Huskies Fall To Utah Valley In Season Opener, 2-1

Friday, August 26

Orem, Utah

6:30 PM

University of Washington

0-1-0

Utah Valley

1-0-0

Washington

Utah Valley

August 26, 2016 | Men's Soccer

Box Score Washington at Utah Valley Final Box

OREM, UTAH, - The University of Washington men's soccer team opened up the 2016 season with a 2-1 loss at Utah Valley University.

"I'm very proud of our team," Washington head coach Jamie Clark said. "We came on the road to a top 20 opponent and really imposed our will for nearly the entire match."

The first half of the game showed consistent possession from both sides, but the first breakthrough of the game came for Utah Valley in the thirteenth minute of the game. Off a husky corner kick, the Wolverines transitioned on a quick counter attack and Paul Hoffmeister finished off the play from 12 yards.

Just three minutes later, after David Coly got fouled in the box, the Huskies' Steven Wright stepped up to the spot and converted his penalty kick, scoring the team's first goal of the season. The teams went into the half tied at 1-1. Other shot attempts came from Kyle Coffee (2), Henry Wingo (2), Quentin Pearson (1), Mason Robertson (1) and Justin Schmidt (1).

The Huskies opened the half strong and created a few early chances, but ten minutes into the second half, UVU's Hoffmeister found the net once again making the score 2-1, UVU. On a bobbled shot, Hoffmeister found himself in the right place at the right time and put the Wolverines back ahead. The rest of the half saw the Huskies consistently pressuring UVU's box, but the Wolverines' defense held strong.

In the match, Coffee and Wingo led both teams in shots with four each. The Huskies also hit the post 4 times in the match but the equalizer just wouldn't come.

Looking ahead, the Dawgs will play in one more road match at St. Mary's on Sept. 1 before returning home. The road match is set for 4:30 p.m. The team then opens up home play on Sun., Sept., 4 at 3 p.m. against Oral Roberts.

"Full credit to Utah Valley," said Clark. "The game is about scoring more goals than the other team and that's what they did. They are a team with lots of confidence from a great season last year and they turned their chances into goals. I do believe that if we play the same way for the rest of our non-conference play, we will be a very tough team to beat."

For continued coverage on the Husky Men's Soccer Team, follow on Twitter and Instagram at @uw_msoccer, on Facebook at Washington Husky Men's Soccer and gohuskies.com.