Nov. 3, 2005
Box Score
LAS VEGAS - Two goals by UNLV (12-6-3) in the final five minutes helped push the Rebels into their second-ever Mountain West Conference Soccer Championship with their 2-1 OT victory over #6 San Diego State (11-8-2). #2 UNLV will faceoff against #5 New Mexico in the championship game on Saturday, Nov. 5 at noon. The game is being televised on tape-delay by CSTV, and will be shown on Sunday, Nov. 6 at 7 pm PST, but will also be available live for free on the MWC website at www.themwc.com.
UNLV freshman Haley Partridge ended the physical match in the 92nd minute (91:49) with a shot from the deep right corner of the field. Partridge received the ball from Brie Kuhne 30-yards deep in SDSU's territory. She carried the ball into the corner and proceeded to place the ball into the left side of the net. The goal by Partridge was her third of the season and third in as many games.
The Rebels pushed the game into overtime when Tanya Roberts knotted up the score at one apiece when she redirected a corner kick in the 88th minute (87:51). The Rebels' Katie Carney was awarded the assist as her corner ball made it through the defense and to Roberts. The assist by Carney was her seventh on the year, setting a new UNLV single-season record.
"Our girls came back and it just shows great heart and testament to our girls," said UNLV head coach Katherine Mertz. "We knew it was going to be a battle and we were going to have to fight for that win."
San Diego State jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 33rd minute (32:07) on Jen Mello's eighth goal of the season. Mello slotted the ball into the right corner of the UNLV net from 18-yards out. The Aztecs' Mariko Strickland was credited with an assist after stealing the ball from a Rebel defender.
The Aztecs best scoring chance in the second half came when Mello was taken down on the attack inside UNLV's box. San Diego State was awarded a penalty kick for the foul, but UNLV goalkeeper Jenna Huff made the save on Mello's shot.
"They (UNLV) are feeling what we felt last night," noted SDSU head coach Michael Giuliano. "This is where we find out our character. It's tough to be thinking about character building issues right now, but hopefully, we will. I'm incredibly proud of how we played. We were two minutes away from the tournament final. We got close and it took an amazing shot to win it. My hat is off to UNLV."
UNLV's appearance in the championship game will be the second for the Rebels. Their only trip to the finals came in 2001, when the tournament was also held in Las Vegas. BYU defeated UNLV, 2-1, in the final. The 12th win of the season also tied the school season set in 2001 and 2004.
