Utah Valley travels to Bakersfield, Calif., on Saturday to renew an old conference rivalry, facing off with the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners with an opportunity to clinch the team’s first league title in 10 years.
Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. MDT, and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+. Live stats will be available at GoRunners.com.
Entering Saturday’s match, Utah Valley sits a point behind first-place UC Irvine, who wrapped up its conference slate last week with a win over UC Santa Barbara. A draw versus CSUB would give both UVU and UCI a share of the title, while a win would give the Wolverines the title outright.
GAME DAY INFO
MATCHUP: Utah Valley (9-2-3, 4-1 BW) at Cal State Bakersfield (5-3-7, 1-0-4 BW)
KICKOFF: 8 p.m. MDT
LIVE STREAMS: ESPN+ / Big West International
LIVE STATS: GoRunners.com
LAST TIME OUT
Utah Valley picked up its first win over a ranked team at home in nine years, shutting down the No. 21 Oregon State Beavers in a 1-0 win. The Wolverine defense kept one of the nation’s best offenses at bay, holding the Beavers to two shots on goal and seven overall.
Oregon State came into Saturday’s match ranking eighth in the nation averaging 2.60 goals per game, while Beaver striker Wyatt Borso was second individually with 13 goals this season. OSU’s two shots on goal were the fewest UVU allowed since UCI had one back on Sept. 30.
Jose Luis Martin Montealegre scored the game-winner for the Wolverines in the 84th minute, his team-leading sixth of the season. Montealegre has a goal contribution in five of his last six games, including a goal in three of the last four.
Utah Valley improved its team goals-against average to 0.93, the team’s best rate since the 2016 WAC Championship team that allowed an average of 0.79 goals per game. The Wolverines have allowed just two goals at home all season, and just one in the run of play, in the team’s first game of the year against Pacific. UVU has gone 393 minutes without allowing a goal at home, and 548 minutes without allowing an open-play goal.
Utah Valley is receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches poll for the second-straight week, checking in one spot outside the top 25. The Wolverines have not been ranked this late in the season since 2016. UVU enters the weekend ranking 39th in the RPI. The last teams in the NCAA Tournament each of the last few seasons have been in the mid- to upper-30s.
SCOUTING THE ROADRUNNERS
CSUB has proven to be a tough team to beat, entering Saturday’s match as the last remaining unbeaten team in the league at 1-0-4. The ‘Runners finally picked up their first league win last Saturday against Cal State Fullerton after drawing their previous four. CSUB picked up a statement win at then-No. 22 Oregon State back on Oct. 14. Filip Arras and Oshea Foster are the team’s top scoring threats with five goals apiece.
SERIES HISTORY VS CSUB
An old WAC rival from 2014-19, Utah Valley holds a 5-2-1 advantage over the ‘Runners, including a 4-0 rout in the inaugural game at UCCU Stadium last season. Noah Pogue and Nil Grau each scored in the first half for UVU in that match. The series is much more even in Bakersfield, however, with the Wolverines holding a 2-1-1 edge. UVU has never allowed more than one goal in a game against the Roadrunners.
CALCULATED AGGRESSION
Entering Saturday’s match, Utah Valley leads The Big West and ranks 6th nationally in fouls committed per game at 14.57. The Wolverines rank last in the league in yellow cards with 31, averaging just over two a game.
WHOLE SQUAD GETTING INVOLVED
Entering Saturday, 19 different Wolverines have secured a goal contribution, one off the team record of 20 set in 2019. Additionally, every single one of the team’s goals this season — including the own goal at Marshall, set up by Luca Wingaa Laursen — have been scored or assisted by an international player.
UP NEXT
The Wolverines have clinched at least one more home game at UCCU Stadium. Utah Valley will host The Big West Championship semifinals on Nov. 7, with kickoff scheduled for 2 p.m. MDT.