Women’s soccer: Dewaal scores game-winning goal as UVU tops GCU 1-0

Photo by Devan Bennett

OREM — In the final home match of the year, the UVU women’s soccer team defeated the
Grand Canyon Antelopes by the score of 1-0 at Clyde Field Friday night. Breanna Dewaal scored
the game-winning goal for the Wolverines in the 74 minute. The Wolverines have now won four
matches in a row.

The win improves UVU’s record to 8-10- 0, and 4-1- 0 in WAC play. The loss drops the Antelopes’
record to 4-12- 1, and 1-4- 0 in WAC play. The win puts the Wolverines alone in second place in
the WAC standings.

“I thought our players closed out the game well,” UVU head coach Chris Lemay said. “We had
been in situations where we had been up a goal before and not been able to finish it off.”

The game-winning goal came after UVU earned a corner kick on the left side of the field.
Dewaal played the short corner kick pass to Laken Flinders, who quickly returned the ball to
Dewaal. After beating a defender into the penalty area, Dewaal shot with her left foot and the
ball sailed over GCU keeper Blakely Fraasch in the top right corner. The goal was Dewaal’s
eighth of the season, and she has now scored in three consecutive matches.

“We’ve earned a lot of corner kicks this year, and we’ve run a lot of variations off the corners,
so to score a goal off a set piece was sweet,” Lemay said.

On the defensive side of the field, the UVU backline defended countless long passes on its way
to a shutout, as the strategy from GCU was to pass the ball over the Wolverine
defenders toward the goal. Brooklyn Nielsen played all 90 minutes in goal for the Wolverines,
saving two shots, including a direct shot in the first minute of the match.

UVU ends the season with a 5-1- 0 home record. To finish out the season, UVU will play its final
two matches on the road. The Wolverines travel to CSU Bakersfield on Oct. 22, and then at
Seattle Oct. 28.