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OREM — The season opener for the Utah Valley University men's soccer team had all the makes to be an instant classic. The Wolverines were ranked 24th in the Top Drawer Soccer poll and hosted 20th-ranked Washington out of the Pac-12 Conference Friday night.
The match didn't disappoint.
UVU's Paul Hoffmeister scored two goals, including the game-winner with a man down after Karson Payton picked up a red card in the 50th minute, and UVU held off a furious rally by the Huskies to earn the 2-1 win in front of 3,216 fans at Clyde Field in Orem.
"We knew this was going to an incredible opening match," UVU head coach Greg Maas said. "Two top-25 teams and it certainly didn't disappoint."
Hoffmeister started the scoring in the 14th minute on a counterattack when he sent one past Washington goalkeeper Auden Schilder that made it 1-0. Payton and Gui Leme recorded the assist on the goal.
"This game was just awesome," Hoffmeister said. "We had an incredible home opener. Two top-25 teams and the intensity was high."
Washington scored the equalizer just three minutes later on a penalty kick.
In the 51st minute, things got interesting. Payton, who had picked up a yellow card earlier in the match, picked up a second yellow and was shown a red card, ending his night and putting UVU a man down.
It didn't matter. Four minutes after Payton left the game, Hoffmeister was in the right place and the right time. Schidler misplayed the ball on a shot attempt by UVU and Hoffmeister was there to clean it up and put it back in on the rebound to give UVU the 2-1 lead.
The lead stuck for the remainder of the game. Washington had chance after chance to scored the equalizer, but UVU goalkeeper Elliot Rubio and the Wolverine defense held strong to earn the season-opening victory at home.
"It was absolute insanity," Rubio said of the final five minutes of the match. "We just got to keep the guys cool and under control and make sure everything goes according to plan ... We came in with a game plan of how to deal with them (Washington) and executed it perfectly." Kyle McDonald is an avid sports fan especially for the Chicago Cubs and the Utah Valley University Wolverines. He is currently a communication major at UVU and will graduate in the spring of 2017. Follow him on Twitter at @kylesportsbias
