Nov. 8, 2001

LAS VEGAS - It has been four years in the making as the third-seeded UNLV women's soccer team advanced to its first appearance in the championship game of the Mountain West Conference Women's Soccer Championship, after defeating seventh-seeded Air Force, 2-1, Thursday night on an Anita Pedford game-winner in the 101st minute of regulation.

Pedford, a senior midfielder from Ontario, Calif., scored her fourth game-winning goal of season, after taking the ball down the left side and shooting from 35-yards out to seal the victory for UNLV. An All-MWC First Team selection, Pedford currently shares the lead in scoring with junior midfielder Cristyn Enea (San Ramon, Calif.) with 24 points.

Prior to the overtime thriller, a handball and foul by Air Force proved costly for the Falcons, as a penalty kick was awarded to the Rebels in the 62nd minute. Enea scored her second goal of the league tournament on a successful shot against Air Force goalkeeper Jennifer Monson for the 1-0 lead. Enea is a perfect 3-for-3 in penalty kick attempts this season.

Air Force's Beth Boyer retaliated back with an unassisted goal at 72:56 to put the Falcons right back into the game. Both teams would not find the back of the net for the remaining minutes of the second half, which led to the extra period.

UNLV, a program that was incepted in 1998, improves its record to 12-6-2 overall, while Air Force ends its year at 8-11-1. The Rebels' 12 wins sets a new school record for most victories in a season.

The UNLV women will face top-seeded BYU for the Mountain West championship title on Saturday, Nov. 10 at noon. The winner of that match will receive the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Women's College Cup and the elite field of 64. The MWC championship game will be played at Peter Johann Memorial Field on the UNLV campus.

2001 Mountain West Conference Women's Soccer Championship
Game 5 - Las Vegas, Nev.

(7) Air Force       0   1   0   -   1(3) UNLV        0   1   1   -   2 (OT)
SCORING SUMMARYUNLV - Cristyn Enea (penalty kick), 61:35.UNLV - Beth Boyer (unassisted), 72:56.UNLV - Anita Pedford (unassisted), 100:24.
SHOTSAFA (5), UNLV (14)
CORNER KICKSAFA (10), UNLV (6)
GOALKEEPER SAVESAFA (5) - Jennifer MonsonUNLV (2) - Alice Gleason