Aug. 26, 2016 Final Stats
LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - UNLV women's soccer continued its strong start to the new season on Friday night with a 3-2 win over Northern Arizona to move to 3-0 on the year. Hosting the UNLV Invitational at Peter Johann Memorial Field, the Rebels scored three first-half goals and survived a furious second-half rally by the Lumberjacks after a 30-minute lightning delay.
Three different Rebels found the net on the evening, highlighted by a spectacular goal by freshman Katie Ballou off a free kick from just outside the 18-yard box. Senior Dakota Blazak put the Rebels on the board first with a score in the 18th minute. The sequence started with a booming kick out of the back from senior defender Hayley Wilson that slipped past the NAU back line. Blazak outran the defender and pushed the ball past the goalie before burying it in the back of the goal.
Ballou, who has scored two goals in her first three career collegiate games, registered her free kick goal in the 33rd minute to put the Rebels up 2-0. The lead was short-lived as Northern Arizona fired back with a score of their own just over a minute later to narrow the deficit to 2-1. Six minutes later, however, the senior duo of Brittney Gideon and Lily Sender connected for what proved to be the difference in the game. Gideon came off the bench on the attack, winning a ball from a defender and delivering a perfect touch pass to Sender, who finished it from 14 yards out. After three contests, Gideon has collected two goals and two assists, while Sender has impressed with two goals and three assists of her own.
"Brittney and I have been having good chemistry so far - I've assisted her and she's assisted me, so it's been really good," said Sender after the victory. "We knew coming into this year that having a really strong attack is going to be key to our success."
Just before play was about to get underway in the second half, a lightning storm within 10 miles of the stadium resulted in an automatic 30-minute delay. When play resumed, the Rebels held a 3-1 lead, but the Lumberjacks came out of the locker room looking to rally. In the 64th minute NAU's Mei-Te Coco took matters into her own hands, stealing a UNLV outlet pass and powering the ball past junior keeper Jordan Sallee from 25 yards out. NAU was relentless in its pressure over the final 25 minutes, but Wilson and reigning Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week Chidera Akubuilo held strong in the back, fending off every attack by the Lumberjacks until the final whistle sounded.
This is the first time since 2010 and just the third time in program history the Rebels have started the season with three straight wins, while their 12 goals through the first three games are the most since the 2002 team scored 12 after jumping out to a 2-0-1 record to begin the season.
On his team's ability to score goals so far in 2016, head coach Chris Shaw says its all about confidence. "Any time your scoring goals that will happen, so we're playing with a lot of confidence in the attack right now and that's making a difference."
In the first game of the UNLV Invitational on Friday, Eastern Washington came back from being down 2-0 to UC Davis late in the second half to tie the game and send it to overtime. The Eagles completed their comeback in the third minute of the second overtime, scoring a golden goal to beat the Aggies 3-2 and move to 3-0.
The UNLV Invitational continues Sunday morning as UC Davis and Northern Arizona face off at 10:30 a.m. at Peter Johann Memorial Stadium. The Rebels and the Eagles will meet in a 1 p.m. match up of unbeatens, with UNLV looking for its first 4-0 start in program history.
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