Wolverines notches third OT win of the season
Brad Curnow | Sports Writer | @jojocornrow
OREM, Utah – After a fast-paced, physical match, Utah Valley University prevailed over the Air Force Academy 2-1 off of Skylar Milne’s golden goal 1:51 into overtime on Friday night at Clyde Field.
In front of a home crowd of 1,460 fans, the Wolverines were able to show tenacity and grit to earn their first victory as the 25th-ranked team in the nation.
UVU held control for the vast majority of the first half of play and put an aggressive attack on the Air Force goal taking 10 shots with five on goal. The Wolverines played their usual brand of tenacious defense, but the Falcons managed to get one shot into the net just before the first half came to an end.
The Cadets matched the Wolverines’ speed step for step through the entire match and neutralized every attempt at getting a break ahead of the defense.
Austin Buxton leveled the match in the 66’ off an assist by Karson Payton by posting up his defender at the top of the box, spinning around him, and putting the ball on the back left post. “Credit to the guys for coming out and getting a great goal,” said Head Coach Greg Maas. “Austin Buxton turning the defender with a tremendous finish to the back post, putting us in a position where we continued to press forward. I was happy with our response.”
In a short extra period, a scrum gathered at the mouth of the Air Force goal, where Skylar Milne found a rebound off an Austin Buxton header and put the ball into the back of an empty net for the win.
“I’ve been asking for that type of goal to be scored all year long,” said Coach Maas.
The Wolverines improved to 8-2-0 on the season and look ahead to play Missouri-Kansas City at Clyde Field at 1 pm MT on Sunday.
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