Game Book

EL PASO, Texas – Buoyed by a career-best four saves from Alaina Gilbert, the UTEP soccer team recorded its fifth shutout of the year in a 0-0 tie against I-10 rival NM State in front of a capacity crowd at University Field Saturday night.
 
The redshirt-senior Gilbert shined in her first career start to help the Miners (3-9-5, 0-4-4 CUSA) slow down the Aggies (2-14-4, 1-3-4) on "Senior Night", with Eve Barry, Kaila Hudson, Hayden McMillan and Mina Rodriguez joining Gilbert in a post-match ceremony.
 
UTEP dominated its rivals by outshooting them 10-6, including 7-1 during a frenetic first half where the Orange and Blue did everything but find the back of the net. That was only due to the play of NM State netminder Valerie Guha, who registered five of her six saves in the game during the first 45 minutes of play.
 
The Miners also earned four corner kicks while successfully defending five by the visitors in what proved to be an entertaining contest in the season finale. The Miners finished the year topping the opposition in both total shots (218-188) and shots on target (93-83), aided by outpacing their foes for total shots in nine tilts on the campaign.
 
The Orange and Blue did well to set the tone early, earning a set piece just outside the box less than two minutes into the affair. Maya Victoria (1') stood over the ball and struck it well, but it was off the mark. The Aggies' first opportunity was on a corner kick (4'), but the Orange and Blue fended it off without allowing anything on target.
 
McMillan (11') created some space to work with. She blasted a shot that gave Guha some issues, but she managed to keep it out before pouncing on ball before UTEP could bury a rebound. The Miners kept the pressure up, with Zeta McDannels (18') lacing one low on the ground that was handled by Guha.
 
UTEP kept coming, with Victoria's (25') blast being blocked over the line for a corner. It was a good service from Rodriguez, but Guha punched it out. The Aggies then raced up on a counter where Amaya Simoni-Walters (26') redirected a pass on frame by, but Gilbert was more than up to the task with a quick reflex for the stop.
 
The Orange and Blue then blitzed the Aggies with three shots in less than two minutes, but each time the Aggies were able to survive. Rodriguez (30') struck one with pace that Guha fought off. The Aggies couldn't clear and McDannels hit one that prompted another stop by Guha. A minute later, the freshman got the ball back. She drilled one that seemed destined for the back of the net only to have Guha push it just high over the bar. The Orange and Blue couldn't capitalize on the ensuing corner.
 
Both sides then had brilliant chances wiped out on offside calls, with the one against the Aggies in the 38th minute taking what would have been a goal off the board. UTEP's infraction also stopped a promising setup, and the match was scoreless at the break.
 
The tension was palpable to start the second half, with intensity high. Each squad also was in top form defensively as neither unit generated a shot over the first 15 minutes of action. The Aggies changed that in the 62nd minute with a try by Ellison (62') that skipped in on Gilbert, who was in top form for the save.
 
Dannique Wilson tested Guha three minutes later, but once again the visiting netminder kept it out of the net. Gilbert was called upon twice in a three-minute span, denying respective chances from Rachel Haan (71') and Mya Gonzales (73').
 
UTEP was back on the offensive quick, but the rocket from Rodriguez (74') sailed high. Three minutes later the Miners had another look, but it was errant by Lopez (77'). The Miners defended well down the stretch, not letting anything get on frame.
 
The Orange and Blue will now turn their attention to preparing for the 2026 campaign, which will be their first while competing in the Mountain West Conference.
 

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