Match Book In PDF Format
RUSTON, La. – The UTEP soccer team was upended at LA Tech, 2-0, in the Conference USA opener for both squads Friday evening.
 
The Miners (3-6-1, 0-1-0 CUSA) outshot the Bulldogs (2-8-1, 1-0-0), 17-7, but goals from Madeline Gray (41') and Abby Hanton (51') allowed LA Tech to hold off the visitors. The two tallies came in a 10-minute span wrapped around halftime, and UTEP couldn't recover.
 
Freshman Savanah Finley was credited with one save, while her counterpart Cadence Rutledge delivered four saves on the way to notching the clean sheet.   
 
UTEP won a throw-in deep in Bulldogs' territory almost immediately, which led to a shot from Ana Quintero (1') that whistled just wide of the frame. LA Tech's first true foray into attacking territory was snuffed out before it developed. Finley anticipated a thru ball and gathered it with a slide in the fourth minute. UTEP was back on the prowl two minutes later when Ashlee Mora (6') unleashed a try from about 25 yards out that was errant.
 
The first shot on target for the Miners was courtesy of Mina Rodriguez (12'), which was gobbled up by Rutledge cleanly. The home side then went back to work, but the Orange and Blue successfully fended off a pair of corner kicks. On another attempt, Madison Pensom's (22') shot was blocked away.
 
Anai Lopez (28') carried the ball up the left wing and split the defense. Her shot was tracked cleanly by Rutledge. UTEP kept the ball in the attacking third, with Zeta McDannels (29') firing just high. The Miners' best look of the half came a minute later, with Dannique Wilson (30') forcing a point-blank save after she was sprung in alone on a thru ball.
 
The Bulldogs survived the continual pressure and found a way to pull into the lead late in the stanza. A shot from Peyton Wiseman toward the far post gave Finley a bit of difficulty. She couldn't quite save it cleanly, and Gray buried the rebound into an empty net. UTEP generated one final shot down the stretch courtesy of Quintero (43'), but it was errant.
 
The Miners earned a corner in the opening moments of the second stanza. After the ball was bounced around the mixer, Ashlyn Neireiter's header was snatched wide of the frame out of the air by Rutledge. The Bulldogs then countered and a cross into the area found Hanton, who finished the sequence with a header.
 
UTEP regrouped after conceding, but Lopez's (53') shot didn't pester Rutledge. Rodriguez (54') hammered a try that narrowly missed wide. Quintero (55') capped the sequence with three shots in three minutes, but it too resulted in a goal kick.
 
The Miners kept probing the LA Tech defense with the intent of getting on the board and back into the game. Lopez (59') misfired, but she remained assertive. Quintero drew a foul in the 66th minute only to have the home side win the service from Yesenia Cisneros.
 
McDannels (68') tested Rutledge on a ball that had ample pace, but she turned it away without allowing a rebound. McDannels (74') was again on the prowl six minutes later, but her shot sailed over the bar. She kept the pressure on, with a shot that was blocked in the 76th minute. Eve Barry (79'), with LA Tech sitting back, tried from distance but it was off the mark.
 
UTEP was unable to get much in the final portion of the contest as the home side held on.
 
The Miners will be back in action when they face Liberty in the CUSA home opener on Thursday at 7 p.m. It marks the first of three straight at home for the Orange and Blue, with Delaware (Sept. 28) and Kennesaw State (Oct. 4) also set to visit University Field (elevation 4,200 feet).
 
Tickets ($10 single-game price) may be purchased by calling (915) 747-UTEP, emailing tickets@utep.edu, visiting www.UTEPMiners.com/Tickets or going in person at 201 Glory Road (Brumbelow Building, UTEP Campus), Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Gates at University Field open one hour prior to kickoff, where fans may also purchase tickets on site.

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