The Utah Valley Wolverines shut out the Seattle U Redhawks 2-0 on Thursday, Oct. 22 at Clyde Field.
“It was a complete performance,” head coach Chris Lemay said. “From minute one to minute 90 I thought that we played some of the best soccer that we’ve played this year.”
Junior forward Julianna Carter and redshirt senior forward Amber Tripp found the back of the net for the Wolverines. The win clinches the Wolverines’ spot in the WAC tournament and brings them to a conference record of 4-1-2.
In the first half, the Wolverines looked to force the issue offensively. They had a plethora of chances beginning in the 24th minute. Sophomore defender Sydney Bushman attempted a header off of a corner that narrowly missed the left side of the post.
Moments later in the 26th minute, redshirt junior forward Sadie Brockbank fired a shot past a swarm of Redhawk defenders that caught too much air and went over the top of the net. With the Wolverines carrying all of the momentum on offense, a goal seemed inevitable. UVU finally found its first score in the 29th minute with a shot from Carter. Tripp threaded a lead pass through four Redhawk defenders finding the cutting Carter, who slid the shot past the keeper, knocking it in the lower right corner of the net.
The Wolverines continued to put pressure on the Redhawk defense in the first half. Carter had another chance in the 33rd minute that went high, sophomore midfielder Heather Stainbrook had a chance in the 35th minute that was off the mark and freshman defender Grace Beeston had a chance in the 41st minute that missed as well. Despite the missed opportunities, the Wolverines had plenty of chances and controlled the ball throughout the half. Coming into the match, UVU was 6-0 when leading at halftime.
The Redhawks came out with energy in the second half. In the 46th minute they looked to knock in the equalizer, however the attempt was easily saved by redshirt senior keeper Brooklyn Nielsen.
The Wolverines looked to continue pressuring the Seattle defense, attempting to find an opening. UVU almost found its second goal in the beginning of the 64th minute but the shot by Stainbrook was narrowly saved by Seattle keeper Jessica Berlin. Just moments later, off a deflected ball from Carter, Tripp chipped a shot into the top right of the goal, putting the Wolverines up 2-0.
The stifling Wolverine defense held the Redhawks at bay, forcing them into difficult shot attempts and keeping the ball away from the net. The Wolverines rode the momentum from Tripp’s second-half goal to victory, coming out on top 2-0.
The Wolverines host California Baptist on Saturday, Oct. 23 at Clyde Field. The match begins at 1 p.m. MDT and can be streamed on ESPN+.
