OREM, Utah — Utah Valley (6-4-1, 2-0-0) defeated Abilene Christian (4-7-0, 0-2-0) with a decisive 5-1 victory on Saturday at UCCU Stadium. Utah Valley scored three first-half goals, securing the lead and maintaining momentum throughout the match.
The match began with the Wolverines' offensive pressure evident early on. Faith Webber scored in the 6th minute, putting Utah Valley ahead. Josie Shepherd extended the lead to 2-0 in the 17th minute. Ruby Hladek, assisted by Nixan Jackson, added a third goal for Utah Valley in the 24th minute. The Wildcats' goalkeeper
Bella Medrano was active, making several saves against an aggressive Utah Valley offense.
ACU added a goal from
Hannah Vetromile in the 80th minute, assisted by
Raelin Miller. It was Vetromile's first goal of the season. She is the fifth different Wildcat to score in 2025.
"Hats off to Utah Valley as they're the best team we've faced all season," ACU head coach
Stephen Salas said. "They put us under real pressure in our box and capitalized on our turnovers. In the second half we settled in, moved the ball better, and created more rhythm. Raelin did a great job winning the ball, which led to a well-placed cross and a perfectly timed back-post run by
Hannah Vetromile for a strong finish."
Medrano recorded 10 saves, facing 39 shots in the match.
Utah Valley was voted as the favorite to win the WAC in the preseason coaches poll.
UP NEXT
ACU plays its first home match in three weeks when Utah Tech comes to Abilene on Thursday, Oct. 2, at 7 p.m. The match will serve as the Wildcats' Purple Game.
The weekend concludes with a Senior Day match versus Southern Utah on Sunday, Oct. 5 at 1 p.m.
"We're excited to be back home for the next two games and are calling on our community to rally behind us as we look to stay unbeaten at home in these crucial conference matchups,"said Salas. "We know we have another gear to reach, and we're determined to find it."
