FLAGSTAFF, Arizona—Tori Smith registered a goal and an assist to lead the Utah Valley University women's soccer team to a season-opening 4-1 road victory over Northern Arizona Friday night at Lumberjack Stadium.
 
"Don't let the score fool you, that was a very challenging match," Utah Valley head coach Brent Anderson said. "NAU put us under a lot of pressure and I am proud of the way the team responded to it, keeping their composure until we were able to create some scoring opportunities."
 
Smith got the Wolverines on the scoreboard in the 44th minute as she fired a shot into the back of the net. Taylor Kirk tallied the assist as she pressured the NAU keeper to win the ball and send it to Smith for the goal.
 
Sara Callister gave Utah Valley a 2-0 lead in the 54th minute as she took the ball to the end line on the left side, beat two NAU players, and then sent the ball to the far post for the score. Callister's goal would prove to be the game winner for UVU.
 
Breanna McCarter helped give the Wolverines a 3-0 lead in the 71st minute after Smith sent her a through ball at the top of the box. McCarter then pulled back to beat her defender and fired in a shot just under the crossbar.  
 
Alexis Peterson scored her first goal as a Wolverine in the 77th minute as she received a cross on the ground from Leesa Stowe and one-touched it into the right upper 90 for the score.
 
Northern Arizona was able to get on the scoreboard in the 84th minute as Malia Lyken converted on a penalty kick for NAU's lone goal of the match.
 
"It was very promising to see our attack start off the season with four excellent goals and with the exception of the late PK, the team remained disciplined and organized defensively throughout the match. With this being our first match of the season, we saw a few areas that we will need to clean up as we move forward but overall it was a stellar performance for the entire squad."
 
Sarah Davis registered the win in the box for Utah Valley. The sophomore keeper tallied a pair of saves in her first career victory in goal.
 
McCarter led the Wolverines with five shots on the night, including two on goal. Breanna DeWaal had three shots, while Callister and Libby Weber each had two. Utah Valley out-shot NAU 15-11, including a 7-3 advantage on goal.
 
Utah Valley will continue play in the Grand Canyon state on Sunday when the team travels to play 20th-ranked Arizona in Tucson. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. MT. A live video stream of the game will be available at WolverineGreen.com.
 

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