The Utah Valley University Wolverines scored just seven minutes into the game and held on to preserve a 1-0 victory over the Cal Baptist University Lancers, remaining undefeated through five WAC conference matches. Senior midfielder Alec Felix fired home the goal amidst a number of CBU defenders to put the Wolverines ahead for good.
The contest marked the first time that CBU ventured to Orem to take on the Wolverines, with the first-ever meeting between the two schools taking place last season. UVU traveled down to Riverside, California and came home with a victory over the Lancers.
After fighting to possess the ball deep in CBU territory, junior midfielder Zach Maas was awarded a throw-in from the sideline. Maas hurled the ball deep into the box as multiple Wolverines rallied to get a good shot towards the net. After CBU defenders were able to fend off a few strikes, Felix stepped forward and hammered the ball into the back of the net.
Holding on to the lead was no easy task for UVU. The second half proved to be extremely difficult and the referee let both teams play physically, leading to some sloppy play on both sides. UVU looked especially out of sync at times in the second half.
“Good teams learn how to win when they don’t play well,” said UVU head coach Greg Maas. “To be honest, I don’t think we played great, but we did show great spirit and good fight to grind out a win against a good team that had a little extra rest then we did.”
“We survived the day and that’s all that matters,” said Maas.
For Felix, it was his third goal of the season, this being the second of the game winner category. Senior midfielder Luis Vargas was credited with the assist, moving to second on the team with his third assist of the season.
The Wolverines continue WAC play on the road against Kansas City on Saturday, Oct. 19. at 6 p.m. MST.
