UTEP Athletics

Miners Take Five-Game Unbeaten Streak on Road This Week

9/21/2022 10:45:00 AM

EL PASO, Texas – In the midst of an outstanding defensive stretch that has seen the team allow just three goals in the last 450 minutes of action, the UTEP Miners venture East to play at WKU and Charlotte this Thursday and Sunday.

UTEP (3-4-3, 0-0-2 C-USA) played at WKU (3-4-2, 0-1 C-USA) last season and came out on top by a 2-0 tally. The Miners last hit the pitch at Charlotte (1-6-2, 0-2 C-USA) during the 2019 campaign, with the 49ers winning 1-0 in that contest.

The Miners picked up a pair of points in the opening week of league play with draws against FIU and LA Tech.

GAME COVERAGE
WKU will offer a live stream on Thursday on the Hilltopper Sports Satellite Network. Live stats will be available on the WKU SIDEARM Stats Portal. ESPN+ will broadcast the match at Charlotte on Sunday and live stats can be found the SIDEARM Stats Portal.

ABOUT WKU
After being picked to finish second in the C-USA Preseason Coaches' Poll, the Lady Toppers took part in a challenging non-conference slate that featured wins over Kentucky and Arkansas State in addition to a pair of draws against Tennessee Tech and Belmont. WKU has been especially tough at home, posting a 2-0-1 mark to this point. The team has taken part in low-scoring games primarily, tallying nine goals to seven for the opposition. Kayla Meyer is the only member of the roster with two goals this season, as seven other players have joined her with one goal. In net, Alexis Bach has a 0.82 goals against average over the course of nine starts and has made 25 saves on 87 shots while yielding just seven goals. Seven of the nine games for the team have been decided by one goal or less. Defender Lyric Schmidt, midfielder Ambere Barnett and forward Katie Erwin were all named to the C-USA Preseason Team.

ABOUT CHARLOTTE
Charlotte has been outscored 21-7 on the campaign as opponents have taken 152 shots to 79 for the 49ers. Tash Hudson has been the most dangerous weapon on the attack with four goals and teams with Bailey Manfredo up front, who has two of her own. Charlotte traveled to North Texas and UTSA to start league action last week and dropped the games by scores of 4-0 and 2-0. All three keepers saw action over those two contests. Emily Keck has seen the most time in net to this point with a 2.36 goals against average and has 29 saves on 85 shots faced. The 49ers were picked eighth in the C-USA Preseason Coaches' Poll.

SERIES HISTORY
UTEP and WKU have played to a 2-2-1 mark in the all-time series that dates back to 2014. The Miners are 2-1 in Bowling Green, including the 2-0 win last season. Charlotte and UTEP have each won three times against each other since a 2-2 draw in the first meeting in 2013. The Miners are 1-1 as true road foes at Charlotte.

THREE STRAIGHT SHUTOUTS
The Miners held the opposition without a goal for 352 minutes prior to a 43rd minute goal scored by LA Tech last Sunday. After the first two shutouts, keeper Mariah Scott was named the C-USA Goalkeeper of the Week. Before the streak, UTEP had last posted three straight shutouts in September of the 2016 season. The Miners have posted three or more shutouts in a row seven other times in program history, with the six in a row during the 2006 season standing as the program record.

TRIO OF TIES
UTEP has played to a draw in three consecutive contests. The last time that happened for the program was the final two games of the 2018 season and the first match of the 2019 campaign when the team also played three straight to a tie.

IMPRESSIVE STRETCH
After starting the season 1-4, the Miners have responded well, going 2-0-3 over the course of the last five games while outscoring opponents 7-3.

PICKING UP POINTS
With the back-to-back draws last week, the Miners earned points in consecutive conference games for the first time since taking two wins in a row at ODU and against UTSA at the end of the 2019 season.

CARLIN CONTINUES TO IMPRESS
Tessa Carlin leads the Miners with four goals on the season and has also chipped in a pair of assists. Her four goals is tied for fourth in C-USA. She has played a part in six of the nine goals scored by UTEP on the campaign. Last week against LA Tech she scored the first goal for the Miners in the 55th minute and received credit for the first assist on a Taya Lopez goal later in the half.

CABELLO MAKES KEY IMPACT
Defender Vanessa Cabello completed 29-of-35 (83 percent) of passes against LA Tech in addition to winning 88 percent of challenges and tying for the team lead with seven interceptions.

SCOTT LEADING C-USA
Goalkeeper Mariah Scott leads all C-USA keepers with four shutouts on the season and is also first in the league with 48 saves. Her .762 save percentage sits third behind Eve Beyer of UAB (.800) and Alexis Bach (.781) of WKU. Scott ranks 17th nationally in total saves and 26th in shutouts.

TURNING TO TAYA
Taya Lopez has stepped into a spot in the starting lineup for UTEP over the last four games and tallied the go-ahead goal in the 63rd minute last Sunday to give the Miners a 2-1 lead over LA Tech. She has two goals and two assists on the season, ranking second in goals and sitting in a tie for second on the team in assists.

PATOLO EARNS START
Sophomore Sheyliene Patolo started a game for the second time in her career in the 2-2 draw with LA Tech last Sunday, playing 67 minutes with two shots, including one on goal.

UP NEXT
A Thursday tilt at University Field on Sept. 29 will be the lone game for the Miners next week. The game is scheduled to get underway at 7 p.m.

UTEP SOCCER TICKETS
Single-game tickets for the 2022 season are on sale for just $8 per seat. Fans can call 915-747-UTEP or visit UTEPMiners.com/Tickets for more information.

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For complete coverage of UTEP women's soccer, be sure to follow the Miners on social media at @UTEPSoccer (Twitter), @utepminerssoccer (Instagram) and on Facebook or visit the official home of UTEP Athletics at UTEPMiners.com.

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