The Beach outshot the Cougars 14-5 and also had six corner kicks to BYU’s one.

In a physical battle in Long Beach, 18 fouls were called and BYU’s MacKenzee Vance and Lucy Kessler were each awarded yellow cards.

Sophomore Addie Gardner had her third career goal tonight, her first since 2021. Junior Allie Fryer tallied the assist, her first of the 2024 season.

In the first half, the Beach came out strong with two shots in the first eight minutes of the match. BYU’s backline stepped up with key defensive stops by center backs Tara Warner and Avery Frischknecht.

LBSU held most of the possession through the first 30 minutes on the pitch, taking four shots to BYU’s one.

BYU’s first shot on goal came in the 34th minute when Sierra Pennock fired into the bottom left side of the goal, forcing the LBSU goalkeeper to make a diving save.

In the 38th minute, Long Beach State’s Kassandra Ceja took a shot from the top of the 18, forcing BYU keeper Lynette Hernaez to make her first save of the game.

While the score remained 0-0 heading into halftime, LBSU had the advantage with nine shots to BYU’s three. Even though The Beach led in shots, both teams had just one shot on goal apiece through the first 45.

BYU opened the second half with a corner kick, cleared out by LBSU’s backline. The Beach answered with two corner kicks of their own, cleared after bouncing around in the box.

In the 67th minute, Fryer dribbled up the left side of the pitch and sent a cross into the box, deflected by LBSU’s defense, to the feet of Gardner who passed the ball into the empty net for a 1-0 lead.

The Beach answered with an attempt on goal from inside the six-yard box, saved by Hernaez. Just minutes later, LBSU’s forward Makayla Demelo scored the equalizer with another shot from inside the box.

In the 88th minute, BYU’s Kessler was called for a foul, and Long Beach was given a free kick outside the 18-yard box. The shot off the free kick was fired into the left corner of the net, forcing Hernaez to make another diving save, her second of the night.

Unable to put another ball in the net, the Cougars tied their second consecutive game on Saturday evening in Long Beach.

The Cougars finish their three-game road trip at UCLA on Wednesday, Aug. 28. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. MT at Wallis Annenberg Stadium in Los Angeles, California.

UVU women’s soccer can’t stay with No. 21 Virginia

Utah Valley wrapped up its 14-day road trip with a 5-0 loss to No. 21 Virginia on Sunday afternoon at Klöckner Stadium.

The Wolverines fall to 2-1-1 on the season, with all of their matches played on the road thus far. The team now returns home for its official home opener at Clyde Field on Saturday, Aug. 31, against Long Beach State. Virginia, coming off a win over No. 3 Penn State on Thursday, remains perfect at 4-0-0.

“Virginia is a very good team and they showed that today,” said Utah Valley head coach Chris Lemay. “I thought we played at about a six out of 10 to our capability today and only a 10 would have given us a chance at a favorable result. We had moments where we created chances and could have made it a more competitive game, especially in the first half. Ultimately, this road trip has prepared us for the challenges ahead, and we’re excited to get back home to Clyde Field and open up our season in front of our fans.”

Virginia scored two quick goals in the ninth and 10th minutes to take a 2-0 lead. Utah Valley nearly cut into the deficit in the 19th minute, but Manthy Brady’s shot bounced off the post.

The Cavaliers added three goals in the second half, scoring in the 48th, 60th, and 75th minutes.

Virginia outshot Utah Valley 24-5, with a 12-0 advantage in shots on goal. The Cavaliers also held an 8-3 edge in corner kicks. Faith Webber, Ruby Hladek, Kate Shirts, Marie Quentel, and Brady each recorded a shot for UVU.

Utah Valley now looks forward to its home opener against Long Beach State on Aug. 31 at 4 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

Wolverine women’s volleyball loses to Utah in exhibition

Utah Valley University fell on Saturday afternoon in a five-set battle with the University of Utah at the Jon M. Huntsman Center. The match was the final exhibition of the season after the scrimmage on Wednesday inside Lockhart Arena.

“When you start the season against a good team like Utah, it presents a lot of challenges. I felt like, for the most part, we did a good job of handling the challenges,” said UVU head coach Sam Atoa. “I’m excited about the season and what lies ahead for us; we have limitless potential for what this season could bring.”

The Wolverines were picked third in the WAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll, which was announced on Friday. Lani Matavao was named the league’s Preseason Libero of the Year, and Avery Shewell was named to the Preseason All-WAC team.

UVU will officially open the 2024 season on Aug. 30, when they host Eastern Washington at noon inside Lockhart Arena as part of the Utah Valley Invitational. They will play Kansas City at 7:00 p.m. MT that night before wrapping up the opening weekend with a Saturday 2:00 p.m. MT contest with CSU Bakersfield.