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OREM, Utah – It was a great effort, but Utah Valley got goals towards the end of each half to take a 2-0 win over the Westminster women's soccer team on Wednesday evening. Neither team established control of the game in the first half until the 35th minute when Utah Valley started creating some opportunities. Utah Valley finally broke through in the 42nd minute when Kelsey Kimball beat Westminster keeper
Lindsay Bekken to the near post from 12 yards out.
Westminster controlled much of the second half, although they could only manage three shots in the final 45 minutes. They had a great opportunity to even the game in the 53rd minute when
Megan Maldonado tried to put home a pass from
Sarah Swenson, only to see it turned away by UVU keeper Tasha Bell. The Wolverines put the game out of reach in the 84th minute when Regan Clifford buried a rebound into the back of the net.
“Both goals came in the later part of the half because of fitness,” head coach
Tony LeBlanc said. “They kept putting pressure on us and we fought hard.”
Bekken got the start at keeper in her first collegiate game, marking the third consecutive year a freshman has started in net for the Griffins season opener. She finished the night with four saves, including a great recovery late in the second half to keep the team close. “We are happy she could do that,” LeBlanc said of Bekken. “She stepped up and made it difficult for their team with good angles and controlling the ball.”
“Overall I felt pretty confident with my play,” Bekken commented. “I was trying to get everyone to push up and I wanted to keep the motivation up.”
Nicole Taylor did a nice job of controlling the midfield, especially in the second half trying to create opportunities for the team. Maldonado put a direct kick on frame from 40 yards that was turned away and Swenson recorded two shots, including a nice strike on target in the first half.
The loss drops the Griffins to 0-1 on the season and they are now 0-3 all-time against in-state teams. They will now take a break from competition before the home opener against Northwest Nazarene on Thursday, August 20. That game will begin at 10:00 a.m. on Dumke Field.
