LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) — The UNLV men's soccer team (4-2-2) finished non-conference play unbeaten at home after picking up a 1-1 draw vs. Gonzaga (3-3-2) Sunday night at Peter Johann Memorial Field.
Senior forward
Bryce Allred scored the game's opening goal in the 70th minute for the Rebels on a setup by senior midfielder
Mikah Madrid and sophomore forward
Maxim Scordo. After Gonzaga tied things, 1-1, in the 84th minute, UNLV senior goalkeeper
Hugo Lemos played hero with a huge save on the Bulldogs' 87th-minute penalty kick to keep the match level in the end.
Behind his late-game heroics, Lemos finished with a season-high seven saves and his supporting Scarlet & Gray backline added a team stop for a season-best eight combined defensive saves. In another highlight reel defensive moment, a kneeling Lemos and sliding Madrid made back-to-back saves at the goal line in the 73rd minute to deter Bulldog shot attempts from right in front of the goal.
STAT OF THE GAME: After firing only four shot attempts in the first half, the Rebel attack came alive in the second half on the way to more than doubling that number with nine shots in the final 45 minutes. The squad's aggression gave UNLV a season-high shot attempt count with 13 targets for the full 90 minutes.
QUOTABLE: "At the end of the day, I was a little disappointed in our first half performance. I think we looked like we had a week off, which we did, and we've been playing such a crazy schedule. The goal we gave up, we could've defended better, which is a lesson we'll learn from. Then we had to make a huge PK save, but fantastic job by Hugo again. I'm really pleased with how the guys responded, got back into the game and scored a fantastic goal - one of our best of the season. From there we've got to get ready for the next game and keep moving forward."
- UNLV Head Coach BJ Craig
UP NEXT: UNLV will start Mountain West play with a road match at Grand Canyon on Saturday, Sept. 26. Kickoff vs. the Lopes is set for 7 p.m. PT.
NOTES:
- This is the first time UNLV has finished the non-conference slate unbeaten at home since the 2015 season. That year, they also faced Gonzaga in the final non-conference match, resulting in a 1-0 Rebel victory.
- UNLV has now scored goals in five of the past six games and has found the net in six of eight games. In the matches they've capitalized on scoring, the Rebels improved their record to 4-0-2.
- With his assist, Maxim Scordo took over as the team leader in points with eight and assists with two. He also is tied with senior forward Nick Legendre in goals with three.
- By way of the result, the Scarlet & Gray has now gone unbeaten in four consecutive matches. That string of contests includes a 1-1 draw at UC Riverside, a 1-0 win at UC San Diego and a 2-0 victory at UC Irvine.
- During their tough non-conference slate, the Rebels faced three opponents that have been ranked in the top 25 nationally and made NCAA Tournament appearances over the past three years.
