Traveling to Las Vegas for the season opener, the SUU soccer team fell to UNLV on Thursday night.
Battling in the triple-digit heat, the T-birds were unable to convert scoring chances in the final third, leading to a 3-1 away defeat.
The Rebels notched the first goal early in the match, taking the lead when Trinity Buchanan launched a shot from outside the box into the top corner of the net in the 16th minute.
The game remained tight through the opening minutes of the second half, but SUU wasn’t able to find an equalizer. Six minutes into the second period, the Rebels took a 2-0 lead.
UNLV added a third goal in the 76th minute when Buchanan converted a penalty to make the score 3-0.
Hailey Hamataka got Southern Utah on the board from the penalty spot in the 82nd minute, but time ran out for any comeback attempt as the Rebels finished off a 3-1 victory.
Despite the defeat, there were positives to take from the match for the Thunderbirds. SUU ended the game with more shot attempts (19-11), shots on goal (8-5), and corner kicks (6-3).
“(It was) a good first game on the road in the high heat. We outshot them, had more corners, and created a lot of good chances. We clean up our execution in the final third and it’s a different story,” said SUU head coach Kai Edwards post-match.
“For our first game on the road, we competed well and played as a team the whole time. We are now looking forward to the rematch with Nevada on Sunday after last year’s questionable finish to the game,” Edwards added.
Up next
Southern Utah (0-1-0) now heads north to Reno to face the Nevada Wolf Pack (1-0-0).
The game will be a rematch from last season, when the two sides battled to a 3-3 draw in Cedar City on August 25.
SUU and UNR will face off on Sunday, August 18 at 1 p.m. MT. The game can be streamed on the Mountain West Network.
