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OREM — Aaron Meyer wasn't with his teammates when he heard about Utah Valley's first-ever entry into the NCAA men's soccer tournament; he had a class.
But it didn't take him long to find out the news.
Meyer, a native of Carrollton, Texas, received a text from his father shortly after the bracket was announced — the 18-year-old freshman midfielder and the Wolverines would play in a first-round College Cup game Thursday at hometown university SMU.
"Out of all the places to go, what are the chances of that happening?" Meyer wondered aloud after practice Tuesday. "I'm excited to go back home."
After finishing runner-up in the Western Athletic Conference to No. 15 Seattle, the Wolverines (14-5-2) drew the Redhawks 1-1 before falling via penalty shootout 5-4 in the WAC Tournament final Sunday, relinquishing the auto bid to the national tournament that went with it.
It turns out, Utah Valley's RPI — one that included the school's first-ever Top 25 ranking briefly during the season — was enough to merit an at-large invitation to the 48-team tournament. The Wolverines will face the Mustangs on Thursday at 6 p.m. MST on the campus of the Dallas-area college. The winner plays at Denver on Sunday.
"We've worked so hard, we've put our heart and soul every day into training, and I didn't want that penalty kick shootout to be the last moment of the year," Utah Valley coach Greg Maas said. "We've had a phenomenal year, and we've gained tremendous experience. But the moment when we saw Utah Valley under SMU was probably one of the most emotional moments I've had in sports. I couldn't be more proud to be a part of it."
The Wolverines' men's team earned the at-large selection just a week after its women's program got a spot in its first-ever NCAA Tournament via the WAC Tournament title. UVU lost at No. 13 BYU, 1-0 on Saturday.
Maas knew that as soon as a Utah college established a Division I program in the state, that program could be a near-immediate contender on a national scene. The former University of Portland goalkeeper and Real Salt Lake U-17 head coach has seen a lot of in-state talent. When he got the call to inaugurate Utah Valley's men's program as the Wolverines entered the newly assembled WAC, he had a vision and a goal.
The rest, he quickly noted, came down to the players.
"This is something that is so special, and I couldn't be more proud of the effort of our players to put us in this position," Maas said. "We've always felt our team is a talented group, but still a young group that still needs to learn the hard way. They've really matured this year, have come together with a fantastic locker room, and these guys believe in themselves."
The achievement has already begun to reap benefits for Utah Valley, which launched the program a year ago and won its first postseason game last week against UNLV in the WAC quarterfinals.
"Most programs hope to be able to do this once. But for us to do it in our second year is unreal," said forward Austin Buxton, who called the tourney bid "massive." "I've never heard of a team doing this.
"It's huge for this program."
Meyer, an FC Dallas academy product who was rated the No. 7 prospect in the country by TopDrawerSoccer.com, has already played a key role on a team that only has one senior in its second season at the Division I level. His 12 assists on the year is tied for second nationally regardless of division, and he also scored four goals in 18 games played.
But he deferred his individual credit to his teammates for putting the ball in the back of the net.
"It's incredible, but it's all about the team," Meyer said. "Everybody's played a huge role in getting there; everybody does their part, and we got here together. We win together, we lose together."
His college coach called Meyer "a special player."
"We knew when we were recruiting him through FC Dallas that he wasn't the No. 7-rated player in the country for nothing," Maas said of Meyer. "We knew what he could bring to the team, both on and off the field. He stepped right in seamlessly with this group, and he's marshalled that midfield for us. He helps dictate tempo and rhythm for the team."
The next step for Meyer, Buxton and the Wolverines is to win an NCAA Tournament. Proving themselves against historic power SMU, which is making its 18th postseason appearance in the past 22 seasons, would be a good start. Utah Valley knows that step will eventually come.
But why wait if they don't have to?
"I don't know much about them. But I know we are a big, athletic team that can compete," Buxton said. "We have to go into it focusing on what we can do and what we can control about this game. I think we'll be OK."
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