Wolverines suffer first defeat of the season at #8 Washington

The Utah Valley men’s soccer club fell on the road in Seattle, Washington against the #8 Washington Huskies 4-1 on Friday, Sep. 2. Despite four huge saves from Wolverine goalie Jason Smith in the first half, the team conceded four quick second-half goals and were unable to recover.

In the first half, the Wolverines were able to stifle a dynamic Huskie offense. Despite allowing eight shots in the period, only four were on target, all of which were saved by Smith. 

Offensively, the Wolverines struggled to keep possession and get quality chances. UVU managed only three shots in the first half and only one on frame. The Wolverine’s lone shot on goal came in the 32nd minute from Diego Castillo, who launched a shot towards the bottom right side of the net but was blocked. Despite the offensive struggle, both teams were knotted at 0-0 heading into the break.

In the second half of the play, things went awry quickly for the Wolverines. In just the first minute after the whistle, the Huskies broke through and scored the first goal of the match. Four minutes later, UW would find their second goal of the match, taking a 2-0 lead.

Completely in control on offense, UW went on to score back-to-back goals in the 62nd and 63rd minutes of play. Falling behind 4-0, there was little hope for a comeback for the Wolverines.

In the 77th minute, Diego Sanchez found Mark Andros who fired a shot into the back of the net for the Wolverines, cutting the deficit to three. Ultimately a three-goal deficit was too much to overcome in the waning minutes of the match and the Wolverine fell 4-1.

Utah Valley now falls to 1-1-1 on the season, with their next matchup coming against California State University Northridge in Northridge California. The match takes place on Thursday, Sep. 8 at 6 p.m. MT and can be streamed on ESPN+.

Nathan Jackson | @nathanj131

Sports Editor and Senior Staff Writer

Senior at Utah Valley University majoring in applied communications.