EL PASO, Texas – The UTEP soccer team is set to host a slate of Conference USA contests, facing UAB on Thursday at 7 p.m. MT and challenging Middle Tennessee on Sunday at 6 p.m. at University Field.
"This weekend is a very big week for UTEP soccer," head coach Kevin Cross said. "We have two extremely important home Conference USA matches. Our fans were incredible in the NMSU game on Sunday. They make such huge difference on our results, and we really hope they come out to these two matches as we only have one more home weekend after this one remaining. Both of these teams are extremely well coached, very talented and play excellent soccer. We are going to have to have a 90-minute focus by every player as league matches are usually decided on one or two key plays. We are looking forward to this challenge."
Thursday will feature "Black Out Night." Fans will receive $2 tickets for wearing black to the game and the first 200 in attendance will receive UTEP soccer Blackout T-shirts. Sunday will promote "Fan Appreciation Day." All tickets will be $2, Rudy's Country Store and Bar-B-Q will tailgate for fans starting at 4 p.m. and the first 150 individuals in attendance will receive a UTEP soccer vuvuzela.
Series History vs. UAB
UTEP has faced the Blazers 13 times over the program's history, compiling a record of 5-5-3. The last meeting came in 2017, with the Blazers slipping past the Miners, 1-0, at University Field.
Getting To Know UAB
UAB (4-4-1, 1-1) opened league play with a 1-0 home win against Louisiana Tech. The Blazers have tallied eight goals on the season. Kamilah Mustafa leads the team with five goals.
Series History vs. Middle Tennessee
The Miners and the Blue Raiders have matched up four times, with the series even at 2-2. The last meeting came in 2017, with MT besting the Miners, 3-1, at University Field.
Getting To Know Middle Tennessee
The Blue Raiders (6-2-1, 1-0-1) are coming off a 3-2 win at Rice. MT has netted 24 goals on the season. Hannah Tillett leads the team with nine goals, averaging one goal a game.
Miners In Conference USA
UTEP holds an all-time conference record of 66-56-11 and was one of four teams to win its opening game (Southern Miss, UAB and Florida Atlantic). The Miners finished the nonconference schedule with a record of 5-3-1, ranking eighth overall.
Strong Across The Board
UTEP has demonstrated that it works as a team with 10 players accounting for 21 goals. Lauren Crenshaw and Vic Bohdan lead with four goals. Anna Jimmerson follows with three, April Pate, Jojo Ngongo and Natalie Valentine all have netted two, while Danielle Carreon, Cayla Payne, Jackie Soto, and Hayley Vaughan have contributed to the offensive success.
Home Field Advantage
The Miners have been historically tough to beat when playing at University Field, boasting an overall record of 130-39-10 since 2002. UTEP has outscored the opponents 18-9 and registered a 5-2 record at home this season.
The Game Plan
The Miners have started their matches defensively strong. They have given up only four goals in first-half action this year. UTEP has put its attack to the test in the second half, scoring the majority of its goals after the break (12 of 21).
Palacios & The Career Rankings
Senior GK Alyssa Palacios has compiled some staggering numbers during her career in the Sun City. The result has been her stamping her name throughout the UTEP career record book. The Texas native holds the most career shutout in program history (21), surpassing Sarah Dilling (2011-14). She enters Thursday's match currently second on saves (392), save percentage (0.834), third in GK wins (37), GK games started (70), saves per game (5.60), GK minutes played (6,463:25), fourth in GK matches played (70), and fifth for goals against average (1.09).
The Basic Facts
UTEP is in its 23rd season as a program, boasting an all-time record of 253-171-31. The Miners are under the direction of 18th-year head coach Kevin Cross who sports a mark of 211-123-23 in that time frame. He is assisted by two former Miners (Heather Clark and Jessie Pettit).
A Maturing Roster
In 2017 20 of the 27 members of the squad were underclassmen, so it's only natural that his year's squad has a bit more experience. In 2018, the Orange and Blue feature a unit where 14 of the 23 individuals are either freshman (seven) or sophomores (seven). There are four juniors and five seniors who are providing leadership for the still relatively young group.
