UVU moves past NMSU 2-0, stays atop WAC West Division standings
The Wolverines rolled to their sixth conference victory beating New Mexico State Thursday night 2-0. UVU was led by freshman midfielder Nicole Ray and sophomore midfielder Heather Stainbrook who each recorded a goal for their side.
“We’re certainly pleased with the performance of our team tonight,” said Utah Valley head coach Chris Lemay. “We couldn’t be happier to pick up our 10th shutout of the season. It just shows how well we defend and the impact that Brooklyn Nielsen has in the box for us. We’re really excited for Saturday night and have put ourselves in a position to earn the No. 1 seed and win a back-to-back WAC regular season championship.”
UVU has excelled defensively this season as they completed their fourth clean sheet in a row. The Wolverines also dominated possession and found more opportunities at the net as they led NMSU in shots on goal 7-3.
The first goal came in the 19th minute when junior forward Juliana Carter sent a cross into the box that was headed by senior forward Amber Tripp. Ray found the ball mid-flight and got her head on it to send it into the back of the net for her fifth goal of the season.
UVU would steal another goal shortly after halftime on a heads-up play by senior midfielder Breanna DeWaal. DeWaal quickly threw the ball into Carter while the Aggie defense was still getting set and Carter was able to cross it to the middle of the pitch. NMSU keeper Makenna Gottschalk deflected the ball out to the top of the box but Stainbrook was right there to put it in for the Wolverines second goal of the match.
The Wolverines have now won four straight games and find themselves in the driver’s seat in WAC play. They control their own destiny and can clinch the top spot in the WAC tournament and a bye in the first round with a win or tie at Grand Canyon on Saturday Oct. 30.
UVU and GCU will take the pitch in Phoenix at 7 p.m. mountain time and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
Brice Larson is currently a Junior at UVU majoring in communications with an emphasis in journalism and media studies. He enjoys everything about sports and one day hopes to become a college football analyst and play by play commentator.