EL PASO, Texas – The UTEP soccer team (2-3-1) will be back on the road with two matches this week, locking up at Idaho (2-2-2) at 8 p.m. MT Thursday before playing at Boise State (2-1-2) at 1 p.m. MT Sunday. Both matches will be live streamed, with the contest against the Vandals going on ESPN+ and the tilt against the Broncos streaming on the Mountain West Network. There will be live stats for each contest as well.
 
Get To Know Idaho
Idaho is a quality program which entered the year having produced four consecutive campaigns with double-digit win totals. The Vandals went a ridiculous 46-19-10 during that stretch. They have advanced to the Big Sky Championship match in three straight seasons, taking home the title in 2023. Idaho is 2-2-2 thus far in 2025, helped by recording a shutout in 50.0 percent of its contests (first Big Sky/tied 60th NCAA). It is also among the league and national leaders for shot accuracy (51.8 percent-second/77th) by firing more than half (29-56) of its shots on target. The Vandals also top the Big Sky with a 1.0 goals against average, which is just outside the top-100 nationally (105th). GK Paula Flores, who has logged a total of 540 minutes (first Big Sky/tied 22nd NCAA), has been stellar with three shutouts (first Big Sky/tied eighth NCAA). Annika Farley, who was on the All-Big Sky first team last year, leads the team in goals (two) while sharing the squad advantage for both shots on frame (five) and total shots (11). Five other players have also found the back of the net.
 
Series History With Idaho
UTEP is 1-1 all-time against Idaho, having most recently fallen to the Vandals, 1-0, during the 2023 campaign. Thursday's matchup marks the first time that the Miners will be playing Idaho on the road, as the previous two contests (W, 4-1, 9/21/07, L, 1-0, 9/17/23) both occurred at University Field.
 
Get To Know Boise State
Boise State, the defending Mountain West regular-season champions, enters this week at 2-1-2 on the year. The Broncos had been unbeaten through four matches before being clipped by CSU Bakersfield, 3-1, at home last time out on Aug. 31. BSU is second in the MWC for both total goals (seven) and assists (nine), with the 1.80 assists per contest rating 83rd nationally. It has played a physical style of soccer that has resulted in a league-leading 10 yellow cards (seventh in NCAA), largely in part due to Madie Donovan having already been hit with four cautions (tied first NCAA). The Broncos have been tagged with 63 fouls compared to only 46 from the opposition. Kenzie MacMillan shares the league lead for both total goals (four-tied 32nd NCAA) and shots per game (3.8-tied 37th NCAA). Asia Lawyer (two) has also put away multiple chances while MacMillan and Olivia Collins (two) tie for the team lead in assists. Freshman GK Ava De Leest has secured the bulk of playing time in net, starting four of the five matches. She sports a 1.51 GAA while boasting a 71.4 save percentage.
 
Series History With Boise State
UTEP is 4-1 all-time against Boise State, with every contest occurring from 2001-04 when both programs competed alongside one another in the WAC. UTEP is 1-1 when facing the Broncos on the road.
 
Weekly Honor For Neireiter
Junior Ashlyn Neireiter was named the CUSA Defensive Player of the Week, it was announced by the league office on Sept. 2. It was the first such honor for Neireiter and the initial weekly award for the Miners since 2023. She anchored a UTEP defense that allowed only one goal in two games on the week while also providing the match winner on a header off a corner kick that lifted the Miners past Tarleton State, 1-0, on Aug. 28. She played all 180 minutes of action, helping UTEP possess and dictate the pace of play that resulted in a 44-11 advantage for shots, including 20-4 for shots on goal.
 
Shots A Plenty
UTEP has been tilting the field on the opposition, recording 15.8 shots per game (first CUSA/70th NCAA). That was aided by compiling 44 attempts the past two tilts. The Miners racked up 26 last time out vs. SFA on Aug. 31, their highest total in six years. UTEP posted 28 shots in a 2-0 vanquishing of LA Tech (10/17/19).
 
On Target Too
The Miners have sent 6.83 shots on goal per game (third CUSA/96th NCAA). UTEP has back-to-back efforts with at least 10 shots on goal after failing to reach double figures in that stat category since 2019. Six years ago, the Orange and Blue hit that total against both the University of the Southwest (W, 2-0, 15 SOG, 9/17/19) and at Marshall (L, 3-2, 10 SOG, 9/26/19).
 
Feat For First Time In 10 Years
UTEP has posted consecutive contests with at least 10 shots on goal for the first time in 10 years, finishing with 10 tries on target against both Tarleton State (W, 1-0, 8/28/25) and SFA (L, 1-0, 8/31/25). During the 2015 season, the Orange and Blue strung together three straight such efforts. They accomplished the feat vs. Lamar (L, 3-2, 12 SOG, 9/4/15), Weber State (W, 3-0, 11 SOG, 9/6/15) and at NM State (W, 3-1, 12 SOG, 9/9/15).
 
Quintero Keeps Coming
Sophomore Ana Quintero has been the biggest offensive threat for the Orange and Blue. She leads the team in goals (two), shots per game (4.5-first CUSA/seventh NCAA) and shots on goal per contest (2.17-first CUSA/17th NCAA). She has registered at least four shots in three straight and five of the six tilts on the season. The native of Panama also has multiple shots on target four times, including a season-most four vs. Tarleton State on Aug. 28,
 
Keeping It Out Of Our Net
UTEP's defense, from its backline to freshman GK Savanah Finley, has been stellar. The Miners have posted shutouts in 50 percent of their games (first CUSA/60th NCAA) while yielding four total goals for a goals against average of 0.667 (first CUSA/60th NCAA). Finley is among the league and national leaders for GAA (0.667-first/61st), save percentage (80.0 percent-second/98th) and shutouts (three-tied first/tied eighth).
 
Taking All The Minutes
UTEP freshman GK Savanah Finley is one of 22 netminders nationwide to have played 540:00 minutes on the season, putting her tied for first in the country. Including Finley, three of the keepers on the list are in CUSA, with Sophia Hall (Delaware) and Cadence Rutledge (LA Tech) also logging every possible minute to this point.
 
Slowing Down The Opposition With Shots Too
Given their defensive prowess, it's not surprising to see that the Miners have significant advantages over the opposition for both shots (95-51) and shots on goal (41-20). Foes have been held to three shots on goal or less in four of the six matches, including SFA managing only one try on target last time out on Aug. 31.
 
Youth Served In Net
Freshman Savanah Finley started the opener, and she hasn't looked back. She has posted three shutouts (tied first CUSA/tied 60th NCAA), making her the first Miner freshman GK to record multiple clean sheets in a season since Emily Parrott (seven, 2019). Parrott was also the last UTEP freshman keeper to start the lid lifter before Finley did so vs. Abilene Christian (8/14/25).
 
Defending Without Fouling
Co-captain Ashlyn Neireiter, who has started every match on the back line for UTEP, is the lone field player to log all 540 minutes of action. She has been a key cog of a defensive unit that has only allowed three goals in the run of play (one other on a PK), but incredibly she has yet to commit a foul.
 
Honor Thy Captains
The Miners appointed co-captains for the 2025 season, with defenders Kaila Hudson and Ashlyn Neireiter sharing the honors.
 
Taking Notice Of Ashlyn
Ashlyn Neireiter was voted to the Preseason All-Conference USA Team, the league office revealed on Aug. 7. The junior was tabbed as one of four defenders on the 11-player squad, making her the first Miner to be so distinguished since forward Vic Bohdan was selected in 2018. She was the lone UTEP player to start every match last season while also topping the squad in in minutes played (1518). That was nearly 400 more minutes earned than the next individual on the team.
 
Double Trouble
UTEP has two sets of twins on the 2025 roster (freshmen Damaris Cisneros and Yesenia Cisneros and seniors Kaila Hudson and Kialie Hudson), in addition to three other individuals with twin sisters (junior Eve Barry, freshman Ava Grosso and sophomore Sarina Villa Cuellar).
 
30th Season Of UTEP Soccer
The 2025 campaign marks the 30th season in program history. The Miners boast an all-time record of 284-233-50, including 176-78-22 at University Field (elevation of 4,200 feet).
 
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