By: Jessica Whalen, Sports Writer, jlhwhalen@gmail.com Additional Reporting by: Kyle Spencer
The Wolverines were tied for first place in the Western Athletic Conference, riding a four-game winning streak heading into the first matchup of the season with Idaho.
UVU sat 6-5 overall and 3-0 in the WAC, yet with two consecutive losses, the Wolverines dropped to second place in a three-way tie.
The team suffered its first conference defeat of the year at the hands of the Vandals, 1-0. The Wolverines were then dealt their second WAC loss of the season to first-place Seattle University, 2-0 at Clyde Field. For the first time this season, UVU was held goalless in two straight games and fell to 0-5 all-time versus Seattle.
There were optimal scoring chances for the Wolverines; however, they were not able to capitalize on them. Natalie Baker led the team with four shots, while Lexi Dunn and Haley Curtis both had three. Despite the UVU’s 14-shot total, it was unable to break through.
Next up for the Wolverines was New Mexico State, the last fixture of the four-game homestand. UVU rebounded from its two narrow setbacks to tie the Aggies 2-2. Kali Stubbs scored two first-half goals, and now leads the team with six finishes this year. The two-goal advantage lasted through halftime up until NMSU pulled one back in the 54th minute and knotted the match at 2-2 under 15 minutes later.
UVU continued to push forward in search of a game-winner, but were unable to re-seize the lead. The Wolverines now sit atop the conference in shots.
“We started off really well, but we’ve got to play a complete game,” said head coach Brent Anderson. “We had a mentality in the second half that we had the game in the bag and we relaxed and let the game slip away. It was disappointing to see a great first half spoiled by a bad second half.”
Led by goalkeeper Lauren Sack, UVU also ranks first in the WAC in saves, and are second only to Seattle in goals allowed. A rematch with the first-place Redhawks was played in Seattle Oct. 18, and the Wolverines follow it up with a chance for revenge on the road against Idaho Monday, Oct. 20.
The Wolverines will return home after the back-to-back away contests to host Grand Canyon on Oct. 25 at Clyde Field.
