BYU will face soon-to-be Big 12 foe Arizona State in the opening round of the 2023 Vegas Showdown, ESPN Events announced on Tuesday afternoon. The four-team tournament will take place November 23-24 at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas.

Vanderbilt and NC State open tournament play on Thursday, November 23, at 7 p.m. PT followed by the Cougars and Sun Devils at 9 p.m. PT. Both games will air on ESPN2.

The third-place game is scheduled to be played on Friday, November 24, at 4:30 p.m. PT with the championship game set for 6:30 p.m. PT.

The late night Thanksgiving matchup between the Cougars and Sun Devils will be their 45th all-time meeting and first since December 8, 2009 when Jackson Emery and Tyler Haws combined for 34 points in a 81-68 victory for the Cougars. BYU leads the all-time series 25-19 includirecord of 1-2 in neutral site contests.

Tickets for the tournament go on sale Friday, August 11, at 11 a.m. MT and can be purchased at axs.com.

UVU men’s soccer adds former Westlake star

Utah Valley men’s soccer head coach Kyle Beckerman has announced the addition of eight Wolverines to the 2023 squad, including three defenders, four midfielders, and one forward. With the eight new additions, the 2023 roster is finalized with 12 newcomers in total.

Joining the midfield are Alex Fritcher (Lindon, Utah/Salt Lake CC), Omar Yehya (Redlands, Calif./Saint Mary’s), Gabriel Goransson (Burlington, Ontario/Sigma FC) and Ethan Kovach (Las Vegas, Nevada/Univ. of Redlands).

Shoring up the back line are Tom Dobek-Pietrowski (Düsseldorf, Germany/Mawianka Mawa), Floris van Nijnanten (Amsterdam, Netherlands/Nova Southeastern), and Jack Borden (Stockton, New Jersey/Lafayette).

Italian forward Michele Signorelli (Villongo, Bergamo, Italy/St. Francis Brooklyn) is the lone forward of the group.

Fritcher, a local product out of Lindon, played one season at Salt Lake CC after returning from his two-year LDS mission to Guatemala. Fritcher appeared in 16 games in 2022 for the Bruins, including six starts, and recorded one goal and one assist. Fritcher was teammates with current Wolverines Zach Lifferth and Parker Allen at Westlake HS and on the Utah Storm club team.

Dobek-Pietrowski was most recently playing for Polish club Mawianka Mawa of the III Liga in Poland. Dobek-Pietrowski’s prior club experience includes stints at MKS Piaseczno, Swit Nowy Dwor Mazowiecki, Polonia Warsaw, and hometown club BV 04 Düsseldorf.

Van Nijnanten, transfer from Division II Nova Southeastern in Florida, was a key member of the NSU team that made a run to the D-II Final Four in 2021. Van Nijnanten logged over 1,300 minutes in both his seasons at NSU, and was 4th on the team in minutes played in 2022. Prior to coming to the US, Van Nijnanten trained at the NAC Breda Academy in the Netherlands, where he was the captain of the U-14 through U-17 teams as he moved his way up the academy.

Borden, a junior transfer from Lafayette College of the Patriot League, appeared in 25 games for the Leopards with 13 starts, and recorded one goal with three assists. Borden’s academy experience came with the Match Fit Academy, New York Red Bulls Academy and New Jersey ODP teams.

Yehya, a redshirt junior, played in seven games last year for the Gaels, tallying four goals and two assists. Prior to Saint Mary’s, Yehya spent three years at Cal State Fullerton, including a redshirt season in 2019 and the spring 2021 season that CSUF did not play due to COVID. Yehya appeared in five games for the Titans in the fall 2021 season, registering one assist. Yehya played for his hometown club, Redlands FC, this summer in the USL League 2, and was named to the Top 10 Player list and Best XI of the Month.

Goransson, an incoming freshman, most recently played for Sigma FC, a semi-pro team in the Canadian third tier. Goransson attended Corpus Christi, a Catholic secondary school in his hometown of Burlington.

Kovach, a grad transfer from Las Vegas, spent the last four years at the University of Redlands, where he appeared in 54 games and started 49. Kovach tallied 14 goals and 12 assists in his three seasons played, and was named All-SCIAC first team and United Soccer Coaches All-Region third team in 2021. Kovach was teammates with fellow newcomer Omar Yehya this summer at Redlands FC.

Signorelli, a grad transfer out of Italy, is entering his fifth season of collegiate soccer. Signorelli played the 2022 season at St. Francis Brooklyn, where he scored five goals in 16 games and earned NEC All-Tournament accolades. Prior to St. Francis, Signorelli played three seasons at Arizona Western, including the spring 2021 COVID season. Signorelli scored 43 goals and added six assists in 58 games played over his three seasons, garnering NJCAA All-America, All-Region, and All-ACCAC honors in 2021.

Utah Valley opens the regular season on August 24 against former WAC foe Kansas City. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m., and the match will be streamed live on ESPN+.

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