London Miller and Sadie Brockbank led the way for the Utah Valley women’s soccer team as they defeated the San José State Spartans 2-0 on Sept. 6 at Clyde Field.
Miller and Brockbank each scored a goal, while midfielders Heather Stainbrook, Ashley Hughes and Breanna Eves each added assists.
The match was physical from the start, with the teams combining for 10 fouls in the opening 20 minutes of play. The Spartans had a pair of chances in the opening minutes, but both were cleared without much trouble.
The Wolverines had their first scoring chance in the 25th minute when Julie Carter cut in from the right flank, but her left-footed shot was just over the crossbar. Stainbrook had another chance in the 28th minute, but her effort from just inside the 18-yard box was blocked by an SJSU defender.
The Spartans nearly took the lead in the 31st minute when defender Sabrina Nava was sent through on goal, but her shot was wide right.
Miller broke the deadlock in the 43rd minute when she fired her shot past SJSU keeper Autum Monty. A couple of passes from Hughes to Eves gave Miller the space she needed to score from about 10 yards out.
The Wolverines nearly doubled their lead immediately in the 44th minute, but the free kick by Stainbrook was cleared.
Following the half time break, the Spartans had a great chance to tie things up in the 49th minute when a long outlet pass found forward Evan House who had just one defender to beat. She was never able to get a shot away after a heavy touch was corralled by redshirt senior keeper Brooklyn Nielsen.
Brockbank doubled the lead for UVU in the 56th minute when she fired a rocket past Monty into the top-right corner. Stainbrook set up the goal as she weaved through the Spartan defense into the penalty area and left the ball for Brockbank, who scored the one-timer.
Stainbrook nearly scored in the 69th minute, but her shot was cleared from danger by a sliding tackle from an SJSU defender.
The Spartans had a prime chance to score in the 86th minute, but the shot by House hit the left post.
Following the victory, the Wolverines improved to 4-2 on the season. Their next match will be against another Mountain West Conference foe in the Boise State Broncos on Sept. 10 at Clyde Field. The match is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. MDT and can be streamed on ESPN+.
