No. 9 Defender Brittany Wiehe looks to her right during a team huddle. Nevada can be seen wearing white jerseys with blue letters in the photo.
Jayme Sileo/Nevada Sagebrush. Defender Brittany Wiehe gathers at the center of a huddle during a match against Weber St. on Aug. 7, 2019. The game lasted 110 minutes, hitting double-overtime in the Wolf Pack loss.

Monday, Sept. 2 vs. Sacramento State University 

Nevada soccer took on Sacramento State on Monday, Sept. 2 in Honolulu, HI to wrap up their final game in the Rainbow Wahine Soccer Invitational. A hard-fought battle on both sides resulted in the Pack ultimately falling to the Hornets 0-1. 

The lone goal from the Hornets came from a penalty kick in minute 50 by Aubrey Goodwill. The goal from Goodwill was her only shot and goal of the night. 

The Pack had multiple chances to tie up the match but were unable to find the net. Nevada struggled early, allowing the Hornets to out-shoot them 7-1 in the first half. The Wolf Pack out-shot Sacramento State 7-5 in the second half thanks to a late offensive push, but it was too little too late.  

Three Wolf Pack players took on the heavy offensive load on Monday, with sophomore Kylie Minamishin leading the way with three shots and one on goal. Senior Sara Olanda and freshman Gabby Brown each recorded two shots of their own on the afternoon.

Ball possession was a bright spot for the Pack, as they held the ball for 55 percent of the contest. Despite being outshot in the match, Nevada spent 67 percent of their possession in Hornet territory.

Outside of the lone score, Kendal Stovall was excellent with two saves. The bright spot in this game was the Pack’s defense allowing only one goal on 12 shots.

At the time of the game, Stovall was tied for first in the Mountain West Conference with 22 saves and fourth with a .846 save percentage. Additionally, Gabby Brown sits atop the conference with 19 shots on the season.

Saturday, Sept. 7 vs Weber State University 

After a week-long stay in Hawaii, Nevada soccer returned to Reno for their home opener on Sept. 7 in Mackay Stadium. In a hard-fought double-overtime match, the Pack fell to the Wildcats 0-1. This loss drops the Wolf Pack to 1-4 on the season while allowing the Wildcats to pick up their first win of the season.

The Wolf Pack held the Wildcats scoreless for the entire 90 minutes plus an extra 10 minutes of overtime. Weber State’s Rachel Twede then found the back of the net with 3:20 remaining in the second overtime giving WSU the 1-0 victory. 

For those looking for a bright spot, Nevada did outshoot the Wildcats 14-8, while also having five more corner kicks. Freshman Lizzy Hairston led the Pack in shots on goal with four, while redshirt freshman Annika Bergstrand and junior Mady Hairston added three of their own.

The Pack’s defense is something they can hang their hat on, only allowing four shots in the two periods of regulation. Stovall continues to be the bright spot on the team, saving five shots while only giving up one goal in 106 minutes of play. 

Nevada looks to bounce back from the three-game slide against the University of Utah on Sept. 13. This game will be in Reno but will be played at Truckee Meadows Community College. 

TMCC just finished construction on a new pitch last month. 


Austin Paschke can be reached at rfreeberg@sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @SagebrushSports.