LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – UNLV senior midfielder Timo Mehlich scored two goals in a 10-minute span late in the second half to rally the Rebels past San Jose State 2-1 Sunday afternoon from Peter Johann Memorial Field. The Rebels earned four points on the weekend thanks to Friday’s tie over first-place Seattle and now stand 1-3-1 in league play, while the Spartans dropped to 2-2-1 in the WAC.
SJSU took a 1-0 lead in the eighth minute as the Rebel offense was slow to start coming out of the kickoff. UNLV started to pick it as the game went on though, and came up with a tying score in the 72nd minute on Mehlich’s drive into the box and shot from 12 yards out. Marco Gonzalez assisted on the score. The game-winner came in the 81st minute when James Drye lofted a high ball from the defensive backline. Mehlich outraced the defenders for the ball, and then dribbled past the goalkeeper who came out to challenge before scoring on the empty net for the game-winner.
NEXT UP: The Rebels will have just one game next weekend, a road contest at Incarnate Word on Sunday, Oct. 20 at 11 am (PT).
RIVERSIDE, California (UNLVRebels.com) – UNLV’s Bailey Letherman converted a penalty kick in the final minutes of the second half to tie the game and help the Rebels earn a 2-2 draw against first-place Seattle in a thrilling WAC men’s soccer contest Friday night from Johann Memorial Field.
UNLV scored first on a rocket of a shot from senior Timo Mehlich in the first half, before Seattle tied the game a few minutes later at 1-1. In the second half the Redhawks jumped ahead 2-1 and looked set for the win late until a Rebel was knocked down inside the box, earning a penalty kick attempt. Letherman sent his shot to the left side for the score. Both teams had strong changes in the overtime period but the game would end in the 2-2 tie.
Lukas Betz was strong in goal again for the Rebels, facing 11 total shots and coming up with nine saves on the night.
NEXT UP: The Rebels are back in actionSunday against San Jose State at 10:30 am at Johann Memorial Field. That’s part of a doubleheader with the UNLV women’s team, who will be playing Colorado College at 1 pm.
LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – UNLV finished with the overall shot advantage for the third straight game, but Air Force took the only two shots of the overtime period, including the game-winner in the 97th minute that sent the Rebels to a 2-1 loss Friday night in Mountain West women’s soccer action from Peter Johann Memorial Field.
Air Force pushed the ball early in the game and was rewarded with a goal in the 22nd minute to go up 1-0. UNLV would tie the game though in the 42nd minute after a deflected ball off a corner kick came to Lourdes Bosch, and she placed it in the back of the net to tie the game at 1-1 in the 42nd minute.
No goal was scored in the second half, sending the Rebels to overtime for the second straight game on their home field. And for the second straight time they would come up short wen a defensive misplay led to the Falcons’ score in the 97th minute that ended the contest.
UNLV finished with a 16-15 overall edge on shots, though the Falcons had eight shots on goal to seven for the Rebels. UNLV also had six corner kicks to three for the visitors.
NEXT UP: UNLV hosts Colorado College Sunday at 1 pm, following the Rebel men’s game against San Jose State at 10:30 am. Sunday is the annual Kick Cancer game for UNLV, and the first 200 fans will receive a free UNLV pink towel.
LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – UNLV women’s soccer is back home for a pair of home games this weekend, Friday against Air Force at 5 pm and Sunday against Colorado College, both at Peter Johann Memorial Field. Friday’s game will also have a free tailgate party with free food and drinks starting at 5 pm, thanks to the UNLV Soccer Foundation.
Both Friday and Sunday contests are part of doubleheaders featuring both the UNLV women’s and men’s squads. There is a special ticket package of $20 that will also give fans admission to Friday’s doubleheader as well as Saturday’s Las Vegas Lights game vs Reno 1868. The package must be bought by Thursday night at lightsfc.com/unlvsoccer.
There will be giveaways for both UNLV games this weekend as well, as the first 200 fans on Friday night will receive a free UNLV camo drink koozie, while on Sunday, which is also Kick Cancer Day for the Rebels, the first 200 fans will receive a free UNLV pink cooling towel.
Both games will have a live video stream on YouTube, with the links available on UNLVRebels.com.
LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – UNLV men’s soccer is back home for a pair of home games this weekend, Friday against Seattle at 7:30 pm and Sunday against San Jose State at 10:30 am, both at Peter Johann Memorial Field. Friday’s game will also have a free tailgate party with free food and drinks starting at 5 pm during the UNLV women’s game against Air Force, thanks to the UNLV Soccer Foundation.
Both Friday and Sunday contests are part of doubleheaders featuring both the UNLV women’s and men’s squads. There is a special ticket package of $20 that will also give fans admission to Friday’s doubleheader as well as Saturday’s Las Vegas Lights game vs Reno 1868. The package must be bought by Thursday night at lightsfc.com/unlvsoccer.
There will be giveaways for both UNLV games this weekend as well, as the first 200 fans on Friday night will receive a free UNLV camo drink koozie, while on Sunday, which is also Kick Cancer Day for the Rebels, the first 200 fans will receive a free UNLV pink cooling towel.
Both games will be available to watch through the WAC Digital Network, which will have live links on UNLVRebels.com and can also be watched through the Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV and Android streaming devices.
RIVERSIDE, California (UNLVRebels.com) – UNLV’s offense fell flat in the second half as the Rebels were handed a 4-0 loss at Cal Baptist Sunday afternoon in WAC men’s soccer action.
The Lancers held a 1-0 lead at the half though UNLV attempted five of the opening half’s nine total shots. It was a different story in the second half as the Rebels finished with just three total shots. Cal Baptist meanwhile attempted eight and scored on three of them, all in a seven-minute span, to turn a one-goal game into a 4-0 contest.
NEXT UP: The Rebels will play a pair of games at home next weekend starting with a with a Friday night contest against Seattle at 7:30 pm. That’s part of a double-header with the UNLV women’s team who will host Air Force at 5 pm. Both teams will also play at double-header on Sunday, Oct. 13, with the UNLV men playing at 10:30 am against San Jose State and the UNLV women hosting Colorado College at 1 pm.
There is a special ticket promotion for Friday’s doubleheader, as for $20, fans can get tickets to both UNLV games along with a ticket to Saturday’s Las Vegas Lights contest vs Reno1868 at 7:30 pm. There will be a tailgate party Friday with free food, drinks and live music that is open to all with ticketed admission. To access the weekend deal fans can go to lightsfc.com/unlvsoccer.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (UNLVRebels.com) – For the second straight game UNLV finished with more shots then its opponent but fell short on the scoreboard as the Rebels suffered a 3-2 loss at New Mexico in Mountain West women’s soccer action Sunday afternoon.
UNM took an early lead 1-0 in the 10th minute, before the Rebels tied it after Katie Ballou converted a penalty kick in the 14th minute. Back-to-back goals from the Lobos in the 22nd and 27th minutes put the hosts back ahead 3-1 though. Jadyn Nogues brought UNLV back within a goal in the 56th minute when she headed in a corner kick to make it a 3-2 contest, but that was also the last goal of the game.
UNLV ended the afternoon with a 20-13 edge on total shots, and 8-7 on shots on goal, while corner kicks were also 12-3 in favor of the visiting Rebels.
QUOTE – “Unfortunately it’s two games in a row where we have out-shot the opposition and have significantly more corners but came out on the wrong side of the result. We had some issues early in the first half but then settled down and created numerous opportunities that we just couldn’t finish. However the team has been upbeat and we are confident that we have turned the corner.” – UNLV head coach Chris Shaw
NEXT UP: The Rebels will host six of their final eight games at home, beginning with next weekend with a Friday night contest against Air Force at 5 pm. That’s part of a double-header with the UNLV men’s team who will host Seattle at 7:30 pm. Both teams will also play at double-header on Sunday, Oct. 13, with the UNLV men playing at 10:30 am and the UNLV women hosting Colorado College.
There is a special ticket promotion for Friday’s doubleheader, as for $20, fans can get tickets to both UNLV games along with a ticket to Saturday’s Las Vegas Lights contest vs Reno1868 at 7:30 pm. There will be a tailgate party Friday with free food, drinks and live music that is open to all with ticketed admission. To access the weekend deal fans can go to lightsfc.com/unlvsoccer.
BAKERSFIELD, California (UNLVRebels.com) – A missed penalty kick ended up being the difference Friday as UNLV men’s soccer was handed a tough 1-0 loss at CSU Bakersfield after allowing the game-winner in the final seven minutes of the contest.
In a game where UNLV had the shot advantage for the majority of the contest and the advantage in total possession as well, the Rebels had a great opportunity for a lead in the 40th minute after a player was knocked down inside the box, resulting in a penalty kick in the 40th minute. Nico Clasen took the attempt and sent a hard low shot to the right corner. CSUB’s Detre Bell guessed correctly on his save attempt however, knocking the shot away to keep the game scoreless.
CSUB scored the game’s lone goal in the 84th minute for a 1-0 advantage. UNLV’s best chance to tie game in the 87th minute when Bryan Martinez-Serrano flicked a shot over the goalie but the ball hit the bottom of the crossbar and bounced back just before the goaline.
UNLV returns to action Sunday with a 1 pm contest at Cal Baptist in Riverside.
LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – UNLV men’s soccer is looking for its first WAC win of the season as are both of its weekend opponents as the Rebels will face CSU Bakersfield in a Friday morning, 11 am contest in Bakersfield, before closing the weekend at Cal Baptist on Sunday in a 1 pm match. All three teams dropped their opening game in league play Saturday night, with the Rebels falling to now No. 24 UTRGV 2-0.
Both games will be available to watch through the WAC Digital Network, which will have live links on UNLVRebels.com and can also be watched through the Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV and Android streaming devices.
UNLV (2-7, 0-1 WAC) at CSU Bakersfield (1-6, 0-1 WAC) Friday, Oct. 4 – 11 am – Main Soccer Field (Bakersfield, Calif.) Live Video (WDN) – Live Stats
Against Santa Clara the UNLV men’s soccer squad were pressed hard in the first minutes of each half. Although they survived the first period, Santa Clara scored two in the opening minutes of the second half and it cost the Rebels the game.
UTRGV came into Peter Johann Stadium ranked in the top 25 nationally but having given #2 St Mary’s a stout battle, the Rebel’s shouldn’t have been awed by the visitor’s country-wide recognition. What did bother the home side was a combination of UTRGV’s quick attack, the strong wind, and UNLV’s repeated slow start. A fast push into UNLV’s half produced a corner at only 3 minutes and a short serve seemed to catch the Rebels by surprise. The Vaquero’s Arthur Rogers took the pass, fired a low ball across the UNLV goal where Angel Lopez hit it into the lower far net. The lightening fast goal indicated the quality of their opponents and only 12 minutes later Lopez hit a through ball to Juan Rivera which was borderline offside. The problem was that Rebel defenders stopped moving and the ball took a high bounce which Rivera poked past a surprised Lukas Betz. The 35 mph wind blowing in the Vaquero’s direction certainly helped them and adjusting to it was a problem for the Rebels.
One positive attribute of this season’s squad has been UNLV’s resilience and after that second goal, the home team settled down and worked a possession-based offense that prevented any further danger from UTRGV’s offense by denying them the ball. At first the play into the visitor’s half did little to threaten their goal, but gradually the Rebels began making inroads into the Vaquero’s territory. UNLV adopted a 2-forward attack for this match instead of their standard 3 and the John Lyman/Marco Gonzales top began interacting with the Rebels expanded midfield to produce some quality strikes at the Vaquero’s goal. During this span Marco and Timo came close with only a last second disconnect between the two preventing a score. And at 39 minutes the Rebels frequent penetration down their right forced a UTRGV foul. Niko Clasen’s direct kick was parried toward the goal, Timo Mehlich fired a blast which blocked, the rebound was poked but unfortunately for UNLV the 4 shot spurt did not find the goal. Only 4 minutes later Skyler Goo fired a ball at the upper near corner (down UNLV’s right again) but keeper Andy Rios somehow got a hand on it and the Reb’s were still frustrated. Considering their top-level opponent, the howling wind blowing against them and the score, this 25-minute span might have been the best soccer played by the Rebels this year. They were patient, confident, mixed their attack with their possession and used their offensive movement force UTRGV’s defense into scrambling to preserve the shutout. Given the change of sides (and wind advantage) things looked optimistic for the second half.
The problem playing with a strong wind at one’s back is mental as much as physical. The temptation to merely put the ball up into the wind will interrupt even the most mature of teams ground -based offenses and the tendency of wind-pushed through passes to run away from potential pass receivers can frustrate the best of teams. The second half found both of these effects stymieing UNLV’s attack. Granted, UTRGV didn’t offer much offense for the Rebels to defend against, but the home team didn’t find the success of the latter first half in the second. The Vaquero’s understood the challenge of defending their lead against the wind and an opponent who had rattled them in the first half and they were much more resolute in the second. The Rebels tried a mixture of long ball and possession attack
and finally earned a couple corner’s in the 60th minute. Clasen has been typically on target with his free kicks and corners this season, but this time he was off on his connections. As time wore down, the Rebels tried moving personnel into better positions, but to no avail. The movement and passing which characterized that excellent period in the first half didn’t appear when needed most in the latter half and this produced a disconnect between the Rebels back line, who continued to play a patient possession game into the last stages of the game and their forward players who seemed to expect a more urgent , although less structured, hit-it-up-into-the-wind approach. The result was little productive offense other than the corners and UTRGV was happy to take the 2-0 result.
The Rebels next opponents are a significant step down from the likes of UTRGV and St Marys. Although the coming matches are away, if UNLV can 1) find the quality they displayed in the 2nd quarter of the UTRGV match and 2) avoid playing to the level of their opponents, they could come back home in mid- October with a couple positive results to turn the season around.
