Announcements

August 19, 2017 In Announcements, General, Recaps

Second Half Explosion Lifts Rebels to Season-Opening Victory

The Rebels netted three second-half goals to beat Drake 3-0 at home Friday night in their 2017 season-opener.
LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – The defending Mountain West champions opened the 2017 season in style Friday night with a 3-0 rout of Drake in front of a large and rowdy crowd at Peter Johann Memorial Field. Three second-half goals proved to be the difference as the Rebels won their season-opener for the seventh straight year.
UNLV seemed to pick up right where they left off last season when they had one of the most prolific offenses in program history. Friday’s offensive output was a welcome sight as the Rebels try to replace the trio of Lily Sender, Jordan Magnin and Susie Bernal, who combined for 25 goals and 25 assists a year ago. Junior transfers Amanda Galbraith and Caitlyn Kreutz stepped right into the starting lineup and made an immediate impact, with Galbraith registering an assist and Kreutz netting her first goal as a Rebel.
THE TURNING POINT: After the first 50 minutes went scoreless between the Rebels and Bulldogs, a handball by Drake gave UNLV a free kick in their own third of the field. Sophomore Katie Ballou received a quick touch, made the turn and found Courtney Anderson, who gave it back to a breaking Ballou. With no one coming to challenge Ballou, she blasted the ball from 35 yards out and it sailed right below the cross bar to put UNLV up 1-0.
STAT OF THE GAME: Three different Rebels (Katie Ballou 52′, Micheala Morris 66′, Caitlyn Kreutz 88′) scored goals on four assists while the Rebels out-shot the Bulldogs 17-9.
REBEL OF THE GAME: Ballou entered the game midway through the first half and settled down a Rebel squad that seemed jittery through the first 20 minutes. Her perfect strike from well beyond the 18-yard box was a thing of beauty.
QUOTABLE:
“Overall, I’m pleased with the result and the performance. It was tough for us because this was our very taste of soccer this year and Drake was coming in off of two exhibitions, so we were a little jittery the first 20 minutes, but once we got to the water break and put Katie (Ballou) in, she settled things. We knew we weren’t going to be a finished product on day one with so many new faces and this integration of new players, but 3-0 first game of the year, couldn’t ask for a better result.” – Head Coach Chris Shaw
REBEL NOTES: 
* The Rebels won their season-opener for the seventh straight year and have won all four season-openers under Shaw.
* Dating back to last season, the Rebels are unbeaten in 11-straight regular season contests.
* Michaela Morris scored in a season-opener for the second-consecutive year.
* Senior keeper Jordan Sallee played all 90 minutes, making two saves.
* Caitlyn Kreutz scored her first career goal in the 88th minute.
NEXT FOR THE REBELS: The Rebels will wrap up the UNLV Invitational Sunday, August 20 against Wright State at 1 p.m. at Peter Johann Memorial Field. Drake and Weber State will face off in the first game of the day at 10:30 a.m.
August 15, 2017 In Announcements, General, Spotlight

Rebels Preseason Favorites In the WAC

Musovski Named Preseason Player of the Year for the second time, Mehlich joins him on the all-conference team.

Aug. 15, 2017

LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – 

For the first time in program history, the UNLV men’s soccer team will begin the season as the favorite to win the Western Athletic Conference title as the Rebels were picked to finish first in the 2017 preseason coaches poll, the league office announced Tuesday. Senior forward Danny Musovski was selected as the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, and he was joined on the Preseason All-WAC squad by teammate Timo Mehlich.

The Rebels return 10 of 11 starters from last year’s squad that won their second WAC Tournament title in three years, and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, the first UNLV team to do so since 1985.

They received a league-best five first-place votes and 90 total points, just ahead of second-place Utah Valley with three first-place votes and 89 total. Close behind in third was Seattle with three first-place votes and 87 overall. Air Force was next with 72 while Grand Canyon came in fifth place with 70. Rounding out the poll, CSU Bakersfield was sixth (54), San Jose State seventh (37), UTRGV eighth (33), Incarnate Word ninth (29), and in a tie for 10th place was Houston Baptist (22) and Kansas City (22).

This is the second year Musovski, a native of Las Vegas, was named the preseason WAC Offensive Player of the Year, and it comes one week after he was selected to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List, also for a second straight year. He scored 30 points a year ago despite missing five games with an injury, after posting 12 goals and six assists. That includes the game-winning goal in the WAC Tournament against Air Force, which earned him WAC Tournament MVP honors for the second time in his career as well. Musovski was the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year in 2015, and would go on to win the postseason honor.

Mehlich, a native of Monchengladbach, Germany, is a sophomore midfielder for the Rebels, and was second on the team a year ago with six goals and three assists for 15 points. That earned him WAC Freshman of the Year honors as well as a spot on the all-conference second team.

UNLV was one of three schools (Seattle, Utah Valley) to place two players on the preseason All-WAC team, while Air Force had a league-high three. Grand Canyon and CSU Bakersfield had one player each named to the squad.

UNLV opens the season on the road for the fifth straight year, beginning with a Friday, Aug. 25 contest at Portland (7 pm), the first of four games for the Rebels in a five-game stretch against teams that played in the 2016 NCAA Tournament. The home opener will be on Friday, Sept. 8, against Pacific at 7 pm at Peter Johann Memorial Field. Once again the Rebel Soccer Foundation will host a free tailgate party before each home game, open to all ticket holders with free food and drinks.

 

Tickets are on sale now for the 2017 UNLV men’s soccer season. Season tickets are just $35 for adults, $25 for UNLV faculty/staff and seniors. Single game ticket prices this season are $8 for adults, $6 for faculty/staff and seniors, though a special internet price of $5 is available for all tickets bought online at UNLVTickets.com, good up to three hours before game time. Kids 12 and under are always free at UNLV men’s soccer contests.

 

2017 WAC Preseason Men’s Soccer Coaches’ Poll

Place Team (1st place votes) Votes

 

1. UNLV (5) – 90

2. Utah Valley (3) – 89

3. Seattle (3) – 87

4. Air Force – 72

5. Grand Canyon – 70

6. CSU Bakersfield – 54

7. San Jose State – 37

8. UTRGV – 33

9. Incarnate Word – 29

10. Houston Baptist – 22

Kansas City – 22

 

2017 Preseason All-WAC Team

Austin Dewing, Jr., F, Air Force
Paul Hoffmeister, Sr., F, Utah Valley
Niki Jackson, Sr, F, Grand Canyon
Danny Musovski, Sr., F, UNLV
Tucker Bone, Jr., MF, Air Force
Timo Mehlich, So., MF, UNLV
Sergio Rivas, Jr., MF, Seattle U
Nathan Aune, Jr., D, Seattle U
Jamie Carey-Morrell, Sr., D, CSU Bakersfield
Giovanny Vazquez, Sr., D, Utah Valley
John Wendt, Sr., GK, Air Force

 

Preseason Offensive Player of the Year

Danny Musovski, UNLV

 

Preseason Defensive Player of the Year 

Nathan Aune, Seattle

August 8, 2017 In Announcements, General, Spotlight

Musovski Named To Hermann Trophy Watch List

Aug. 8, 2017

LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – @UNLVRebelSoccer 

For the second straight year, UNLV senior Danny Musovski is one of 31 men’s soccer players named to the 2017 MAC (Missouri Athletic Club) Hermann Trophy Watch List, the organization and the United Soccer Coaches (formerly the NSCAA) announced Tuesday. Annually presented to one male and one female athlete, the MAC Hermann Trophy is the most prestigious individual award in NCAA soccer.

This is the first time in program history a Rebel has been named to the Watch List twice, and just the third time overall as Rodrigo Fuentes was the first to earn the recognition in 2015.

Musovski, a native of Las Vegas, missed five games in the non-conference season in 2016 with a leg injury, but came back strong to post 12 goals and six assists en route to a 30-point season. That was just three points off his career-high 33-point season in his sophomore campaign during which he was a second-team All-American (United Soccer Coaches) as well as the 2015 WAC Offensive Player of the Year.
“Danny has earned the respect of my peers around the nation due to the outstanding performances he’s produced over the last three years,” said UNLV head coach Rich Ryerson. “He has represented the University extremely well on and off the field and has been an outstanding Rebel. Based on the opponents we have scheduled for this year, Danny will be challenged to perform at his highest level day in and day out, and that can only better prepare him for his opportunities in the professional leagues.”
Despite his missed games in the first half of the 2016 season, the forward made his impact in conference play with seven goals, including a pair of multi-goal contests. He continued that scoring streak into the WAC Tournament, posting both goals in the championship game to give the Rebels a 2-1 victory over Air Force and an auto-bid to the NCAA Tournament. Musovski was named the WAC Tournament MVP for the second time in three years thanks to his heroics, and also picked up first team all-league honors and was a second team all-region honoree. He enters his final season ranked in a tie for sixth in career scoring with 81 points, while he is eighth with 32 career goals.

This year’s winners will be announced on Friday, Jan. 5, 2018 at the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis. The watch lists are compiled by the United Soccer Coaches’ Men’s and Women’s NCAA Division I All-America Committees, based on analysis of returning All-America and All-Region players, as well as any prominent newcomers.

At the end of the collegiate regular season, NCAA Division I coaches will vote on their top choices and the lists will be narrowed down to the top 15 players. College soccer fans will also have the opportunity to participate in the selection process, voting for their favorite semifinalist in November at the MAC Hermann Trophy website, lockerdome.com/machermanntrophy. From that pool of 30, six finalists (three men, three women) will be chosen for the award.
June 6, 2017 In Announcements, General, Spotlight

UNLV Men’s Soccer Players Visit Myrtle Tate Elementary School

As part of their community service and community outreach efforts, players of the UNLV Men’s Soccer team visited Myrtle Tate Elementary School and conducted soccer clinics as part of Telemundo’s Soccer Day.

May 12, 2017 In Announcements, General, Spotlight, Updates

Somera, Portugal, Khamvongsa and Goo Graduate

Former Men’s Soccer players Irvin Somera, Julian Portugal, Aaron Goo and Jason Khamvongsa will take part in Saturday’s annual Spring Commencement Ceremonies at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Irvin Somera- BA Public Administration

Julian Portugal- BS Public Administration

Jason Khamvongsa- BS Hospitality Management

Aaron Goo- BS Hospitality Management

Congratulations!