LOGAN, Utah — Utah State soccer (10-7-1, 7-2 MW) earned a dominant win over UNLV Thursday afternoon at Chuck and Gloria Bell Field, defeating the Rebels 2-0 for the team's third-straight victory.
With the win, the Aggies tied the program's all-time mark for conference wins in a season. Only two USU teams have ever earned a seventh league victory (2008, 2016), while the 2016 squad is the only to ever win seven Mountain West contests.
"I'm really proud of another solid performance," said Utah State head coach Manny Martins. "I feel like we're still growing and getting better with every game. Today, we faced a team that led our conference in shots and reduced them to four shots the whole game, so that reaffirms our ability to defend and stay organized. We had Tenzi Knowles come in and be 100 percent involved with both goals, and Whitney Lopez, who is just coming back from an ACL, scoring. If we're going to try to turn this into a long season, we're going to need depth and we're starting to show it."
While earning its third-straight shutout, the Utah State defense was the star of the show. The Aggies held a UNLV squad which averaged a league-best 16.5 shots per game entering the match to just four shots in this one. In total, USU out-shot the Rebels 22-4 on the afternoon, while 12 different Aggies recorded shots.
After creating several strong opportunities but being held off the scoreboard in the first half, it wasn't until the 66th minute that the Aggies first found the back of the net. A foul in the box by UNLV's Gabby Cameron set USU up with a penalty kick, which was calmly delivered by the right foot of sophomore midfielder Kaylie Chambers. This was Chambers' team-best fifth goal of the campaign.
Just 80 seconds later, the Aggies punched in another to solidify their lead at 2-0. A pass from junior forward Tenzi Knowles from nearly 30 yards out was knocked down by a Rebel defender in the box, when senior midfielder Whitney Lopez collected the deflection and sent home her first goal of the season.
This game marked the third-straight that Utah State has recorded 19 or more shots, while its four shots allowed were the second-fewest by an opponent this season. With 21 points in Mountain West play, the Aggies now sit atop the conference table, though the remainder of the league's 10 teams will each face off this evening.
Earning the 27th shutout of her career in net for USU was graduate keeper Diera Walton. The program's all-time clean sheet leader was tasked with making four saves in the contest.
Utah State will wrap up its regular season home slate at Chuck and Gloria Bell Field on Sunday, Oct. 22, when the Aggies face Nevada at 1 p.m. The match will be streamed on Mountain West Network, with links to the live stream and stats available on utahstateaggies.com.
Fans can follow the Aggie soccer program on Twitter, @USUSoccer, on Facebook at /USUSoccer and on Instagram, @USUSoccer. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program on Twitter, @USUAthletics, Facebook at /USUAthletics and on Instagram, @USUAthletics.
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