Photo by Isaac Hoops. Mackay Stadium before the game against UNLV.

Nevada women’s soccer won their last game of the season against in-state rivals UNLV 1-0.

In the first half of the game, the Wolf Pack had a slow start. UNLV had a strong push with a total of seven shots while Nevada only had one. Graduate student Hannah Souza had the one shot for Nevada at 33:16. The shot was high, but it was saved by goalie Riley Liebsack. UNLV midfielder Lourdes Bosch had three of the seven shots for the team. Both teams were playing aggressively. Nevada had six fouls and Las Vegas had four. Bosch was not afraid to pick a fight with some of the Nevada players on the field early in the game. The referee had to pull Bosch aside to cool down the smack talking, but no card was given out for her behavior. 

Nevada’s defense was in full effect in the second half. They only allowed UNLV to get one shot while they had five. Bosch had the only attempt for a goal for UNLV. The Wolf Pack had five different players take a shot on goal: freshmen Trinity Sandridge, Penny Murphy, Ally Little, junior Lizzy Hairston and Souza. With the last shot of the game, Souza was able to put the ball in the back of the goal with 4:10 left. Her shot was assisted by junior Brooklyn Blake and freshman Emily Rich. More aggressive playing was going on in the second half—UNLV defender Kiah Dayton and Rich for Nevada both received yellow cards. 

The Wolf Pack win was very important because it kicked UNLV out of qualifying for the Mountain West Tournament. 

Nevada ended 5-11-2 overall and 4-5-2 in conference play. The last time Nevada played this well was in 2016 with an overall record of 5-13. UNLV ended 12-8 overall and 5-6 in conference play. 

This game was also Nevada’s senior night. Seniors were given boquetes and walked out on the field with their family members before the game started. 

Kelsey Middleton can be reached at kelseymiddleton@sagebrush.unr.edu or on Twitter @kelsmiddleunr