UNLV WOMEN’S SOCCER FALLS IN DEFENSIVE CONTEST ON THE ROAD, 2-0 TO UC IRVINE
The two teams were held to a combined 11 shots on the afternoon
UNLV played UC Irvine fairly even for the majority of the afternoon, but a two-minute stretch midway through the first half would prove to be the difference in a 2-0 win by the Anteaters over the Rebels in college women’s soccer action on Sunday from Anteater Stadium. Both teams moved to 1-1 on the season with the decision.
“It was a tough game for both teams to keep a rhythm going on offense, but I feel we got better as the game went on, just couldn’t connect on a score,” said UNLV head coach Michael Coll. “We did get a chance to play a lot of new players today though, and while we hoped for a better result, overall I was happy with our play today.”
The host UC Irvine squad came out attacking from the start, taking four of its six total shots in the game in the opening 21 minutes. Natalie Ledezma would put the Anteaters on the board with their second shot, when she chipped in a shot over Rebel goalkeeper Kylie Wassell in the 20th minute. Zoya Farzaneh was credited with an assist on the play.
Just 72 seconds later Ledezma scored again, this time heading in a cross from Cami Privett in the 21st minute. That put UCI up by a 2-0 score, and both teams would be held to just one shot each over the rest of the half, leaving the halftime score as 2-0. UNLV would be outshot 5-1 for the opening half as well. The second half was a different story though, with the Rebels holding the Anteaters to just one shot total over the final 45 minutes, while taking four themselves. Two of the four shots were on goal but were saved by UCI goalkeeper Corey Tobin to earn the shutout win.
The final shot total was 6-5 in favor of UCI, while the Anteaters also held a 7-1 edge on corner kicks. Wassell finished with three saves in goal for the Rebels, while Tobin posted two.
UNLV now returns home to host the Nike Invitational on Friday, Aug. 30 and Sunday, Sept. 2. On Friday, the Rebels will face Portland State at 7 pm, while the first game will see LIU Brooklyn and New Mexico State square off at 4:30 pm. Sunday’s action will feature UNLV and LIU Brooklyn at 1 pm, following the morning contest of New Mexico State and Portland State at 10:30 am. All UNLV home games are held at Peter Johann Field, with tickets $8 for adults, while children 12 and under are always free.