LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - UNLV women's soccer will kick off the 2019 season Thursday, August 22nd at Peter Johann Memorial Field hosting CSUN at 7 p.m. This marks the second straight year the two schools will meet after a seven-year hiatus from 2010-2017. UNLV won last year's meeting 3-1 in Northridge, California, on August 30, 2018, while the Matadors lead the series 4-3 overall.
Thursday's match will be the lone game of opening weekend for the Rebels, who will head out on the road for the following three weekends as part of a challenging road non-conference slate. Highlighting that stretch is three straight road matches against top-25 programs, including facing Duke and 2018 NCAA runner-up UNC at the Duke Classic, September 5 & 8. The next weekend UNLV will take on Texas A&M in Lubbock to wrap up the five-game road trip.
The Rebels will return home to host Northern Arizona and Utah Valley on September 20 and September 22, respectively, before opening Mountain West play at home on Friday, September 27 at 7 p.m. against Utah State.
WEEKEND PROMOTIONS
- The UNLV Soccer Foundation will host a free tailgate prior to UNLV's season opener on Thursday night. Free food and drink will be provided. Doors open two hours prior to kickoff.
TOP RETURNERS (2018 Stats/Career Stats):
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Michaela Morris, Redshirt Senior, Forward (three goals, four assists, 10 points)
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Georgia Kingman, Senior, Midfielder (49 career starts, four goals, two assists, 10 points)
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Katie Ballou, Senior, Midfielder (43 career starts, four goals, three assists, 11 points)
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Paige Almendariz, Senior, Defender (54 career starts, one goal, two assists)
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Taylor Clark, Sophomore, Defender (14 starts, 2018 MW All-Newcomer Team)
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Emberly Sevilla, Sophomore, Goalkeeper (20 starts, 0.97 GAA, 100 saves)
KEY NEWCOMERS
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Marcella Brooks, freshman, midfielder, Las Vegas, NV
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Lourdes Bosch, freshman, midfielder, Las Vegas, NV
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Alysa Caso, freshman, forward, Las Vegas, NV
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Elisa Kolek, freshman, defender, Diamond Bar, CA
NEWS & NOTES
- UNLV finished 2018 with an 11-6-3 record and tied for sixth in the MW, just missing the conference tournament for the second straight year.
- UNLV is opening the season at home for the seventh time in the last nine years and 14th time since the program's first year in 1998.
- The Rebels were picked to finish tied for fifth with Wyoming in the Mountain West preseason coaches poll.
- Chris Shaw enters his sixth season with a 60-35-8 overall record. On September 9, 2018 he became the winningest coach in program history with his 55th win at UNLV, breaking the old record of 54 set by Dan Abdalla from 2000-04.
- In 2016, Shaw led the Rebels to MW regular season and tournament titles for the first time in program history in addition to earning the program's third Coach of the Year honor.
- The Scarlet and Gray still welcome back six full-time starters in 2019. The senior-laden group features four players that have started since their freshman campaigns - defender Paige Almendariz, midfielders Katie Ballou and Georgia Kingman and forward Michaela Morris, who is a fifth-year senior. 2018 Mountain West All-Newcomer selection Taylor Clark is also back along with fellow sophomore Emberly Sevilla, who turned in one of the best seasons by a UNLV keeper as a true freshman last fall.
- Associate head coach J.J. Wozniak is entering his fifth year under Shaw.
- In August, Shaw added Cydney Niedermeyer to his staff as the second assistant. Niedermeyer played collegiately at Southeastern Nova University and finished her career at Temple in 2016.
