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OREM — It hasn't taken long for the UVU men's soccer team to make its mark on the national landscape. In 2015, the program earned the school's first-ever top-25 ranking in any sport and earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament.
On Saturday afternoon, the 19th-ranked Wolverines were able to add another accomplishment to their already impressive resume: a Western Athletic Conference regular season championship.
"We were elated," UVU head coach Greg Maas said. "The compilation of our season and what we have done for ourselves has been absolutely phenomenal."
All UVU needed was either a win in the season finale or a Seattle University loss to Air Force. Since the Seattle-Air Force match was an afternoon matinee, UVU was able to watch and when the final whistle blew, all the Wolverines did was celebrate. Air Force had defeated Seattle, 2-1, which made champions out of the Wolverines.
"For us to watch that game, every minute, every second and to see Air Force pull off that win at home really put us over cloud nine," Maas said. "It was unbelievable and the excitement in the hotel was fantastic. We almost busted through the second floor."
MSOC | WAC CHAMPS! Air Force's win over Seattle clinches UVU's first WAC regular season title. #AsOne#BuxtyStrongpic.twitter.com/05Hb21wtWP
— UVU Athletics (@WolverineGreen) November 5, 2016
Although the match didn't matter, UVU found itself down 2-0 at halftime to Incarnate Word in the season finale for both squads. However, the Wolverines fought back with goals by Aaron Meyer and Paul Hoffmeister to earn a tie and finish the regular season on a nine-match unbeaten streak.
UVU will host the conference tournament that begins on Thursday night. The Wolverines will play the winner of UNLV and Texas-Rio Grande Valley on Friday night at Clyde Field.
The Wolverines will enter the WAC tournament with a 15-3-1 record, tied for the most wins in the NCAA this season with Maryland. UVU hasn't lost since a 2-0 defeat on Sept. 30 at Seattle. They have recorded 10 shutouts on the season and at one point had five straight shutouts.
Injuries have had an effect on the Wolverines in 2016. Senior Skyler Milne dealt with a quad issue and is currently out with a shoulder injury that he suffered in a match against Grand Canyon on Oct. 27. Paul Hoffmeister dealt with a hamstring issue that caused him to miss a few matches early in the season, including the loss to 14th-ranked Loyola-Chicago on Sept. 9. Add in the fact that Austin Buxton was unable to play the entire season due to a battle with cancer, and it makes accomplishing a conference championship that much sweeter.
"It means everything to the program," Maas said. "That's what the guys train for. We work so hard each and every day and we take it one game at a time. We knew if we did that, it was going to give us an opportunity to compete for a WAC championship. I always say we need to invest in our own karma and need a little bit of luck. We have certainly done that throughout the year. Today, to be WAC regular season champions is certainly something special that we'll enjoy today and a long time to come."
Kyle McDonald is sports fan who loves the Chicago Cubs and the Utah Valley University Wolverines. He is a communication major at UVU and will graduate in the spring of 2017. Follow him on Twitter at @kylesportsbias
