2025 WAC Men's Soccer Release - Week 2

GREAT RETURNS FROM THE SEASON’S OPENING WEEK
After the first week back on the pitch to kick off the 2025 regular season, WAC teams enjoyed collective success with a combined 10-3-2 (.733) record in nonconference play. California Baptist, Grand Canyon, San José State and Utah Valley each opened the new season 2-0, while UNLV was victorious in its first start and Utah Tech earned two hard fought draws. San José State was also among the teams receiving votes in the latest United Soccer Coaches Division I poll.

THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT
A pair of dynamic attackers took the WAC by storm during the first weekend of 2025. Freshmen Liam Jones from California Baptist and Junior Diouf from Grand Canyon lit up the scoreboard for their respective teams during unbeaten starts. Each player tallied three goals and one assist over two match appearances, registering one match-winner apiece to share WAC Offensive Player of the Week on Aug. 26.

POGUE, UTAH VALLEY DEFENSE SHUTS DOWN OPPONENTS IN IMPRESSIVE CLEAN SHEETS
Utah Valley redshirt junior defender Noah Pogue captured WAC Defensive Player of the Week accolades on Aug. 26 after helping anchor a Wolverine backline that yielded just three combined shots on goal over two 4-0 shutouts against CSU Bakersfield and Gonzaga. Pogue added to the sensational week by scoring the first goal in the newly constructed UCCU Stadium in the CSU Bakersfield match and adding an assist during the Gonzaga contest.

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
WAC teams fashioned a 5-1 record in one-goal matches during the season’s opening week, with multiple winning goals being scored in the waning minutes of the victory. Along with the Junior Diouf goal for Grand Canyon in the final 20 seconds against Jacksonville, San José State’s Arnold Matshazi beat the buzzer with a goal with seven seconds remaining to down Saint Mary’s (Calif.) 2-1 on Aug. 24. Tyler Ware capped a UNLV comeback in the season opener with an 80th minute goal to lift the Rebels to a 2-1 win over LMU on Aug. 21.

HOME IS WHERE THE RESULTS ARE
The friendly confines of home paid off for teams in the WAC during the first week of the regular season, with conference sides posting an unbeaten 6-0-1 record in true home starts. Grand Canyon was the only WAC team to host two home matches during the season’s opening weekend.