Miners Back Home for Pair of Matches

8/23/2023 3:19:00 PM

EL PASO, Texas – The UTEP Soccer team continues the 2023 campaign with two home matches this week. The Miners take on Abilene Christian at 7 p.m. MT Thursday. On Sunday they face Arizona State at 1 p.m. MT.

GAME COVERAGE
Live Stats for both matches will be available on the UTEP SIDEARM Stats Portal. The matches against both ACU and Arizona State will be streamed on ESPN+

QUICK LOOK AT LAST WEEK
The Miners dropped two hard-fought battles last week against Northern Arizona (L 3-2, 8/17/23)) and San Diego State (L 2-1, 8/20/23). In the season opener against the Lumberjacks, UTEP came from behind twice before conceding a late goal to seal the win for the reigning Big Sky Champs. Taya Lopez and Emerson Kidd led the charge with a goal apiece. In their first road match against the Aztecs, a goal from freshman Ashlyn Neireiter gave UTEP an early lead before SDSU's Dori Savage scored a brace to hold off the Miners.

CONTINUITY IN THE LINEUP
Though it is early in the season, it is interesting to note that Coach Keeton has used the same starting lineup for the first two matches.

BALANCED IN ATTACK
The Miners have had a different player score each of the three goals this season. Taya Lopez and Emerson Kidd opened their season accounts against Northern Arizona at 47 minutes and 69 minutes, respectively. Ashlyn Neireiter posted the lone goal for the Orange and Blue against San Diego State in the 20th minute.

TESTED IN NET
Tionna Taylor has played both games in goal for UTEP. She has faced 36 shots (15 on goal) and made 10 saves.

MINUTES IN THE TANK
Emerson Kidd, Tionna Taylor, and Vanessa Cabello are the only players to have played the full 180 minutes of the season so far, with Caymen Tamez, Olivia Roskos, and Ashlyn Neireiter all logging over 150 minutes for the Miners.

SHOUT OUT TO THE CROWD
The 569 Miner faithful that attended the home opener was the largest attendance at a UTEP soccer match since 2018 against NM State (607).

SCOUTING ABILENE CHRISTIAN
The Wildcats are 2-0 so far in their 2023 campaign. They opened their season at 2022 NCAA Tournament qualifier Lamar, winning 1-0 behind a goal from sophomore Peyton Hill. Their next victory came from a strong 3-0 shutout at Texas Southern. Junior Chayse Thorn tallied a brace and sophomore Hannah Vetromile added the third. The Wildcats finished last season 4-10-4 and are returning six starters.

SERIES HISTORY WITH THE WILDCATS
UTEP is 2-5-2 all-time against the Wildcats. The last matchup was a 4-0 loss in Abilene on 8/21/22.

SCOUTING ARIZONA STATE
The Sun Devils are 1-0-1 on the year. In their first match of the season, they scored four goals in a blowout win against Wright State. Junior Keri Matthews and sophomore Enasia Colon scored two goals each in the rout. The following game saw Arizona State fight to a 0-0 draw against Mississippi State. Sophomore keeper Pauline Nelles kept the Sun Devils level with eight saves in the contest. The team finished 9-6-3 last season and is bringing back six of the starting 11.

SERIES HISTORY WITH THE SUN DEVILS
The Miners are 1-2 all time versus the Sun Devils. The most recent contest saw Arizona State win 3-1 on 2/4/21. The previous one before that was in 1997.

TICKETS
Season tickets for 2023 are on sale now for just $35 per seat. Individual game tickets can be purchased for $8 per seat. Fans can call 915-747-UTEP or visit UTEPMiners.com/Tickets for more information.

Help support UTEP student-athletes by making a gift to the Miner Athletic Club.
Visit givingto.utep.edu/mac today!

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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