LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) — The UNLV men's soccer team (5-3-2, 1-1 MW) earned its first Mountain West victory, 2-1, over San José State (3-5-2, 0-1-1 MW) on Wednesday night at Peter Johann Memorial FIeld.
After senior forward
Nick Legendre was tripped up in the box by SJSU's goalkeeper in the 59th minute, sophomore forward
Maxim Scordo netted the Rebels' eventual game-winning goal via the ensuing penalty kick. The Spartans had a chance to even the score for the second time on the night with a 73rd-minute penalty kick that struck off the crossbar as the Scarlet & Gray avoided further damage the rest of the match.
The goal by Scordo, his team-leading fifth of the season, broke a 1-1 tie after the Spartans' leveled things in the 27th minute following Legendre's opening score of the night in the 25th minute. Both teams' attacks came alive after a delay beginning in the 18th minute lasted more than 30 minutes due to technical issues that arose when a ball kicked out of bounds struck the press box.
Legendre had his hand in both goals by the Scarlet & Gray, scoring his fourth goal of the season along with earning the foul that helped decide the game. His score was assisted by junior midfielder
Joaquin Eisenberg and senior forward
Bryce Allred, who relayed the ball on a placement in the box that required just one touch by Legendre.
STAT OF THE GAME: The Rebel attack's aggression from the onset also led to the squad winning the shots battle 6-2 in the first and 15-10 for the full match against the Spartans. Additionally, they doubled SJSU up in shots on goal by a 6-3 margin. Scordo fired four of the Scarlet & Gray shots on goal, with Legendre and senior midfielder
Kai Merrill following with one each.
Anchored by senior goalkeeper
Hugo Lemos, UNLV's backline provided a strong wall of defense in keeping away all six Spartan shots out of goal during the remaining 31 minutes that transpired after Scordo's go-ahead goal.
QUOTABLE: "I thought it was a great performance. Like I've said before, we needed to come out and make sure that we set the tone early. It was an interesting game with a little bit of a delay and I thought the guys responded well, then found a goal. It was hard because they got one quickly and we had to go into halftime that way. But we really played very well in the second half, we controlled it with the ball throughout and we got the goal at the right time. I'm really excited for the players, they did a great job and deserved the three points. "
-UNLV Head Coach BJ Craig
UP NEXT: UNLV will head out on the road once again for another MW contest at Air Force on Sunday, Oct. 4.
NOTES:
- The Rebels remain unbeaten at home in 2026, stretching their record to 3-0-1 on their home turf after the result against SJSU.
- UNLV also extended its goal scoring streak to six consecutive contests, improving to 5-1-2 in the matches it has scored in this season.
- Scordo and Legendre continue to shine as the Rebel leaders in goals and points, standing first and second in those categories, respectively. After they each found the net, Scordo came away with his 12th point and Legendre tallied his ninth point.
- This was the Rebel men's soccer program's first-ever victory in Mountain West competition.
- A moment of remembrance was held on the night to honor the late John Kennedy, a longtime referee, mentor and cherished member of the Las Vegas soccer community.
