Oct. 14, 2009
LAS VEGAS -
UNLV weekly soccer notes
Though they played a pair a tough contests in the first week of the Mountain West Conference season, the UNLV women's soccer team suffered two 1-0 losses, and now face having to make up ground in the conference standings as the Rebels take their first league road trip of the season this week. First up will be on Thursday, Oct. 15 at Air Force in a 4 pm (PST) contest, and that's followed by a game at Wyoming on Saturday, Oct. 17 at 11 am (PST).
UNLV will take on a pair of teams going in opposite directions, as Air Force is 0-3 in league play, while Wyoming has surprised the conference with a perfect 3-0 mark, with all the wins coming on the road. History is on the Rebels side though, as UNLV has more all-time wins against both Air Force and Wyoming then any other school, having posted 10 wins against both teams.
In fact, UNLV easily won both contests last year, with a 3-1 win over Wyoming and a 4-0 shutout of Air Force. The Rebels have not lost to Air Force since the 2001 season, but did experience a loss in the last trip to Wyoming, falling 1-0 in the 2007 season.
Players To Watch
The offense thus far this year has come from sophomore forward Jenna Larkin with a team-high three goals, while senior midfielder Shannon Hughes has two goals, both of which are game-winners. Freshman forward Collete Jepson has also scored twice this year, while junior Amanda Forrester, senior Jamie McCoy senior Brianna Moore and sophomore Katherine Orellana have all scored one goal each.
Senior Alicia Lugo meanwhile has kept up her strong play in the nets. She has a 1.00 GAA and four shutouts, and is second in the MWC with 75 saves.
Scouting Air Force
The Falcons bring a five-game losing streak into Thursday's contest, and have not won since a 1-0 victory over New Hampshire on Sept. 20. However, Air Force did turn in a pair of impressive outings this past weekend in conference play, losing at TCU 1-0 in overtime, and also suffering a 1-0 loss on the road at New Mexico.
Leading the team this season is Stephani Patterson with two goals and three assists for seven points. Kelly Bieber and Bridgett Murphy have both scored two goals this year as well for the Falcons. Charity Blanton (2.11 GAA, 45 saves) and Arian Green (1.46 GAA, 21 saves) have split the time in goal this year for Air Force.
Scouting Wyoming
The Cowgirls are the surprise of the league after winning three straight games on the road to begin the MWC season. Included in the win streak are victories at New Mexico and at TCU, both by 2-1 scores.
Pacing the squad are four players with three goals each, Olivia Mohtadi, Carmen Blume, Emily Layton, and Mara Cosgrove, while Emma Wilson has a league-best eight assists. In goal is Courtney Merkle, who holds a 0.78 GAA with 70 saves and five shutouts.
