Utah Valley University’s men’s soccer team (1-0-0) secured a 3-1 comeback victory against Sacramento State University (0-0-1) on Thursday night, earning its first win of the season.
Hoping to start the season on a high note, the Wolverines overcame an early deficit to defeat Sacramento State and comfortably take all three points.
Utah Valley showed little sign of nerves at the start in Sacramento but quickly settled after going down early. Freshmen Isaac Emojong, Keith Willey and captain Omar Yehya all found the back of the net, with Emojong scoring a stunning goal from outside the 18-yard box.
“I thought our team did super well keeping our heads and responding to going down early,” Yehya said. “We didn’t panic and trusted our staff and the system they have us running.”
The Wolverines began the game confidently, building out of the back and patiently progressing into the attack. However, first-game jitters struck in the fourth minute when Sacramento State’s Donovan Sessoms capitalized on an early chance.
The Hornets took an early 1-0 lead.
Emojong had other ideas about trailing early. In the 33rd minute, he unleashed a perfectly placed shot that flew past the Hornets defense and goalkeeper, finding the right-side netting to level the game.
“I’m very happy and grateful for the opportunity to start as a freshman,” Emojong said. “Scoring was a great moment for me personally, but I’m even more thankful that I was able to contribute to the team’s success and I’m excited to keep improving.”
Utah Valley ended the first half with 15 shots, but only five were on target. Despite managing just one goal, Kyle Beckerman’s side looked promising toward the end of the half, building crucial momentum going into the second period.
Both sides were eager to claim all three points in the second half, but Utah Valley dominated the latter stages of the match. In the 79th minute, Naime Odeh delivered a dangerous cross into the box, eventually finding the foot of Willey.
After battling all game, the Wolverines took the lead, 2-1.
Shortly after, in the 81st minute, Yehya found himself with plenty of space. Using his speed to beat the defense, Yehya carried the ball all the way to the Hornets’ net, finishing to seal the win for Utah Valley.
“I got the ball and space and just knew this is what I live for,” Yehea said on his game-sealing goal. “Anytime I can show off my pace and run at their back line I want it to finish with a shot on target so I just told myself to get to goal and crush it on target.”
UVU will be in action again on Saturday, Aug. 29 as they visit UC Davis. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.
