UVU tallies first WAC win, defeats NMSU 1-0
“We’re happy with the shutout, I thought we generated a lot of opportunities,” said UVU head coach Chris Lemay. “To be honest I didn’t think we were disciplined enough in front of the goal, had opportunities that should be goals. That can come back and bite us unless we sharpen it up a little bit.”
Utah Valley women’s soccer was back home Thursday night, Oct. 10, for a pink out game to support breast cancer awareness. They were also hosting their first WAC game of 2019, taking on the Aggies of New Mexico State. The Wolverines scored early and the defense would preserve the lone goal, winning by a score of 1-0.
“We’re happy with the shutout, I thought we generated a lot of opportunities,” said UVU head coach Chris Lemay. “To be honest I didn’t think we were disciplined enough in front of the goal, had opportunities that should be goals. That can come back and bite us unless we sharpen it up a little bit.”
Going into the matchup, UVU had an all-time record of 6-0-2 against the Aggies. The total combined score from their last two meetings is 8-2, which is considered a wide margin in soccer terms.
Bouncing back after a loss is something UVU has done well as of late. As the Wolverines have not lost back-to-back games in over a month.
Both teams shared control of the ball from the opening kick, but it would be the Wolverines who got on the board first. A goal in the 28th minute came courtesy of junior midfielder Amber Tripp. She was assisted by sophomore defender Megan Sullivan and freshman midfielder Heather Stainbrook.
Tripp now has four goals on the season following Thursday’s goal. She is also up to 10 total points.
The best chance to extend the lead in the second half for the Wolverines came in the 56th minute off of a free kick. The free kick found sophomore forward Julianna Carter in the box, but the shot by Carter to the bottom right found the keeper rather than the net. The second half proved that all the action was in the first as the defense locked in and preserved the lead.
It was evident that senior goalkeeper Allie Jara had the help of her defense on the evening, as she only needed to record one save in order to put up the clean sheet. Jara now has three clean sheets on the season. She’s also currently 35th in the nation in saves per game.
The Wolverines are now back to .500 at 6-6-1 and will stay home to host another WAC foe. California Baptist University comes to town on Saturday, Oct. 12, for the first time since 2005 before both programs were in the WAC. The start time for Saturday’s match will be 7:30 p.m. MST.