LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - UNLV women's soccer ended its weekend on the road on a high note, taking down Southern Utah 2-1 on a windy afternoon in Cedar City, Utah. The Rebels bounced back and returned to the win column after suffering their first loss on the season on Friday night at Utah Valley. With the win, UNLV moves to 5-1 on the season, while the team has yet to be shut out in 2016.

The Thunderbirds struck first after SUU's Abbie Flandro scored from just past 20 yards out in the 31st minute, but it didn't take long for the Rebels to respond as redshirt senior Gabriela Vazquez evened the game at one with a goal in the 36th minute. It was Vazquez's first goal of the season, making her the seventh Rebel to register a goal in 2016. Delivering the ball to Vazquez was senior Brittney Gideon, who collected her third assist on the year.

Redshirt senior Susie Bernal ended the tie in the 54th minute with what proved to be the game-winning goal after Dakota Blazak sent a pass into the box past the goalie and Bernal buried it into an open net. The score was Bernal's third of the year to go along with four assists, giving her a tie for the team lead in points with 10. Fellow senior Lily Sender shares the points lead with Bernal with three goals and four assists this year as well.

The UNLV defense hunkered down over the final 35 minutes to keep the Thunderbirds out of the net and secure the victory. Junior keeper Jordan Sallee had another solid effort in goal, recording four saves on the day. The Rebels and Thunderbirds each produced 10 shots in the match, with eight of UNLV's coming on goal compared to five for SUU.

Overall, head coach Chris Shaw was pleased with his team's ability to battle in adverse conditions. "We got off to a bit of a slow start and battled back," said Shaw. "The wind was blowing 20-25 mph and the field conditions were different than what we are used to, but after the early goal we were able to come back and get the win. If you would have told me before the season that we'd be 5-1 at this point, I'd have been happy, so we've just got to keep going."

Through the first six games of the season, UNLV's 18 goals are just shy of being halfway to the single-season program record of 38, while its 19 assists are more than halfway to the record of 32. This is the sixth time in team history they have yet to be shut out through the first six games of the season. The 2001 team holds the record as they scored at least one goal in every contest that season.

The Rebels are on the road again next weekend, with just one game on Sunday, Sept.11 at UC Santa Barbara. Kick off is set for 1 p.m PT.

-UNLV-