WSOC Scarlet & Gray scrimmage - Cassie Villanueva
3
Winner UNLV UNLV (3-2-2, 0-0-0)
2
NM State NMSU (3-3-1, 0-0-0)
Winner
UNLV UNLV
(3-2-2, 0-0-0)
3
Final
2
NM State NMSU
(3-3-1, 0-0-0)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
UNLV UNLV 2 1 3
NM State NMSU 2 0 2

Game Recap: Women's Soccer |

Rebels Pull Out Gritty 3-2 Road Win At New Mexico State

Freshman Cassie Villanueva nets game-winning goal in 61st minute as part of first career brace

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (UNLVRebels.com) – Freshman forward Cassie Villanueva's game-winning goal in the 61st minute helped the UNLV women's soccer team pull out a 3-2 road win over New Mexico State at the NM State Soccer Complex Thursday evening.

Villanueva, who netted both her first career goal and brace in the contest, chipped in the ball from the top of the box after scoring the Rebels' (3-2-2) first goal in similar fashion in the first half. The score solidified a comeback that saw the Scarlet & Gray claw back from a 2-1 deficit to the Aggies (3-3-1) early in the first half and ended NMSU's three-match unbeaten streak.

In a match filled with firsts, sophomore midfielder Michelle Madrid headed in her first career goal with 22 seconds left in the first half to even things at 2-2. In a tussle for the ball at the top of the box, graduate student Marley Salveter saved the ball from becoming a goal kick and delivered a cross to Madrid near the right post, resulting in her first assist this season.
 

Splitting time at goalkeeper with junior Lucia Guemes, sophomore Hanne Breur pitched a shutout in the second half and made two saves en route to her second victory of the year.

QUOTEABLE: "This was a great win for our group against a very strong New Mexico State side. I'm really pleased with the fight the team showed tonight." -UNLV head coach Jenny Ruiz-Williams

UP NEXT: The Rebels make the next stop on their three-game final non-conference road swing in the Golden State for a match at CSU Bakersfield at 1 p.m. PT on Sunday.

NEWS & NOTES:
  • Villanueva's performance marked the second time a Rebel freshman finished with a brace this season.
  • In UNLV's first road game at Weber State, Trinity Buchanan tallied the first two-score game of the year by a Scarlet & Gray rookie.
  • Prior to the 2023 campaign, the last UNLV freshman to score multiple goals in match was current senior Nailah Harpring in a hat-trick performance against San Jose State on March 14, 2021.
  • With the victory, the Rebels extend their own unbeaten streak to three games.
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