UTEP battled Mountain West opponent Nevada to a 0-0 draw on Sunday afternoon at University Field in the final non-conference tilt of the season.
The Miners (3-4-1) outshot the Wolf Pack (1-3-2) by a tally of 11-8 on the day, including a 3-2 advantage in shots on frame.
Freshman Mina Rodriguez led UTEP with three shots and one on goal.
Goalkeeper Mariah Scott hauled in two saves on the way to working her second shutout in a row and third of the season. Prior to this week, the last time the Miners had posted back-to-back shutouts was late in the 2019 season against ODU and UTSA.
“It’s been a hot second since we have had two shutouts in a row,” UTEP Head Coach Kathryn Balogun said. “I think we are starting to find our groove in the back line and making sure that we are doing a good defensive stand, so that’s exciting. We have to continue to finish the chances that we create so that we can be really, really proud instead of just kind of proud of the effort.”
UTEP created some dangerous looks during the match which have led to goals recently, however Nevada managed to keep the Miners out of the net.
Heading into conference play, Balogun says the focus will be on being present in the moment.
“One of the things we have talked about, and really was one of the things we talked about today, is just being present in the moment,” Balogun said. “I think sometimes when we get in those moments, we are thinking about everything else instead of just playing in the present and being really focused in and honed in to what our job is in the moment instead of worrying about ‘oh man, I’ve got to recover’ or ‘what’s my celebration going to be?’ or all these other things. To take that next step of growth, we need to ask ourselves, ‘hey, how do I be really present to finish the job that I need to in that moment?”
The Miners begin Conference USA action on Thursday, Sept. 15 at University Field against FIU in the 915 Game for the program.
For more information, Click Here | For our complete coverage, Click Here
