The Utah Valley women’s soccer team closed out their exhibition schedule with a 4-0 win against the Southern Utah Thunderbirds on Jan. 30 at the RSL Zions Bank Indoor Training Field in Herriman.
UVU dominated possession for most of the game, logging 13 shots on goal compared to just three for the Thunderbirds. Junior forward Julie Carter scored twice to help lead the Wolverines to victory.
Freshman midfielder Nicole Ray nearly opened the scoring for the Wolverines in the sixth minute, but her left-footed strike was saved by SUU keeper Jennifer Kovisto at the left post.
Following a Thunderbird corner kick, Carter found the back of the net for the Wolverines in the 20th minute on a counterattack thanks to a long pass from senior midfielder Amber Tripp.
Sophomore defender Jenna Shepherd nearly doubled the lead for UVU in the 32nd minute but her header found the woodwork and went out of play. The Wolverines were able to take advantage of some sloppy defense by the Thunderbirds immediately after, however, and Heather Stainbrook slotted a goal in the bottom-left corner from 18 yards out.
Neither team was able to generate any scoring chances for the remainder of the first half, keeping the score at 2-0. SUU came out of the intermission with more energy and immediately put more pressure on UVU. Within the first five minutes, the Thunderbirds forced two saves out of senior goalie Brooklyn Nielsen and another shot found the side netting.
Carter nearly scored her second of the day in the 66th minute, but an acrobatic save from Kovisto kept the Thunderbirds at a two-goal deficit.
Shepherd would get on the scoresheet in the 73rd minute after her header found its way past Kovisto. Carter got her second goal a minute later after a pair of passes from sophomore defender Nicole Olanda and Tripp created an opening for her inside the six-yard box.
The Wolverines will open their regular season with a trip to Boca Raton, Florida to face Florida Atlantic on Feb. 4 at 4 p.m. MDT.
