The UTEP soccer team (3-3-1) will hit the pause button on Conference USA play when it squares off at Big 12 powerhouse and 15th ranked Oklahoma State (9-2-1) at 12 p.m. MT Saturday.
UTEP officials say that there will be live stats for the contest, but there is not any video stream available.
“We are excited and grateful to get to test ourselves against one of the top programs in the country,” interim UTEP head coach Stewart Givens said. “The team has a lot of confidence after the comeback win last weekend, and we want to continue to put in good performances as we prepare for our final three C-USA matches.”
The Miners enter the match on the heels of a 2-1 come-from-behind victory against UAB on March 14. The effort pushed them to 2-1 in C-USA action. UTEP trailed, 1-0, at the half before finding the net twice in the final nine minutes to pull off the comeback.
Sophomore Tessa Carlin, who scored against the Blazers, paces the Orange and Blue in both goals (three) and points (seven) on the year. Kam Fisher tops the team in assists (three), while Vic Bohdan (two) also has multiple helpers on the campaign. Emily Parrott has started six of the seven matches on the season in net, compiling 35 saves and also posting one shutout.
The 15th-ranked Cowgirls are riding a six-game winning streak that dates to the fall. They have a +9 (13-4) goal differential during the surge. Grace Yochum (eight goals) and Olyvia Dowell (seven goals) lead the way offensively by accounting for more than 70 percent of the team’s goals on the season.
Emily Plotz has started all 12 matches in goal, posting a 0.52 goals against average and a .867 save percentage. She also has five shutouts to her credit.
Saturday’s match is the third meeting all time between time between the programs. The series is tied, 1-1, with the most-recent match-up resulting in a 2-1 UTEP OT victory at University Field on Sept. 14, 2000.
Following the game against the Cowgirls UTEP will step back into C-USA action with a trio of contests to conclude the regular season. The Miners will play at UTSA (March 27), host North Texas (April 2) on “Senior Night” and square off at Rice (April 8).
For complete coverage of UTEP soccer, be sure to follow the Miners on social media at @UTEPSoccer (Twitter),@UTEPMinersSoccer (Instagram) and on Facebook or click here to visit the official home of UTEP Athletics.
