Oct. 13, 2005
LAS VEGAS - The UNLV women's soccer team (7-4-3, 2-0) looks to remain at the top of the Mountain West standings as the Rebels play a pair of league road games this weekend, beginning with their first-ever contest against new conference member TCU. UNLV will meet the Horned Frogs on Friday at 2 pm (PST) in Fort Worth, Texas, and follow that with a Sunday matchup in Albuquerque against New Mexico at 11 am (PST).
Riding a four-game win streak since the return of senior goalie Jenna Huff to the field, the Rebels have outscored their last four opponents by a 10-0 score. Katie Carney is fifth in the conference in scoring with 13 points (five goals, three assists), while Jessica Destito and Tanya Roberts both have eight points each. Huff played the second half of the first three games of the Rebels' winning streak, before minding the net for the entire 90 minutes against Wyoming on Oct. 9, and came up with four saves to post the shutout for UNLV.
TCU, led by former UNLV head coach Dan Abdalla, is 5-6 on the year, though have lost its first two MWC games, 1-0 at Utah on Oct. 6, and 4-0 at BYU on Oct. 8. The Horned Frogs have been up and down this year, twice scored four goals in one game, but have given up four or more goals three times. Bjarnveig Birgisdottir leads the team in scoring with a team-high four goals and one assist for nine points, while Moran Lavi and Caroline Starns both have eight points on the year. TCU however has yet to register a point in league play. In goal is Katy Buchanan, with a 1.37 GAA and 58 saves in 851 minutes of action.
New Mexico (4-4-3, 1-1) has also been up and down this season, having been shut out five times this season, though the Lobos posted an impressive upset in their MWC opener, a 1-0 win at sixth-ranked BYU on Oct. 6. That was followed by a 3-2 loss at Utah on Oct. 8. The Lobos also have a 1-1 tie against No. 22 Arizona to their credit, but followed that with a 2-0 loss to Nevada, Reno, a team the Rebels blitzed 5-0 earlier this season. The Lobos troubles have come on offense, as they are averaging less then a goal a game (10 goals in 11 games). Half of the goals are from one player, Kristine Sweat, while Bridgette Sanchez has two goals and two assists for six points. In goal is Kristen Winters, who is posting a 0.77 GAA with 29 saves in 1,046 minutes of action.
