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Utah Valley's Keegan Oyler approaches the ball during a men's college soccer match against UC Bakersfield at UCCU Stadium on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025.

Courtesy UVU Marketing

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Members of the Utah Valley men's soccer team celebrate a goal during a match against UC Bakersfield at UCCU Stadium on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025.

Courtesy UVU Marketing

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Four different Wolverines found the back of the net to lead Utah Valley to a 4-0 win over the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners on opening night at UCCU Stadium on Thursday.

Noah Pogue scored the first goal in the UCCU Stadium era to put UVU on top in the 27th minute and the Wolverines never looked back, rolling to a dominating win in all facets of the game.

“I liked the way we went about the whole game. I thought our effort and togetherness was massive today,” said head coach Kyle Beckerman. “I knew there’d be some nerves, but the effort and grind to work for each other really got us over the hump and got us playing our soccer.”

Nil Grau scored a goal and added an assist on his debut in a Wolverine shirt, all within the first half. Isaac Emojong and Alex Fritcher pitched in a pair of late goals to help Utah Valley pull away.

Keegan Oyler and Sharif Sayawu each pitched in a pair of assists, marking the first time two Wolverines each had two assists in the same game since 2021. Lewis Knecht also picked up an assist in his first game at the collegiate level.

Utah Valley held the Roadrunners without a single shot attempt until the 61st minute, and just one on goal all night. In all, the Wolverines out-shot CSUB 15-5 and 8-1 on goal.

The Wolverines had a couple of chances to open the scoring sooner, but weren’t able to find the finishing touches. In the 10th minute, Oyler had his shot from outside the box turned aside and Trevor Walk’s 15th minute strike was right at the keeper.

Pogue broke the deadlock in the 27th minute via a set piece. Oyler chipped a cross from the right flank to the far post for Grau, who centered it with the outside of his boot for Pogue, who tapped it in. “Leading up to the goal, we had a couple of chances and didn’t take advantage of them,” said Pogue. “I was just the lucky one who happened to be in the right place there. After that, the confidence was high, everyone was looser, you saw the momentum shift, and we started playing more free.”

An almost identical set piece in the 37th minute saw Grau double the Wolverine lead. From almost the same spot, Oyler lofted a cross for Grau, who this time volleyed it past the keeper.

Bakersfield had its only true chance of the game in the 61st minute off a giveaway just outside the 18. Chisom Ene took the errant pass and dribbled into the penalty area, but Kolby Sessions was able to turn it aside. CSUB had another shot in the 71st sail just over the crossbar.

The relentless Wolverine press turned in the third goal of the night in the 81st minute, as Sayawu dispossessed the keeper, allowing Emojong to tap it in for an easy finish.

A beautiful linkup play just outside the box capped the night in the 87th minute, as Knecht and Sayawu teed up Fritcher with a through ball, allowing the Wolverine captain to smash it in past the keeper at his near post.

The win extends Utah Valley’s impressive home opener streak to 12 — every single home opener in the program’s history. The Wolverines are also now 11-0-1 in season openers.

Utah Valley continues the season-opening homestand this Sunday at America First Field in Sandy against the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Kickoff is slated for 3 p.m. MDT, admission is free, and the first 200 fans will also receive a Kyle Beckerman bobblehead. The game will be streamed on ESPN+, with live stats available at GoUVU.com/stats.

Women’s soccer rally falls short at Kansas

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Utah Valley University women’s soccer battled back from an early deficit but came up just short in a 3-2 setback at No. 23 Kansas on Thursday night at Rock Chalk Park.

The Jayhawks (2-0) struck first just 34 seconds into the match when Lexi Watts slipped past a defender and scored to give KU the early advantage. The Wolverines (1-1) responded in the 22nd minute as Greta Davis sent a ball forward to Ruby Hladek, who delivered a perfectly placed pass to Faith Webber on the left side. Webber then fired a left-footed shot inside the far post to pull UVU even at 1-1.

Kansas quickly regained momentum two minutes later after Watts was fouled inside the box and converted the ensuing penalty kick to put the Jayhawks back on top. KU added to its lead in the 31st minute when a collision inside the box allowed Jordan Rowan’s shot to trickle into the net, making it 3-1.

Utah Valley continued to press and nearly completed a late rally. In the 85th minute, Marie Quentel’s corner kick found Hladek, who buried a header into the back of the net to bring UVU within a goal at 3-2. Despite controlling much of the second half, the Wolverines couldn’t find the equalizer.

“We were careless in some critical moments, and good teams will make you pay,” said Utah Valley head coach Chris Lemay. “But I’m really proud of the way we reacted, especially after the first one. We came back and tied it up, and in the whole second half I thought we were the much better team. Had we put two halves together like our second half, I think the result would have been different.”

UVU outshot Kansas 7-4 in the second half and finished with a 14-9 advantage overall. Hladek led the Wolverines with four shots, including two on frame, while Sadie Beardall added two shots, both on target. Goalkeeper Leah Wolf recorded four saves in the match.

“Walking out of here against a top-25 team, we felt like we were the better side in the second half,” Lemay said. “There’s a lot of good to take away, and that’s what we’re going to focus on as we prepare for our next one.”

Utah Valley now returns to Orem to host ACC foe California on Thursday, Aug. 28, at UCCU Stadium. The match will kick off at 7:30 p.m., following the UVU men’s game against Florida Gulf Coast at 5 p.m. Both contests will stream live on ESPN+. Tickets are available at GoUVU.com/Tickets.