2017 Schedule (PDF)LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - UNLV Women's Soccer has set it 2017 schedule, announced head coach Chris Shaw Tuesday afternoon. The reigning Mountain West Regular Season and Tournament Champions will play 10 home games, including two different four-game homestands, and an additional 10 on the road in the fall. As the 2016 regular season title holders, the Rebels will host the 2017 Mountain West Conference Tournament at Peter Johann Memorial Field for the first time since 2008 and the fifth time overall.

"I am excited about our 2017 schedule," said Shaw. "It has a good balance of home and away matches, as well as quality in-region opponents with a few competitive out-of-region opponents also. I believe our non-conference schedule will help to prepare us for our Mountain West Conference games in terms of the caliber of competition and the styles of play we will face."

The Rebels are coming off one of their best seasons in program history that saw them make their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2006 after capturing a conference regular season and tournament title in the same year for the first time in program history. The Scarlet & Gray also rewrote the Rebel record books as the 2016 squad set new school single-season marks for most wins (16), goals (51) and assists (50) in addition to placing a record nine players on Mountain West All-Conference teams. The Rebels also swept the conference individual awards with senior Lily Sender earning Offensive Player of the Year honors, junior Chidera Akubuilo being named the Defensive Player of the Year and Shaw getting tabbed the league's Coach of the Year - just the third time a UNLV women's soccer coach has received the honor.

To kick off the 2017 campaign, the Rebels will host the annual UNLV Invitational August 18 & 20, featuring Drake, Weber State and Wright State. The Scarlet & Gray will face Drake on Friday, August 18, in the season-opener and will conclude the tournament against Wright State on Sunday, August 20. The following weekend, August 25 & 27, they will welcome Utah Valley and Southern Utah to Peter Johann Field for rematches from 2016. The Rebels faced both the Wolverines and the Thunderbirds on the road last fall, dropping a 2-1 battle at UVU while handing out their own 2-1 defeat at SUU on the same weekend in September.

The first road trip will take the team to Northern California on Memorial Day weekend, where they will face Sacramento State on Friday, September 1 and UC Davis on Sunday, September 2. The next weekend they will again be on the road for another rematch from 2016 as they take on Northern Arizona in Flagstaff on Friday, September 8 in the lone game that weekend. The Rebels edged out the Lumberjacks 3-2 last August in Las Vegas.

The Rebels will then wrap up a stretch of four-straight on the road on Friday, September 15 at CSU Bakersfield, another team they defeated in 2016 - also a 3-2 win at Peter Johann Field. The Scarlet & Gray will finish out its non-conference slate that weekend hosting UC Riverside on Sunday, September 17.

UNLV will begin its regular season title defense on the road at New Mexico and San Diego State on Friday, September 22 and Sunday, September 24, respectively. The match between the Aztecs and Rebels figures to be another intense one as the two teams played to two draws a year ago, with UNLV advancing to the NCAA Tournament on penalty kicks at SDSU's home field in the MW Championship.

The conference home-opening weekend will see Colorado College and Air Force come to town September 29 & October 1 as part of four-straight league games at home. The following weekend, the Rebels will take on Colorado State on Friday, October 6 and Wyoming on Sunday, October 8 before heading out on the road for the next four.

That stretch begins at Fresno State on Friday, October 13 and continues at San Jose State Sunday, October 15 and Utah State on Friday, October 20 with the last road game of the regular season at Boise State on Sunday, October 22.

The regular season finale will pit the Rebels against in-state rival Nevada, Reno in the annual Governor's Series match. The 2017 version will take place Friday, October 27 at Peter Johann Memorial Field.

Regardless of how the Rebels finish in the standings, UNLV will serve as host to the conference tournament, which is set for October 31 - November 4.

The Scarlet & Gray lost 11 members of its championship squad to graduation, but signed 12 in its incoming class to compete this fall. The team recently wrapped up its spring schedule with the annual alumni game on April 22.

-UNLV-