a fortress this season.
Beckerman touched on the importance of Clyde Field, saying, “The fans are great. These guys really get up to play in front of their fans, and if you look back at RSL’s (Real Salt Lake) old days, the first thing we did was get home field sorted out, and then you can move on from there.”
Utah Valley got off to a quick start, applying pressure on UC San Diego early. That pressure paid off when UC San Diego committed a foul just outside its box in the 18th minute. Looking to capitalize on the set-piece opportunity, Emojong lined up to take the free kick. He delivered a perfectly placed ball to the far post, where he found the head of Alex Fritcher.
Fritcher’s header put the Wolverines up 1-0.
Reflecting on the free kick, Emojong said, “In practice, we always work on set pieces, and Coach Michael Chesler put me on it. I just figured I’d keep doing what we’ve been practicing, and it paid off in the game, so I’m happy with how it went.”
Utah Valley’s first-half goal was decisive, as the score remained 1-0 with both teams heading into the locker room. The Wolverines’ defense and goalkeeper Ben Williams were a brick wall in the first half, not allowing a single shot on goal.
After halftime, the match remained quiet until the 69th minute, when Gilles Aurelien found himself in a one-on-one situation. After beating the defender, Aurelien was brought down in the opposition’s box, resulting in a penalty for UVU. Forward Diouf stepped up to the spot and, with calm composure, slotted the ball into the bottom right corner.
The Wolverines took a 2-0 lead.
Shortly after, UC San Diego drove down the field and earned a penalty kick following a handball by Utah Valley. Eager to shift the momentum, Jonah Kawamura stepped up and confidently converted the penalty, blasting it into the left-side netting.
Suddenly, UC San Diego had a new life and needed just one more chance to complete the comeback, but Utah Valley had other plans. In the 84th minute, the Wolverines earned another set-piece opportunity from outside the box. This time, defender Nate Kovalcick lined up to take the free kick. He struck a beautiful shot that ricocheted off the crossbar and fell to the feet of Yehya, who volleyed it into the bottom right corner, sealing the victory for Utah Valley.
In their first home game of the season, the Wolverines extended their unbeaten streak to three games, with two wins and one draw.
