REBELS SWEEP MOUNTAIN WEST WEEKLY AWARDS
Junior Lourdes Bosch earns MW Offensive Player of the Week, redshirt freshman Riley Liebsack named MW Defensive Player and Freshman of the Week
@UNLVwSoccer
After turning in its best weekend of the season, the UNLV women’s soccer team swept the Mountain West weekly awards as junior midfielder Lourdes Bosch was named the league’s offensive player of the week and redshirt freshman keeper Riley Liebsack earned both defensive player and freshman of the week honors.
This is the first career honor for both Bosch and Liebsack and marks the first time since 2018 the Rebels have swept the awards. This is also the first ever freshman of the week honor earned by a UNLV player as the award was just introduced this fall. Bosch is the second Rebel to earn the offensive honor this season after redshirt junior forward Hevani Haunga did so on August 30.
Bosch and Liebsack were both instrumental in helping UNLV pick up a pair of big wins at home on senior weekend over then fourth-place San Jose State and first-place Fresno State. The Rebels needed the wins to stay alive in the hunt for one of the six berths for the Mountain West Tournament, which will take place in Boise the first week of November.
Bosch, a three-year starter and Las Vegas native, had a stellar weekend in the attack as she had a hand in all scoring plays in each match, knocking in both game-winning goals on free kicks and assisting on the final two scores to seal the win against the Bulldogs.
In a tight match with San Jose State on Friday night, Bosch drew a foul just outside the box five minutes before the end of the first half and struck it perfectly into the back of the net on the free kick for the 1-0 lead, which was the margin when the final whistle blew. In Sunday’s regular season home finale, UNLV was engaged in a defensive battle with the Bulldogs until Bosch drew another foul outside the box in the 54th minute and again placed a perfect ball in the upper right corner on the free kick, giving the Rebels the lead for good. In the 73rd minute, Bosch lofted the ball to teammate Kennedi Schmidt, who got behind the FS defense and made a move past the keeper to make it 2-0. UNLV sealed the deal in the 84th minute when Bosch sent a cross into the box and Haunga was there to knock it into the net for the 3-0 lead.
Liebsack, from Torrance, California, has started the last seven games for the Rebels – a stretch in which UNLV has gone 5-2 – and recorded four shutouts, including two over the weekend. Working behind a strong Rebel defensive back line, Liebsack made big saves in key moments to keep both the Spartans and Bulldogs off the board as each team tried to make furious comebacks after UNLV took the lead. Liebsack, who redshirted in the shortened 2021 spring season, collected three saves in the win over San Jose State and four against Fresno State, including three pivotal ones on dangerous FS opportunities in the second half.
The Rebels, who have gone 4-1 since starting conference play 1-4, have played their way into the sixth spot in the Mountain West standings heading into the final regular game of the season. A tie or win in the Silver State Series showdown at UNR on Thursday would guarantee a berth in the postseason tournament. Kickoff is set for 6:30 pm. at McKay Stadium in Reno.