Local stars, home-field advantage has Utah Valley soccer off to hot start

Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

OREM — Lucas Cawley believes Utah has always had a large talent pool for young soccer players who are capable of going on to collegiate and professional careers.

But without a four-year, Division I university in the area, it was easy for them to get lost — especially when factoring in an additional two-year layoff many take to serve an LDS Church mission.

The former Viewmont soccer star and 2014 Deseret News Mr. Soccer also believes that is about to change with the addition of Utah Valley’s men’s soccer program, the only Division I team in the state.

“I think it’s finally something special to have a college that players can aspire to,” said Cawley, who has two goals and an assist in six games. “Not all the best players are leaving the state, but we can get them, and then draw from across the region and the country.”

Winning helps, too. In the program’s inaugural season, the Wolverines are 4-2 with an unblemished 3-0 record at Clyde Field that includes a 2-1 takedown of then-No. 21 Denver. The club currently rides a three-game winning streak.

Winning at home is big for the recent risers in college soccer. Fans at sold-out Clyde Field have taken notice. The team has drawn supporters from across the state, with many coming from Salt Lake City and beyond to see a match.

Viewmont High alum Lucas Cawley was the 2014 Deseret News Mr. Soccer. But instead of signing with a Division I school with more history, he chose to help start Utah Valley's men's soccer team, the only one in Utah. (Photo: Tom Smart/Deseret News)

The players know when they step on the field for a game, they represent their university — but also the state, with their unique situation.

“When you go out there, it feels like you are playing for the whole state,” said Cawley, who turned down several out-of-state offers to help start UVU’s program. “Every game, our fans have been right behind us. It’s really something being in a first-year program and being pioneers for college soccer in Utah.”

The next step is taking those winning ways to the road, head coach Greg Maas said. After the gleeful emotions in the locker room last Friday following the win over the Pioneers, Maas took his team aside and pointed to two losses in Chicago — to Loyola-Chicago and DePaul — as the driving point for the biggest win in the program’s young history.

“We weren’t able to get that (first road win at DePaul), but what we gained was tremendous experience that was an opportunity to get a little bit back from our Chicago trip,” Maas said after training at UVU intramural field in Vineyard. “As I said to our boys in the locker room against Denver, I said, ‘Fellas, this was a culmination of our experiences over the past four games; not just winning, but losing.’

“Sometimes you have to learn how to lose before you can figure out how to win.”

The Wolverines also rely on what they call a special weapon for their three-match home winning streak — the supporters. Crowds of more than 2,500 have packed Clyde Field to nearly three times its capacity to watch this new men’s soccer team — the ninth best attendance in the NCAA.

The players take note. In a recent match against Gonzaga, the Wolverines fed off the energy of the crowd to turn a 1-1 draw into a 2-1 victory through Utah Valley’s leading scorer, Matt Gay.

“The school, the way the fans have gotten behind us and really established in our first few weeks a top 10 attendance and capacity crowd is great,” said Gay, the Orem High alum who has four goals and three assists on the year. “Our 12th Wolverines give us one of the best places to play in college soccer. It really is a home-field advantage for us. It’s quite the atmosphere.”

Gay’s innate ability to score has been a key element in Utah Valley’s start to the season, with Maas calling him a “prototypical No. 9 striker,” or a player who can hold up defenders with his back toward goal and also charge them to score with his feet.

But it’s the freshman forward’s unselfishness that really catches his coach’s attention.

“And the best part about him is he’s getting goals when other teams are keying in on him, but he also has those assists,” Maas said, “which is something we need to expand upon because he does attract a lot of attention, and we have very good players around him that can benefit from that as well.”

The Wolverines traveled to Las Vegas this weekend, seeking their first win away from Clyde Field. They got it in the form of a 1-0 takedown of UC Riverside (1-5-1) on Friday night, with Gay scoring the only goal of the match in the 49th minute and backup goalkeeper Derek Wilcox earning the shutout in his first career start.

Now the Wolverines have no time to rest as they prepare for a match with No. 4 UC Irvine (7-0-1) on Sunday morning at the UNLV Fall Classic.

But Maas, who put together his team’s schedule, knew that would be the case coming in. He’s told as much to his players.

“The best teams in the country win at home and on the road,” said Gay, paraphrasing his coach. “If you can’t win on the road, it’s not saying much. You’ve got to be able to win on the road. I think it’s a great opportunity, especially with a neutral site in Vegas with a great field at UNLV.”

The Wolverines have a chance to add to their new legacy this weekend in Las Vegas, Cawley added. And that’s all the young team wants.

“We have a chance this week, a huge test for us,” he added. “I think the first few home games have been big tests, but now to get our first road win, that’s essential, and we have a really good opportunity this week.”