The Utah Valley women’s soccer team has been on a roll lately, winning three consecutive games and extending their unbeaten streak to seven matches. The Wolverines defeated Western Athletic Conference (WAC) rival UTRGV 4-1 on Saturday night at Clyde Field, scoring four goals for the second time this season.
Webber Leads the Way with Two Goals
Faith Webber, the junior forward from Orem, Utah, scored two goals in the first half to give the Wolverines a 2-0 lead. Webber now has 14 goals this season, tying her own UVU single-season record set last year. She also ranks in the top five nationally in scoring, averaging 1.17 goals per game.
Webber’s first goal came in the 13th minute, when she received a pass from Sadie Brockbank and fired a shot from the top of the box that beat the UTRGV goalkeeper. Her second goal came in the 38th minute, when she ran onto a through ball from Amber Tripp and slotted it past the keeper.
Webber has been a consistent threat for the Wolverines, scoring in nine of their 12 games this season. She also has five multi-goal games, including a hat trick against Chicago State on Sept. 25.
UTRGV Pulls One Back Before Halftime
The Vaqueros did not give up easily, and managed to score a goal before halftime to cut the deficit to 2-1. In the 42nd minute, UTRGV’s Jazmin Grant crossed the ball from the right wing to the far post, where Maricarmen Reyes headed it into the net.
Reyes is the leading scorer for UTRGV this season, with six goals and two assists. She also scored the only goal for the Vaqueros in their previous game, a 1-0 win over Dixie State on Sept. 30.
Wolverines Seal the Win with Two More Goals
The second half was dominated by the Wolverines, who added two more goals to secure the victory. In the 53rd minute, Sydney Bushman scored her first goal of the season, heading in a corner kick from Kathryn Wynn. In the 74th minute, Amber Tripp scored her fourth goal of the season, finishing a cross from Julianna Carter.
The Wolverines outshot the Vaqueros 34-6 on the night, including 21-2 on target. They also had more corner kicks (7-4) and fouls (11-9). The 34 shots tied for the ninth-most in a single game in UVU history, and marked the second-most in the Chris Lemay era.
Wolverines Remain Unbeaten in WAC Play
With the win, Utah Valley improved to 6-3-4 overall and 3-0-1 in WAC play. The Wolverines are currently in second place in the conference standings, behind Seattle U (4-0). They have not lost a game since Sept. 9, when they fell to No. 13 BYU 4-2.
UTRGV dropped to 3-7-2 overall and 1-3-0 in WAC play. The Vaqueros are in eighth place in the conference standings, ahead of Chicago State (0-4). They have lost three of their last four games, scoring only two goals in that span.
Utah Valley will now hit the road for two WAC matches at Tarleton State and Abilene Christian next week. The Wolverines will face Tarleton State on Oct. 5 and Abilene Christian on Oct. 8. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+.
