LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – In a back-and-forth match, UNLV men's soccer's home contest vs. California Baptist resulted in a 2-2 draw in Sunday night's WAC matchup at Peter Johann Memorial Field.
The Rebels (3-6-1) went shoulder-to-shoulder with the defending WAC Champion Lancers (2-3-5, 1-0-1) for 90 minutes to earn a point in the league standings.
An early CBU score in the 10th minute didn't deter the Scarlet & Gray attack as it provided back-to-back goals off the boots of sophomore
Tyler Ware in the 32nd minute and senior
Nico Lopez in the 67th minute. Ware's score came as he tapped in the rebound after senior
Brophy Howard's header bounced off Lancer goalkeeper Hugo Do Rego's glove, while Lopez fired his from the top the of 18 following a deflection in the box.
Additionally, the Rebels' backline remained stout after California Baptist tied the match at two apiece in the 72nd minute. Guided by sophomore goalkeeper
Hugo Lemos and team captain in senior
Louis Hiepen, UNLV only allowed two shot attempts in the match's final 18 minutes, one of which ended up being Lemos' fourth and final save in the 75th minute.
STAT OF THE GAME: UNLV won the shots battle during the match. It held the 14-10 advantage in total targets, including four in the last 12 minutes of the game. Out of those four, two shots threatened to break the tie, with sophomore
Kai Merrill's heave barely hitting the top crossbar in the 80th minute and sophomore Lucas Gelebart's shot inside the box in the final minute that forced a save.
QUOTABLE: "This was a good matchup between two of the top teams in the league. Each went out and played hard, and it was important that we came out with the point. We played as a team and had guys make great contributions, including some from guys coming off the bench. It was the end of two hard-fought matches at home this weekend, and while we didn't quite get the results we wanted, we have plenty to look forward to in our upcoming matches."
-UNLV Head Coach BJ Craig
UP NEXT: The Rebels make their first WAC road trip this season when they play at Seattle on Thursday, October 10, and San Jose State on Sunday, October 13.
