Oct. 23, 2009

Box Score

DENVER - UNLV scored two first half goals but Denver rallied with two late second-half scores to force a 2-2 double-overtime tie between the teams in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation men's soccer action on Friday night from Pioneer Field.

The Rebels (6-4-3, 0-2-1 MPSF) got on the scoreboard early, as Stephen Sifuentes headed in a shot from the right side in the third minute for a 1-0 advantage. Peter Rodriguez assisted on the score. Sifuentes added to the Rebel lead in the 39th minute thanks to a give-and-go with Zack Kupfer, which resulted in a Sifuentes goal to make the lead 2-0.

UNLV kept Denver (3-7-3, 0-2-1) scoreless for the first 75 minutes of the contest, but the Pioneers closed the lead to one with a shot from Jarod Stigall off an assist by Collin Audley in the 76th minute. Nathan Sackeyfio would then tie up the game in the 85th minute as he scored off the rebounded shot of Audley, making the score even at 2-2. Neither team would get off a shot in the last five minutes of the second half, sending the game to overtime.

The Rebels would then have to play shorthanded the second overtime period when Sal Ornelas received a red card in the final minute of the first overtime. The Pioneers got off two shots during the second extra period, but the UNLV defense would hold strong to keep the game at a tie.

Both teams were credited with 11 shots for the night, while UNLV had a 6-5 edge on corner kicks. Rebel goalkeeper Roland Swanson finished the night with three saves, and Denver's Joe Willis made a total of five stops.

UNLV will return to action on Sunday, Oct. 25, when it faces Air Force in Colorado Springs, Colo., in a 12 pm (PST) contest.