UNLV WOMEN’S SOCCER SEASON ENDS IN PK SHOOTOUT TO WYOMING IN MW TOURNAMENT
Game ended in 1-1 tie, Wyoming advances to the second round
UNLV’s women’s soccer season came to an end on Monday night, as the Rebels lost a penalty kick shootout 4-2 to Wyoming after finishing their first-round matchup in a 1-1 tie in the first round of the 2013 Mountain West Tournament at the UNM Soccer Complex. UNLV’s streak of three straight MW semifinal appearances came to an end, as the Rebels finish the season with a 10-8-3 mark.
“I’m very proud of the team for their effort tonight and I thought that we were the better team in the second half and overtime,” said UNLV head coach Michael Coll. “I want to thank our seniors Jenn Wolfe, Kylie Wassell and Courtney Botelho for another great season. Those three have been amazing and amassed 22 wins and seven ties over the last two seasons.
Penalty kicks are always cruel if you lose that way. In the end it’s not the penalty kicks that we’ll regret but the fact that we couldn’t get the go ahead score after bombarding their area with shots and dangerous crosses for most of the second half and all of overtime.”
Wyoming struck first in the contest, taking a 1-0 lead in the 36th minute, when Sara Paul sent a through ball to Lucie McDowell, who drove in and beat Wassell with a shot to the right side. That lead would hold up for the Cowgirls until midway through the second half. Wolfe tied the game for UNLV in the 69th minute off a corner kick from Miranda Rawlings that was punched out by goalkeeper Abby Lindsay. The ball came to Wolfe, who volleyed it back into the goal for the score, her seventh of the season. UNLV has several near chances over the rest of the half, but could not come up with another score, and the game would go to overtime.
In the two overtime periods, both UNLV and Wyoming took advantage of their time with the wind at their backs, with Wyoming taking three shots in the first overtime and UNLV two in the second. No goals were scored though, leading to the first PK shootout in the tournament since UNLV vs. New Mexico in the 2008 first round. UNLV had won its past three shootouts in league play, but this one started badly when the Rebels missed their first shot and had their second blocked, while Wyoming made its first two. Hayley Wilson and Jordan Magnin converted the third and fourth attempts for the Rebels, but the Cowgirls connected on their first four to win 4-2.
“The strong winds spoiled the game and turned it into more of a rugby match than a soccer match, but still we tried to get the ball on the ground and we were good to watch for long stretches,” said Coll. “Another winning season is something we can be proud of especially with the massive adversity we have faced all season. I couldn’t have asked for anything more of this young team tonight. The future is bright for UNLV women’s soccer and this team will be confident to get back to this stage or better next season.
UNLV finished the game with a 16-12 edge on shots, while both teams had five shots each on goal. Corner kicks were in favor of Wyoming at 11-7. Wassell finished with four saves in goal for the Rebels in her final game, while Lindsay also posted four for the Cowgirls.