Rebels Stay Unbeaten With 3-1 Win Over Southern Utah

Box Score | Season Statistics

LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – UNLV women’s soccer stayed perfect on the season with a 3-1 win over Southern Utah on a hot Sunday afternoon at Peter Johann Memorial Field. The Rebels are 4-0 through the first two weekends for the second year in a row, matching the program-best start they achieved last season.

Sophomore midfielder Georgia Kingman got the offense going early with a goal in the ninth minute off of a rebounded shot, while Sophie Cortes’ pair of goals 13 minutes a part in the middle of the game gave the Rebels a comfortable lead at 3-0. Sunday’ performance by the speedy midfielder capped a stellar weekend for the senior as she netted three goals total in the wins over Utah Valley and Southern Utah to give her four on the year – the same amount she had in all of 2016.

Southern Utah (0-4) spoiled the shutout with a goal of their own in the 81st minute, but the early lead did allow several young Rebel newcomers to see extended amounts of playing time, which will surely help with depth later in the year.

THE TURNING POINT: The Rebels took control early, attacking the Thunderbird defense relentlessly. Cortes was at the center of it, getting a couple shots off from 12 yards out that were blocked by the SUU keeper. One shot bounced off the keeper and out to the waiting foot of Kingman, who blasted it from the left side of the box from 15 yards out and right under the crossbar for the 1-0 lead.

STAT OF THE GAME: For the fourth-straight game, the Rebels out-shot the their opponent, this time with an 20-8 margin. They have held opponents to single-digit shots three out of the four games in 2017.

REBEL OF THE GAME: Sophie Cortes. Cortes’ goals came in the 37th minute and the 50th minute, putting the Rebels up 3-0 and ultimately providing the margin of victory over the Thunderbirds.

HIGHLIGHT: @_agalbraith_ ➡@sophiecortesss to put the Rebels up 2-0 over @SUUSoccer! #UsNowLV pic.twitter.com/HiZTivxnGf

— UNLV Women's Soccer (@UNLVwSoccer) August 27, 2017

HIGHLIGHT: @sophiecortesss nets her second goal of the game after a nice pass from Hannah Harrison! 3-0 Rebels! #UsNowLV pic.twitter.com/l59lh9xW8m

— UNLV Women's Soccer (@UNLVwSoccer) August 27, 2017

QUOTABLE:

Head coach Chris Shaw on the team’s performance:

“I thought we controlled the ball and the game and had a majority of the possession, but I thought we were a little impatient in the attack. We settled for some longer shots rather than waiting for more dangerous opportunities. But we were able to get a lot of players in and see some freshman out there for the first time. It was not one of our better performances, but a win is a win and we’re 4-0, so we’ll take that.”

Shaw on heading out on the road next weekend for the first time in 2017:

“We’ll see how it goes. The road presents different challenges – a hostile environment, different routine – so hopefully they are ready. We know we are going to have two tough games next weekend, so it will be a challenge and we will see what happens.”

REBEL NOTES: 

* The Rebels won their first four games for the second consecutive year to match last year’s program-best start.

* Dating back to last season, the Rebels are unbeaten in 14 straight regular season contests.

* Cortes’ four goals matches the total she had in all of 2016.

* Junior Amanda Galbraith picked up her fourth assist on the year as she set up Cortes’ first goal of the afternoon in the 37th minute.

* Freshman Hannah Harrison nabbed her first career assist with a beautiful ball over the SUU back line that Cortes was able to run onto and score in the 50th minute.

* The Rebels stayed a perfect 7-0 all-time against Southern Utah.

NEXT FOR THE REBELS: The Rebels venture out on the road for the first time this season, heading to Northern California for a Friday matchup with Sacramento State and a Sunday contest against UC Davis. Follow the road matches on the UNLV Women’s Soccer twitter page (@UNLVwSoccer) and at UNLVrebels.com.