Next Game: at Denver 8/28/2017 | 9:00 PM ET

Follow Akron Men's Soccer on Twitter and Facebook Purchase 2017 Men's Soccer Season Tickets Click Here In a defensive-dominated season-opening affair, a goal by Giovanny Vazquez in the 54th minute (53:30) lifted No. 16 Utah Valley (1-0) to a 1-0 men's soccer victory over No. 13 Akron (0-1) on Friday, Aug. 25."We are disappointed with the result, especially with the manner in which we gave up the goal," Akron head coachcommented. "We have a tough schedule and to open up on the road in a difficult environment is not easy. We had some positives and we will have to build on them. Right now we need to focus on rebounding for Monday."Both sides locked down defensive in the opening half as the Zips and Wolverines limited the opposition to three shots apiece.Senior(Auckland, New Zealand) delivered a strike in the 15th minute (14:51) that was blocked by the Utah Valley defender, while senior(Porto, Portugal) and redshirt junior(Asmeras, Eritrea) also collected first-half shots.Junior goalkeeper(Berlin, Germany) thwarted shots on goal from Nic Harguindeguy and Zach Maas at the 13:33 and 40:02 marks, respectively, to maintain the shutout heading into the intermission.Utah Valley cracked the score column first in the affair on the strength of a header by Vazquez that found the back of the net in the 54th minute (53:30) off a corner kick from Connor Salmon.Sophomore(Mississauga, Ontario) delivered the Zips' first shot on goal on the evening at the 66:28 mark, a strike from the top of the box which was denied by a diving save by Utah Valley goalkeeper Elliott Rubio.Freshman(Enugu, Nigeria) got off back-to-back header shots for Akron off of corner kicks from redshirt sophomore(Copley, Ohio) at the 77:02 and 77:18 marks, respectively, but each went wide.Sophomore(Plantation, Fla.) shot in the 82nd minute (81:56), along with a header by Holthusen at the 83:28 mark both were unable to connect with the goal.Holthusen nearly netted the equalizer for the Zips in the 89th minute (88:14) as his header off a pass from Cordeiro appeared destined for the back if not for Akron being whistled for an offsides call.The Zips outshot Utah Valley in the affair, 8-6, with the Wolverines posting a 3-1 advantage in shots on goal.Egbo and Holthusen recorded two shots apiece for Akron, while Vazquez directed Utah Valley with two shots.Lundt made two saves for the Zips, while Rubio garnered the shutout on the strength of making one stop.Akron returns to action on Monday, Aug. 28, as the Zips travel to Denver, Colo., for a showdown with third-ranked Denver at 9 p.m. ET.