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EL PASO, Texas- The UTEP soccer team (3-5) will lock up with New Mexico Highlands (0-2-1) in its final non-conference contest at 7 p.m. MT Wednesday at University Field. All fans who wear orange will get in free.
"We need our UTEP Soccer fans to come out for this last non-Conference USA match before we start Conference USA play on the road on Sunday," UTEP head coach
Kevin Cross said. "This game is a huge match for us since it is our final tune-up before starting Conference USA play. New Mexico Highlands is a very tough team. I have known their outstanding coach, Oscar Mendoza, for years. He demands his team to high pressure, battle and stick in very hard. We will be tested. On top of that, Highlands has a very dynamic attack. It will be a great match, and Highlands will come to UTEP with something to prove. Please come out and watch us play on Wednesday night at 7 pm."
Going Back In Time
UTEP pushed its winning streak to three by successfully defending its home pitch with a pair of victories. The Miners started the weekend off by posting their first shutout of the year in a 3-0 toppling of Incarnate Word on Sept. 8 before rallying past Stephen F. Austin, 2-1, with a pair of second-half goals by freshman
Vic Bohdan on Sept. 10.
Series History Vs. NM Highlands
Wednesday's match-up is the first meeting in program history between the two squads.
Brief Rundown On The Cowgirls
New Mexico Highlands is 0-2-1 on the year, including 0-0-1 when playing on the road. The NCAA Division II program opened up the campaign with a 3-1 setback to Southern Nazarene on Sept. 4 before bouncing back to forge a 1-1 tie with West Texas A&M on Sept. 7. Last time out NM Highlands was upended, 3-2, by Angelo State on Sept. 10.
Going Streaking
UTEP is riding a three-game winning streak, outscoring the opposition by a count of 7-2 in those three contests. All seven goals during the surge have been courtesy of freshmen, with four by
Vic Bohdan, two from
Anna Jimmerson and another by
Cayla Payne.
Alyssa Palacios has recorded one shutout in the stretch while being credited with 19 saves in the three matches.
Bohdan's Back-To-Back Big Games
Freshman
Vic Bohdan had a big-time weekend in helping UTEP knock off Incarnate Word and Stephen F. Austin. She scored two goals in both contests, the first such effort by a Miner since Brittany Kindzierski did so in 2011. Bohdan got things going by accounting for two of UTEP's three goals in the 3-0 win against Incarnate Word, including the match winner. She followed that up by scoring twice in a span of about 10 minutes early in the second half to help the Miners rally past Stephen F. Austin, 2-1, on Sunday.
Jimmerson's Scoring Streak Comes To A Close
Anna Jimmerson enjoyed a three-game goal-scoring streak, becoming the first Miner freshman to do so since
Tameka Sumter in 2006. She accounted for UTEP's only goal in the 3-1 setback at Wyoming on Sept. 1, gave the Miners a 1-0 lead in an eventual 2-1 double-overtime victory at Idaho State on Sept. 3 and scored the middle goal in a 3-0 blanking of Incarnate Word on Sept. 8.
Freshmen Power In OT
Redshirt-freshman Cayla Payla hammered home a cross from true freshman
Vic Bohdan to lift the Miners to a 2-1 overtime win at Idaho State on Sept. 3. It marked the first time in program history that UTEP had an OT winner where both the goal scorer and individual credited with an assist were both freshmen.
Offense Coming Alive
UTEP scored three goals on 22 shots on goal over the first five games of the season, four of which went to overtime. To their credit the Miners have made some adjustments and the offense has come alive in the past three contests. UTEP has tallied seven goals in 21 shots on goal in three contests since, with at least two strikes in each of the matches.
Defense Is Too
The Miners conceded nine goals (1.80 goals per game) over the first five contests of the year but they have tightened things up since. In the three matches since, all UTEP wins, foes have managed a total of two tallies (0.67 goals per game).
Two-headed Attack
Freshmen
Vic Bohdan (four-fifth C-USA/58th nation) and
Anna Jimmerson (three-10th C-USA/143rd nation) have accounted for seven of the Miners' 10 goals on the year.
Danielle Carreon,
Kennadie Chaudhary and
Cayla Payne each have one goal to their credit. Bohdan also paces the squad in assists (two), points (10-fifth C-USA/59th nation), shots (23) and shots on goal (11). Jimmerson is second on the team for shots on goal (seven).
Freshmen Firepower
Freshmen
Vic Bohdan (four-fifth C-USA/58th nation) and
Anna Jimmerson (three-10th C-USA/143rd nation) have proven to be the top scoring threats thus far for the Miners in 2017. The last time UTEP had a freshman pace the team in goals scored was 2006 with
Tameka Sumter (13). You have to go back to 2004 to find the last time the top-two spots were held by freshmen when Jami Tullius and Cara Nordin each recorded 10 goals.
.
Save The Day
Alyssa Palacios has compiled 51 saves (first C-USA/fourth nation) in 2017 (6.38 saves/match-second C-USA/26th nation), including a career-high tying 10 stops against New Mexico on Aug. 27. Her career total now stands at 294 saves which pushed her into third place on the Miner charts. The record holder is Amanda Smith (438; 1996-99) while Sarah Dilling (317; 2011-14) occupies second place. Palacios started the year in fourth place, but has since surpassed Brittany Poppoff (270; 2004-07).
Start Her Up
Junior GK
Alyssa Palacios has started the first eight matches of the season, playing all 770:32 minutes (second C-USA/fifth nation). That has elevated her to 50 starts in as many matches since joining UTEP. The effort has allowed her to move from fifth place into fourth place on the UTEP career charts. Brittany Popoff (56; 2004-07) sits in third place.
Working Overtime
For the first time in program history UTEP went to overtime in four straight contests to start the season. Overall the Miners have played overtime soccer five times so far in 2017. The five OT games already ties as the fifth most on the Miner single-season charts.
Close Calls
For the third time in program history (2008, 2015) the first four matches of the season were decided by one goal or less. Overall there have been six one-goal outcomes, including the Miners' 2-1 come-from-behind victory against Stephen F. Austin on Sept. 10.
Youth Served
Even though the Miners returned 13 letter winners, including six starters, they are notably young in 2017. Of the 27 student-athletes on the roster, 20 are either freshmen (12) or sophomores (eight). There are only three seniors and four juniors.
Cross Joins Club 200
In his 17th year as the Miners' head coach
Kevin Cross has joined an exclusive club in UTEP Athletics history. At 200-113-23 he is the fifth head coach in Miner sports history to reach 200 career wins at the school (reached it with 2-1 victory vs. Stephen F. Austin on Sept. 10, 2017). Previously Don Haskins (men's basketball, 719-354), Norm Brandl (volleyball, 355-337), Keitha Adams (women's basketball, 284-209) and co-head coaches James and Kathleen Rodriguez (softball, 211-325) achieved the feat. Cross also has the fourth-most tenured run by a Miner head coach. He trails Haskins (37 years),
Jere Pelletier (women's golf, 22 years and counting) and Bob Kitchens (track & field, 22 years).
Trailing Only Haskins
Not only has
Kevin Cross joined the 200+ win club at UTEP (did so with 2-1 win vs. Stephen F. Austin on Sept. 10, 2017), he has done so in style. His winning percentage stands at 62.9 percent (200-113-23). That figure trails only Hall of Fame Coach Don Haskins (men's basketball) among the 200+ victory UTEP head coach club. Haskins had a 67.0 winning percentage (719-354) in his 37 seasons roaming the sidelines.
The Basic Facts
UTEP is in its 22nd season as a program, boasting an all-time record of 242-161-30. The Miners are under the direction of 17th-year head coach
Kevin Cross, who sports a mark of 200-113-23 in that time frame. He is assisted by two former Miners (
Heather Clark and
Jessie Pettit).
Road Warriors
In 2017 the Miners hope to continue an unprecedented string of success on the road. Last year they went 5-4 in road matches to extend the school-record streak of a winning road record to four straight seasons. Overall they are a combined 22-14-3 on the road in that stretch, including 1-2 in 2017.
RPI Success
One of the best ways to measure a team's worth across the board is the RPI, and that's an area UTEP has thrived in. The Miners have produced a top-100 RPI in five of the eight past seasons and 10 times total under
Kevin Cross, including a program-best 31 in 2005. Additionally, the Miners have secured a spot in the NSCAA Central Region top-10 poll in 11 of the past 13 seasons.
Matter Of Consistency
The Miners have averaged 12 wins while appearing in three conference title games and one NCAA tournament (2005, second round) under
Kevin Cross. UTEP is one of 12 programs nationwide (325+ programs) to have hit 10+ wins in each year since 2002. Joining the Miners are Boston College, Florida, Florida State, North Carolina, North Texas, Notre Dame, Penn State, Stanford, Texas A&M, Virginia and West Virginia.
