A wild, back-and-forth game went the Utah Valley women’s soccer team’s way, as they topped the Dixie State Trailblazers 3-2 on Saturday, Oct. 2 at Clyde Field in the latest rendition of the Old Hammer Rivalry.
Forwards Julie Carter and Sadie Brockbank both tallied a goal and an assist, while midfielder Heather Stainbrook got on the scoresheet with a goal of her own. Midfielder Breanna Dewaal also added an assist.
The Wolverines outshot the Trailblazers 20-4, with 10 of those shots being on goal. However, many of UVU’s shots on goal were directly at the goalkeeper and didn’t require much effort to block.
DSU took an early lead in the seventh minute when an errant back pass went out of play for a corner kick. Jill Bennett locked onto the corner from McKinley Barney and headed the shot into the top-left corner.
The Wolverines were able to bounce back quickly and scored an equalizer in the 13th minute that somehow found its way into the back of the net. Brockbank sent in a cross from the right corner, which was clipped ever so slightly by Carter and trickled past the DSU goalkeeper just inside the left post.
Neither side was able to break the deadlock before halftime, but the Wolverines were able to pull ahead shortly after intermission. In the 54th minute, Carter cut inside from the right flank, drawing in a couple of Trailblazer defenders. She was then able to pass it back to Stainbrook who fired her shot over the goalkeeper to put UVU in front.
The Wolverines were able to double their lead in the 66th minute when Dewaal set up Brockbank for a goal. Brockbank corralled Dewaal’s cross from the left corner, spun to her right to create space, and fired her shot past the keeper into the bottom-left corner.
DSU cut into the UVU lead in the 84th minute off of a free kick. The initial pass was headed back across goal by Barney, and forward Brynlee Roberts was able to sneak the shot past goalkeeper Brooklyn Nielsen.
The Trailblazers had new life as they tried to find an equalizer in the final six minutes, but their aggressiveness nearly led to another UVU goal. After earning a free kick deep in DSU territory in the 88th minute, forward Nicole Ray almost found the back of the net on the ensuing set piece, but her shot hit the woodwork and stayed out.
With the victory the Wolverines improved to 7-4-1 on the season, with a 2-0-1 record in WAC play. They are level at 7 points with Grand Canyon atop the WAC West division standings, who hold a slim lead by virtue of goal differential.
After completing their longest home stand of the season, the Wolverines will head out on their longest road trip of the season. The Wolverines will begin their three-game road swing with a trip to Riverside, California to take on the Cal Baptist Lancers on Oct. 8. The match is scheduled to kick off at 3 p.m. MDT and can be streamed on ESPN+.
