Spotlight

LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – UNLV women’s soccer was challenged for the first time in 2017 and the Rebels responded well, fighting through a physical game and an early deficit for a double overtime victory Friday night at home against Utah Valley (1-2).

UNLV (3-0) found itself in unfamiliar territory – down 1-0 just four minutes into the game on an early Wolverine goal – but was able to refocus and even the score at one in the 17th minute on senior midfielder Sophie Cortes’ second goal of the year. That’s where the score remained for the next 90 minutes, well into in the second overtime period, until the head of senior defender Chidera Akubuilo found Amanda Galbraith’sperfectly placed corner kick with under three minutes remaining in the game. The golden goal kept the Rebels’ record perfect on the year at 3-0 and marked the second straight year the team has started the season with three straight wins.

THE TURNING POINT: With the second overtime winding down and the game looking as if it was destined for a draw, the Rebels continued to relentlessly attack the Utah Valley defense. The pressure paid off as UNLV drew a corner with three minutes left on the clock. Junior forward Amanda Galbraith, the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week, set up for the corner kick and placed the ball in front of the goal and in the perfect spot for the 5-9 Akubuilo to track it out of the air with her head.

STAT OF THE GAME: For the third-straight game, the Rebels out-shot the their opponent, this time with an 18-10 margin.

REBEL OF THE GAME: Chidera Akubuilo nabbed the game-winner, but the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List selection was all over the place Friday night, thwarting several attacks by the Wolverines from her center back position.

QUOTABLE:

On the early goal by UVU and the late win:

“It wasn’t our best performance, giving up the early goal is not ideal, but after that I thought we settled in. Credit to the players, they responded well [to the early goal|. That was one of my questions, how resilient are we going to be when we get down a goal? So they responded well to that. And  then overtime, to me is a gut check, it’s all about heart and desire and they battled. There is a reason Chi is on the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List and I think she showed what’s she capable of in winning the game for us. Utah Valley is a good team, so anytime you get a “W”, we’re pleased.” – HC Chris Shaw

On if last year’s loss at Utah Valley was on the returning players minds:

“We decided we aren’t going to talk about last year. We’re focused on this team, this year. What happened in the past is in the past and we are going to keep moving forward because I think this group is a special group and has the ability to do a lot great things.” – HC Chris Shaw

REBEL NOTES: 

* The Rebels won their first three games for the second consecutive year.

* UNLV is looking for a second straight 4-0 start, which would match the best start in program history set last year.

* Dating back to last season, the Rebels are unbeaten in 13 straight regular season contests.

* Cortes already has two goals through three games after scoring four all of last season.

* Two of three of Galbraith’s assists have come on header goals.

* Michaela Morris recorded the assist on Cortes’ goal, laying it off perfectly at the 18 yard box to set Cortes up.

* The Rebels have never lost to Sunday’s opponent, Southern Utah.

* Utah Valley handed the Rebels their first loss a year ago after their 4-0 start, making the double OT victory that much sweeter.

NEXT FOR THE REBELS: The Rebels wrap up their four-game homestand Sunday at 1 p.m. against Southern Utah, who they beat 2-1 a year ago in Cedar City. Purchase tickets at unlvtickets.com.

The Rebels entered 2017 having to replace a combined 30 goals and 27 assists by the now departed Lily Sender, Susie Bernal, Jordan Magnin and Dakota Blazak, and if the first weekend was any indication of how they will fare, they have only reloaded.

After a jittery first half in the season-opener, UNLV settled down and played its game, scoring three goals over the final 25 minutes to shutout Drake 3-0. Sophomore Kate Ballou, who is returning from a torn ACL, sparked the offense off the bench with a spectacular goal from 40 yards out that sailed right under the crossbar to break a scoreless tie. Michaela Morris netted the second goal on a header off a beauty of a cross by newcomer Amanda Galbraith while fellow newcomer Caitlyn Kreutz added an insurance goal in the 88th minute. The scoring barrage continued in Sunday’s contest as the Rebels scored four goals in the first 11 minutes, with two goals and an assist coming from Galbraith, in an eventual 5-1 win over Wright State.

For her two-goal, two-assists performance, Galbraith earned her first Mountain West Offensive Player Week honor and was named to TopDrawerSoccer’s National Team of the Week. The undefeated start also helped the Rebels nab a No. 14 ranking in the United Soccer Coaches’ West Region poll, a spot ahead of the University of Washington.

Visit unlvtickets.com to purchase tickets in advance.

SCOUTING THE COMPETITION 

• Utah Valley opened the season in Hawai’i, losing a 2-1 heartbreaker in overtime, but bounced back with a 2-1 win over Houston Baptist to go 1-1 over the weekend. Sophomore Breanna DeWaal leads the Wolverines with two goals on the year.
• Southern Utah heads into the weekend still looking for its first win of 2017 after an 0-2 opening weekend, dropping road games to UC Riverside (1-0) and Boise State (5-1).

NEWS & NOTES

• UNLV started the season 2-0 for the second straight season and for the third in four years under head coach Chris Shaw.
• The Rebels are looking for a 4-0 start for the second straight year, which would match their best start in program history set last year.
• For the second consecutive year, UNLV nabbed the first Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week award of the year with Galbraith earning her first career honor.
• Galbraith, a junior college transfer, and fellow starting forward Caitlyn Kreutz, a San Luis Obispo transfer, made an immediate impact in their first action as Rebels, combining for three goals and two assists on opening weekend.
• The United Soccer Coaches, formerly the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, released its first regional rankings of the year, with UNLV ranked No. 14 in the West Region.
• Chris Shaw is in his fourth year with a 38-22-5 overall record.
• The Rebels were picked to finish third in the Mountain West preseason coaches poll, their highest spot in the poll since 2013. San Diego State and San Jose State were picked to finish one-two, but UNLV’s five first-place votes were the most of any school.
• Senior Chidera Akubuilo, the reigning Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year, collected several preseason honors. She became the first Rebel to be named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List, the most prestigious award in collegiate soccer. She was also named to TopDrawerSoccer.com’s Women’s DI Best XI Third Team and is ranked No. 23 on the site’s Women’s Collegiate Top 100.
• The Rebels return two All-Conference First Team selections in Akubuilo and Sophie Cortes, a second team selection in Jordan Sallee and two Mountain West All-Newcomer team selections in Paige Almendariz and Georgia Kingman.
• Sallee also garnered preseason honors as she was ranked No. 66 overall and the No. 9 senior keeper on Everybody Soccer, a site dedicated to collegiate goalkeepers
• Freshman Erykah Browne was a member of El Salvador U20 team this summer, playing in a World Cup qualifying tournament in Nicaragua in June.

LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – The honors keep rolling in for UNLV women’s Soccer as Amanda Galbraith was named to Top Drawer Soccer’s National Team of the Week and the Rebels were ranked 14th overall in the West Region by United Soccer Coaches.

Galbraith, a forward from Petaluma, California, scored two goals and registered two assists in wins over Drake and Wright State on opening weekend and was awarded the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week for the first time in her career.

The United Soccer Coaches, formerly known as the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), has reorganized its weekly national and regional rankings after rebranding in early August. The organization continues to release a weekly national top-25, but has pared down its regional rankings to include 15 teams ranked in each of the five different regions (East, Midwest, South, Southeast, West). After appearing in the Pacific Region poll last season from Oct. 10 through the end of the season, the Rebels were ranked No. 14 in the first West Region poll Tuesday.

UNLV has started the season 2-0 for the second straight year and for the third time in four years under head coach Chris Shaw. After the first weekend of play, the Rebels boast a top-10 offense in the country, ranking tied for eighth in total goals (8) and total points (25) and tied for sixth in total assists. Individually, Galbraith ranks tied for 13th in the country in total points (6).

UNLV will be home for the second consecutive weekend, taking on Utah Valley Friday, August 25 at 7 p.m. and Southern Utah on Sunday, August 27 at 1 p.m. at Peter Johann Memorial Field. To purchase tickets visit UNLVtickets.com. 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, good up to three hours before game time. Kids 12 and under are always free at UNLV women’s soccer contests.

LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – UNLV women’s soccer’s offense stayed hot Sunday as the Rebels scored four goals in the first 11 minutes of the game en route to a 5-1 win over Wright State at Peter Johann Memorial Field. The dominant performance helped UNLV win its own invitational and start the season 2-0 for the second straight year.

After a scoreless first 65 minutes of the season, the Rebels scored seven goals over the next 36 minutes between Friday’s second half and Sunday’s flurry of goals to begin the game. Dating back to last season, the Rebels are now unbeaten in 12 straight regular season contests and have gone undefeated on opening weekend three out of the last four years since head coach Chris Shaw took over.

Junior college transfer Amanda Galbraith had a big day in her second career game as a Rebel, netting two goals and picking up an assist on a third. Through the first two games, the Rebels’ transfers – Galbraith and Caitlyn Kruetz – have already played a big part in replacing the offensive production lost from last year, combining for three goals and two assists. Senior Sophie Cortes, the Rebels’ engine in the midfield, added a goal and two assists as well.

THE TURNING POINT: In the third minute, sophomore defender Paige Almendariz and Galbraith connected for goal number one, with Almendariz sending a cross from the left side to Galbraith in front of the goal. Galbraith took one touch, made a quick turn and buried the ball in the left corner to put the Rebels up 1-0. Less than two minutes later, redshirt sophomore Michaela Morris nabbed her second goal in as many games after receiving a pass from Cortes, dribbling through the Raider defense and slapping one past the Wright State keeper. UNLV wasn’t done yet. Keeping the pressure on, sophomore midfielder Georgia Kingman sent another cross from the left side to Galbraith in the middle, who made another great move in front of the goal and finished it into the net to get her second goal just shy of the 10 minute mark. On the ensuing kick off, Galbraith found herself with the ball again, this time about 40 yards out, and lofted the ball over the Wright State back line to a streaking Cortes, who took a couple touches and slotted the ball past the goalie for the fourth goal.

STAT OF THE GAME: The Rebels out-shot the Bulldogs 30-8, scoring five goals on five assists. For the second-straight game, UNLV allowed single-digit shots.

REBEL OF THE GAME: After registering an assist Friday night, Galbraith scored her first two goals as a Rebel and added an assist on the beautiful ball to Cortes.

QUOTABLE:

On the four quick goals to start the game:

“We talked about getting off to a good start because of the heat and Wright State being from Ohio and not being used to it. Honestly, I didn’t expect a four goal output in first 11 minutes, but we are very excited about that.”

On transfers Galbraith and Kruetz:

“We had high expectations of both Amanda and Caitlyn. We knew with what we lost from last year, we needed to find a way to replace those goals, thats why we brought them in. Amanda coming in from junior college is a big jump, but she’s a quality soccer player and our preseason training environment allowed her to play at the faster pace.”

REBEL NOTES: 

* The Rebels won their first two games of the season for the third year out of four under Shaw.

* Dating back to last season, the Rebels are unbeaten in 12 straight regular season contests.

* Eight goals in the first two games is the second-most under Shaw. UNLV scored nine in that span last season.

* Senior keeper Jordan Sallee picked up her second win in as many games, making four saves.

* Freshman Robin Pollard scored her first career goal in the 82nd minute on an assist from Cortes.

* The tournament honors for the UNLV Invitational include:

• Most Outstanding Player: Sophie Cortes, UNLV
• Most Outstanding Offensive Player: Amanda Galbraith, UNLV
• Most Outstanding Defensive Player: Chidera Akubuilo, UNLV
• Most Outstanding Goalkeeper: Jordan Sallee, UNLV
• All Tournament Team: UNLV: Sophie Cortes, Michaela Morris, Chidera Akubuilo, Amanda Galbraith; Wright State: Niki Romero, Sarah Colvin, Aaliyah Patten; Drake: Rebecca Rodgers, Alyssa Brand, Rachel Wanninger; Weber State: Chansi Crompton

NEXT FOR THE REBELS: The Rebels will be home again next weekend, taking on Utah Valley Friday night at 7 p.m. and Southern Utah Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. at Peter Johann Memorial Field. Purchase tickets at unlvtickets.com.

 

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

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.