Sept. 1, 2016
UNLV (4-0) at Utah Valley (3-1)
Friday, Sept. 2
6:30 p.m. PT at Clyde Field in Orem, Utah
UNLV (4-0) at Southern Utah (0-2)
Sunday, Sept. 4
12 p.m. PT at Thunderbird Soccer Field in Cedar City, Utah
UNLV will be back on the road in week three of the season, looking to build on their program-best 4-0 start. On Friday they will be in Orem, Utah for a 6:30 p.m. PT match against Utah Valley, followed by a Sunday afternoon contest again Southern Utah in Cedar City, Utah at 12 p.m. PT.
Over the weekend, the Rebels opened up their 2016 home slate by posting two wins in the annual UNLV Invitational. The 3-2 victory over Northern Arizona and 3-1 win against Eastern Washington helped UNLV take first in the tournament and stay unbeaten on the season.
The stellar start has been a team effort, with seven different players registering goals, led by redshirt freshman Michalea Morris with four, followed by senior Dakota Blazak with three and four others tied with two apiece. Eight different players have also recorded assists so far, with seniors Susie Bernal and Lily Sender tied for the lead with four and fellow senior Brittney Gideon with three. Five others are tied with one each.
Blazak was the hero this past weekend, registering three goals in the two wins, including two in the first 10 minutes of Sunday's 3-1 dispatching of Eastern Washington. The forward's three goals matched the total she scored in all of 2015 and earned her several honors, including UNLV Invitational Most Outstanding Offensive Player, Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week and Top Drawer National Team of the Week. She was also named UNLV Athletics' Outstanding Rebel of the Week, given to the department's top-performing student-athlete of the week.
Sender continued her strong start to her final season with a goal and assist over the weekend. In the Friday night match against the Lumberjacks, Sender's goal in the 40th minute proved to be huge as it gave the Rebels a 3-1 lead heading into halftime after NAU had narrowed the gap to 2-1. After a 30-minute lightning delay pushed back the start of the second half, the Lumberjacks came out firing, scoring a goal in the 64th minute to close within one goal, but the defense tightened to keep them out of the net over the final 20 minutes, making Sender's goal the game-winner.
Gideon and Bernal also turned in great performances over the weekend, collecting and assist and a goal, respectively, while freshman Katie Ballou scored her second-career goal off a beautiful free kick from just outside the 18-yeard box in Friday's victory. Senior Jordan Magnin, who tied the single-season assist record in 2015, assisted on Bernal's goal on Sunday and junior Sophie Cortes earned a point with an assist on one Blazak's second goal on Sunday.
Junior keeper Jordan Sallee had another solid weekend in the net, recording six saves, while defenders Chidera Akubuilo and Hayley Wilson were stout in the back, allowing just 15 shots in two games
Rebels Win UNLV Invitational With the two wins, the Rebels took first in the UNLV Invitational the team hosted over the weekend. The Rebels placed five on the All-Tournament team (Blazak, Cortes, Bernal, Wilson, Akubuilo) and Blazak and Wilson were named the Invitational's Most Outstanding Offensive and Defensive players, respectively.
Record-Setting Rebels
UNLV's 4-0 start is the best-ever through the first four games of the season since its first year in 1998. The Rebels' 15 goals is a program record for goals scored during that span, breaking the previous mark set in 2002. In just four games, UNLV's 15 assists are already almost halfway to the mark of 32 they registered in 2015, which was a single-season team record.
UNLV Sweeps Mountain West Player of the Week Awards - Again
For the first time in program history, the Rebels swept the Mountain West Player of the Week awards for two-consecutive weeks. Blazak's three goal performance earned her Offensive Player of the Week, while Wilson's stability on the back line catapulted her to Defensive Player of the Week. It was Blazak's second-career league honor, the first coming when she was a freshman in 2013, while Wilson is being honored by the conference for the first time.
Rebels Boasting Top-10 Offense in the Country
UNLV currently has a top-10 offense in the country, ranking third in total assists (15), fourth in total points (45) and tied for fifth in goals (15). The Rebels also have individual players near the top of the leaderboard in the national statistical rankings, with Bernal and Sender tied for fourth in total assists with four each and Michaela Morris tied for 10th in total goals (4).
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