Oct. 19, 2016 Match Notes - Nevada & UNLV 
KICKING OFF ââ'¬" Utah State soccer (9-7-0, 5-3-0 MW) is set for a split weekend of competition against the league's Silver State teams. The Aggies will close out the home portion of its season hosting Nevada (5-10-0, 2-6-0 MW) on Friday, Oct. 21, at 3 p.m. The team will then travel to UNLV (13-3-1, 6-1-1 MW) for a match on Sunday, Oct. 23, at 2 p.m (MT).
FOLLOW ALONG ââ'¬" This season's home and conference action will continue to be broadcast online through the Aggie Digital Network and the Mountain West Network. Fans can watch every Utah State home match, as well as every conference match in Logan or on the road. Live stats and play-by-play information will be available through GameTracker, while updates will also be provided through the team's social media outlets.
SENIOR SEND-OFF ââ'¬" Friday's match against Nevada will be the final appearance at Chuck & Gloria Bell Field for Utah State's seven seniors. Prior to the game, the Aggies will honor the senior class in forward Jessica Brooksby, goalkeeper Natalie Stoven, midfielders Katie Flynn, Lauren Harmon and Jayne Robison-Merrill, and defenders Karlee Campbell-Zollinger and Shyani Terukina.
FREEBIE FRIDAY ââ'¬" Every home Friday match in the 2016 season will include a giveaway for Aggie fans. For this week's match against Nevada, the first 100 fans in attendance at Chuck & Gloria Bell Field will receive a Utah State soccer mug.
SCOUTING NEVADA ââ'¬" Nevada enters the weekend with a 5-10-0 overall record, going 2-6-0 in Mountain West play. Last weekend, the Wolf Pack split its games in Colorado Springs, defeating Colorado College, 1-0, before falling to Air Force, 2-0.
Sophomore midfielder Rylee Peterson leads the Nevada offense with two goals and one assist for five total points. Two other players have also scored two goals apiece, while the team has scored 10 overall. Senior Kelsey Quintos has played the full season in the net for the Wolf Pack, where she has allowed 18 goals while tallying 86 saves. This season, Nevada is led by co-head coaches Casey Tate and Erin Otagaki.
Nevada returns nine starters and 15 total letterwinners from last season's squad, while welcoming six new players. The 2015 Wolf Pack finished the year with a 6-11-2 record, going 3-7-1 for a 10th-place finish in the Mountain West. The series history between Utah State and Nevada goes back through both teams' days in the Western Athletic Conference. In fact, the Wolf Pack is one of the Aggies' most-played opponents with 16 prior meetings. USU leads the all-time series, 10-6-0. The teams played in Reno last season, where Nevada defeated Utah State, 3-1. The Aggies' last win over Nevada came in a 4-0 victory in Logan in 2014. Utah State has never lost to Nevada at home.
SCOUTING UNLV ââ'¬" UNLV enters the week with a 13-3-1 record, while posting a 6-1-1 Mountain West record to lead the league. The Rebels are currently on a three-game winning streak, interrupted only by a double-overtime draw against San Diego State. The team has not lost a match since the conference-opener against San José State. Last weekend, UNLV posted wins at Air Force (1-0) and Colorado College (4-1). The team will host Boise State before welcoming the Aggies Sunday.
Senior forward Lily Sender leads the team and the Mountain West in scoring with 10 goals and seven assists this season. The Rebels have seven other players who have scored three or more goals each, while the team has combined for 40 total goals. Junior Jordan Sallee has guarded the net for the majority of the Rebels' season, allowing 14 goals while tallying 50 saves. Chris Shaw is in his eighth year as the head coach at UNLV, where he has compiled a record of 33-21-3.
UNLV returns eight starters and 18 total letterwinners from its 2015 squad. Last season, the Rebels went 11-10-0 overall, including a 6-5-0 conference record, finishing tied for fifth. UNLV leads the all-time series between the two teams, 7-2-0. Last season, the teams also played in Las Vegas, where the Rebels topped the Aggies, 3-0. USU's last win over UNLV came in the team's first season in the Mountain West in 2013.
HELP A GIRL OUT ââ'¬" Aside from being the team's leading scorer, senior forward Jessica Brooksby also has a team-high eight assists. Those eight assists have Brooksby ranked second on the USU single-season assist list. Kendra Pemberton (2010-12) set the single-season assist record in 2011, with nine. After being unranked heading into this season, Brooksby is now tied for second in USU history in career assists with 15. Shantel Flanary (2008-11) set the program record with 17 assists in her career.
FAMILIAR FOES ââ'¬" Nevada is one of six teams the Aggies have played 15 or more times in the program's history. With 16 total meetings against USU, the Wolf Pack is tied with Idaho and Weber State as the third-most played opponent. Utah State has played against in-state rival Utah the most times (18), followed by 17 against conference foe Boise State. The Aggies and Wolf Pack have played each other all but two seasons since 2000, including two matches in 2013. Nevada and Utah State were both in the WAC prior to joining the Mountain West, joining the league in 2012 and 2013, respectively.
MAKING CONNECTIONS ââ'¬" There are several connections between players on the three teams competing this weekend. Nevada sophomore forward Angel Meriwether is a native of San Diego, Calif., and was high school teammates with Aggie sophomore defender Emma Clark. Both Nevada and UNLV have players from Hawaii with connections to USU senior defender Shyani Terukina. Nevada sophomore midfielder Nikki Mitsuyasu and Terukina hail from the same hometown (Ewa Beach), while Terukina and UNLV senior forward Brittney Gideon were high school teammates at Mililani High School.
Utah State has one player from Las Vegas, in sophomore Alexa Hunt-Feinauer, who is redshirting the 2016 season.
A STEP ABOVE ââ'¬" With at least three matches left in the 2016 season, Utah State soccer has already matched or bested its season totals from the last three years. The Aggies have scored 29 goals on the season, the most goals scored by USU since the 2010 squad scored 30. With those goals come 25 assists, which is the most assists the squad has tallied since the 2008 campaign. The 2007 team holds the all-time season records in both categories, scoring 40 goals with 34 assists that season.
THE FINAL COUNTDOWN ââ'¬" This weekend marks the last full weekend of competition for the 2016 campaign. Next week, each team in the conference will play on Friday, Oct. 28 to wrap-up the regular season. At this point, Utah State (5-3-0) holds the fourth-place spot in the Mountain West standings behind UNLV (6-1-1), San Diego State (5-1-2) and San José State (5-2-1). If the season were to end today, those four teams, along with Boise State (4-2-2) and Wyoming (4-4-0) would qualify for the Mountain West tournament. Last year, USU and Boise State both missed the tournament.
THE FINAL PUSH ââ'¬" With this weekend's matches, players across the conference are looking to make one last statement toward earning all-Mountain West accolades. The Mountain West will create two all-conference teams, each consisting of 11 first-team players consisting of three defenders, three midfielders, three forwards, one goalkeeper and one at-large player. In addition, there will be an 11-player newcomer team made up of freshmen and first-year transfer players. Coach of the Year, the Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year awards will also be given out. The teams will be voted on by the league's 12 coaches, with voting based on players' performances in conference matches.
SHUT 'EM OUT ââ'¬" Utah State has shut out its opponent in six of this season's 13 matches. The team's biggest win came against Sam Houston State in an 8-0 victory. Additionally, Utah State did not allow goals from South Dakota State (1-0), Cal State Fullerton (1-0), Wyoming (3-0), Air Force (1-0) and Fresno State (4-0). The Aggies' five shutouts rank fourth in the Mountain West. Sophomore goalkeeper Grace McGuire has earned five of those shutouts in the net, which ties for second among conference goalkeepers.
WHAT WE PLAY FOR ââ'¬" As the winners of last season's conference title, San Diego State will host the 2016 Mountain West Championships. The tournament will begin on Tuesday, Nov. 1, with the championship game set for Saturday, Nov 5. Of the 12 teams in the Mountain West, the top six will advance to tournament play. The winner of the tournament will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and will host the 2016 championships.
LAST TIME OUT ââ'¬" Utah State posted an 0-2 Mountain West road record last week, falling at New Mexico (2-0) and at San Diego State (2-1). After being shutout at UNM, USU scored first against the Aztecs. Junior forward Bailee Hammond scored the sole Aggie goal of the week in the 30th minute of play, assisted by junior forward Wesley Hamblin. On the week, USU took 13 shots with three on goal, while the Aggies' opponents combined for 28 shots with 10 on goal. Sophomore Grace McGuire and senior Natalie Stoven split the time in the net, playing one match each. Together, the two tallied six saves.
UP NEXT ââ'¬" Utah State takes to the road for the final match of the regular season, traveling to Boise State (5-9-3, 4-2-2 MW). The Aggies and Broncos will battle in Boise on Friday, Oct. 28, at 4 p.m. The teams will then await final standings and seeding announcements for the Mountain West tournament. The league championships will take place Nov. 1-5 and will be held at San Diego State.
