Aug. 25, 2011
LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) -
UNLV Weekly Women's Soccer Soccer Release
Rebels Begins Six-Game Road Swing With Trip To Oregon
After splitting its first two games of the season at home, the Rebels now take to the road to begin a stretch of six straight away from home, which ties for the longest streak of games in a row away from Las Vegas in the history of the program. UNLV will begin the road swing with a pair of games in the state of Oregon. First up is a Friday contest at Portland State, and then UNLV travels to Eugene to face the Oregon Ducks on Sunday.
Friday's contest against Portand State will be the second in the series. In the first meet, despite holding a huge shot advantage, UNLV had to settle for a 0-0 double-overtime tie during the 2007 season. UNLV and Oregon have also played just once before, a 1-0 victory in Las Vegas last year on Sept. 10.
Players To Watch
Needing to find new playmakers on offense this season, three Rebels stepped up to score their first career goals in the season opener (freshman forward Jenna Howerton, sophomore midfielder Courtney Botehlo and sophomore forward Jenn Wolfe). Posting assists meanwhile were Brittney Flores and Kristen Sankey. The team's top returning scorer from 2010 is junior midfielder Macy Jo Harrison (four goals, 12 points).
UNLV returns an experienced defense, highlighted by three starters in 2010, junior Caitlin Allen and seniors Adrianna Guida and Flores. In goal, sophomore Kylie Wassell is back again after starting all 20 games as a freshman. Thus far this season she has a 0.5 GAA with 12 saves and one shutout.
Scouting Portland State
The Vikings are looking for their first win of the year when they host UNLV in their home opener. PSU began 2011 with two losses in the state of Utah, 4-2 at Utah Valley and 2-1 at Utah State. The Vikings actually held the lead in both losses.
Daniela Solis, Melissa Trammell and Ariel Snyder all have scored one goal for the Vikings in 2011. In the net is Lainey Hulsizer, who has played 145 minutes and has a 3.71 GAA, while Melissa Ferguson has played the other 35 minutes (0.00 GAA).
Scouting Oregon
The Ducks are 2-0 on the year and ranked 10th in the Pacific region after taking down a pair of teams from the Mountain West. OU opened up the season against Wyoming, winning by a 2-0 score, and then claimed a 2-0 win at Boise State.
Oregon, picked to finish eighth in the Pac-12, is paced by Julie Armstrong, with four points off a goal and two assists this year. Linday Parlee and Abby Steele meanwhile have been splitting time evenly in goal, combining for both shutouts on the season.
Record-Long Road Stretch
UNLV's six-game stretch away from Las Vegas, beginning on Aug. 26 and ending on Sept. 11, ties for the longest such streak in school history. In the first year of the program, the Rebels finished the season playing its last six away from Las Vegas, and all six were losses after starting out the year 8-4-1.
Women Of Excellence
The UNLV Women of Excellence is a proud sponsor of UNLV Women's Soccer. Through their membership drive, and as mentors and role models, they assist in program enhancement and boosting community awareness for all our UNLV women's athletic programs. To join, call 895-1533 for more information.
Next Time Out
UNLV plays its second straight weekend on the road with a pair of games in the Wolf Pack Invitational in Reno. The Rebels play Detroit on Friday, Sept. 2 at 4 pm, and follow that with a Sunday, Sept. 11 contest against future conference member Nevada, Reno at 2 pm.
