UNLV WOMEN’S SOCCER ANNOUNCES 2014 SCHEDULE
This year’s slate features a mid-season six-game road trip
Online version of 2014 UNLV Women’s Soccer Schedule
There are several challenges awaiting the UNLV women’s soccer team this upcoming season as the athletics department released the 2014 schedule on Monday afternoon. In addition to facing a total of five teams that are coming off NCAA tournament appearances, the Rebels will also play of 10 of its 19 games on the road, including a six-game road swing midway through the season.
UNLV will begin the year with a four-game homestand, thanks to hosting a pair of in-season tournaments. First up will be the UNLV Rebel Classic on Aug. 22 and 24. For the second time in three years, the Rebels will not only be opening the season against Northern Arizona, but also debuting their new coach against the Lumberjacks as well as UNLV is led this season by first-year head coach Chris Shaw. That game will be followed by a match with Grand Canyon, the first-meeting ever between the teams, on Aug. 24. UC Riverside will be the fourth team in the field.
The following weekend will be the UNLV Nike Invitational, which will see the Rebels open by facing Colorado, who reached the third round of the NCAAs last season, on Aug. 29. The second game of the weekend will be against another NCAA participant, Saint Francis, on Aug. 31. Kent State is also featured in the Nike Invitational.
UNLV then undertakes its toughest stretch of the season with six straight games on the road over three consecutive weekends. The road trip begins with a pair of games in the Beehive State, as the Rebels meet Utah (2013 NCAA participants) for the first time since the Utes left the Mountain West with a Sept. 12 contest in Salt Lake City. UNLV stays in the state to face Utah Valley on Sept. 14, the first time the teams have played in Orem after a pair of matches in Las Vegas in 2005 and 2007, both Rebel victories.
Another first for the Rebels comes the following weekend when they make the trip to El Paso, Texas to face UTEP on Sept. 19. the only other meeting between the two came in Las Vegas in the 2000 season. UNLV closes out that weekend by taking on nearby New Mexico State in Las Cruces, N.M., on Sept. 21. This will be the first-ever meeting between the Rebels and the Aggies, and will close out the non-conference slate for UNLV.
UNLV opens the 2014 Mountain West schedule with a pair of road games on the Front Range, beginning with a Sept. 26 contest at Colorado State and at Wyoming on Sept. 28. The Rebels finally return home to Las Vegas for a Oct. 3 game with Fresno State. Other highlights of the MW slate include back-to-back games against NCAA teams from a year ago, at home against San Diego State on Oct. 12 and on the road at new league member Colorado College on Oct. 17 in Colorado Springs.
The Rebels close out the regular season on Nevada Day on the road against Nevada, Reno on Oct. 31, a contest that is also part of the Governor’s Series (presented by NV Energy and sponsored by Barrick Gold). This year’s Mountain West tournament is being hosted by San Diego State on Nov. 4-9 at the SDSU Sports Deck.
The Rebels bring back seven starters from last year’s squad that finished with a 10-8-3 record and advanced to the MW tournament for the fourth straight year.