LAS VEGAS (UNLVrebels.com) – The fourth-seeded UNLV men's soccer team won their first-round matchup in the WAC Tournament on Sunday, taking down fifth-seeded Utah Valley, 3-2, in an overtime thriller Sunday at Peter Johann Memorial Field.
Senior
Nico Lopez netted his first hat trick as a Rebel with his sixth goal of the 2023 campaign and eventual game-winner in the 107th minute to help the Scarlet & Gray advance to the WAC semifinal round. The late score in the second overtime period helped UNLV weather a one-goal deficit after the Wolverines scored two goals in the second half.
Lopez opened the match with the first shot in the back of the net in the 19th minute, helping UNLV secure their first lead for the rest of the first half. The play was opened up by a pair of Rebels in
Cesar Carbajal and
Brophy Howard, cementing Carbajal's first assist of the season and Brophy's second.
After the Wolverines scored in the 62nd and 73rd minutes, Lopez tied the WAC quarterfinal round with another goal in the 74th minute for his first multi-score game as a Rebel. That shot also preceded a UNLV near game-winning target with less than 10 minutes in regulation on a
Hermann Ragnarsson low shot-on-goal that was eventually saved by the Wolverine keeper.
Following a quiet first overtime that saw neither team commit a shot-on-goal, Lopez broke the silence with under four minutes to go on a double-assist by
Jonah Craig and Mika Madrid. The latter threaded a cross from the conference logo on the right side to Lopez at the far post for his fateful header into the right side of the net.
QUOTABLE: "I'm really proud of this team and the resilience they showed to come back and win this game against a very good opponent. The team played with tremendous poise and belief during overtime and when you do that, games come your way. Championship teams focus on the next opponent and that is our challenge now with Seattle coming."
-UNLV Head Coach BJ Craig
UP NEXT: The Rebels will take on the WAC Tournament's No. 1 seed Seattle in the semifinal round on Wednesday, Nov. 8 at 4 p.m. PT.
WAC TOURNAMENT TICKETS: Tickets to the WAC Tournament games are $6 purchased in advance of game day, $10 for adults and $8 for youth (ages 4-17) on match day, and free for children (ages 3 and under) and WAC institution students with a school ID. Purchase tickets at
UNLVTickets.com or by calling 702-739-3267.
REBEL NOTES:
- The quarterfinal win marked the Rebels' first WAC Tournament victory since 2017.
- It was also UNLV's first win under the NCAA's postseason game format, which was changed last season to include two 10-minute overtime periods for matches that are tied after 90 minutes of regulation.
- Lopez's hat trick made him the first player in the history of the WAC Tournament to score three times in a game.
