OREM – If the first week of school wasn’t exciting enough, look to the men’s soccer season opener against the Pacific Tigers. A game of inches throughout, the Wolverines closed 2-1, with 7 shots on goal to the Tigers 1.
The match started with the Wolverines controlling the ball which zigzagged from green jersey to green jersey. These efforts culminated in a 10th minute goal by junior Naime Odeh, which was his first collegiate goal.
The lead wouldn’t last long as the Tigers took advantage of the Wolverine’s defense and freshman Fateh Singh scores a goal in the 12th minute.
Now, the game of inches—Passes made to another just barely short of the offense. Shots taken and blocked by the Tigers’ goalie, sophomore Alejandro Caracheo Luna, who racked up a total of 5 saves. UVU would go on to take a total of 19 shots, with 7 of those being shots on goal.
The momentum was in UVU’s hands (or cleats), but something hadn’t clicked. When the half time whistle sounded, the Wolverines needed to adjust.
“We just talked about being tighter, not being flat in the back,” said first time head coach Michael Chesler. “The guys did a great job, went out winning the first one and providing cover when a guy went up on us.”
Coming out of the locker room, the Wolverines took their coaches’ advice. "The whole team is here for a reason,” said senior midfielder Jose Luis Martin Montealegre. “We all set out to win, go for a big west championship; a run in the NCAA championship. Just the grit, the team chemistry. We all fight for each other, so I think that pushed us to change and be better in the second half”
In said second half, both teams were deadlocked. UVU kept the ball in the Tiger’s side, with space enough to prevent the opposing offense from scoring. They passed and kept the ball in their control, leading eventually to a pass from junior Owen Knecht straight to Montealegre, who headed it into the goal in the 77th minute.
“I struggled with finishing last year, so getting a goal in the first game back feels awesome.”
As the school year begins, perhaps we should play like our men’s soccer team and “fight for each other,” and maybe that will “push us to change and be better” as well.
Starting this season off, the Wolverines maintain their streak of 13 wins in a season home opener.
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