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LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – In its first match of the season against a nationally ranked opponent, the UNLV men’s soccer team kept close to No. 20 Ohio State before being edged by the Buckeyes, 3-2, Sunday at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. The contest was the final of two weekend appearances for the Rebels in the Wolstein Classic hosted by OSU.
Despite facing one-score deficits twice on the day, the Rebels maintained their composure to the tune of recording equalizers in both instances via goals by sophomore Tyler Ware and senior Nico Lopez. Ware’s 35th-minute score, which coincidentally was assisted by Lopez, came in response to an OSU goal just three minutes prior and Lopez hit the back of the net in the 63rd minute.
The Scarlet & Gray stuck alongside Ohio State on the scoreboard a majority of the match, ultimately being outdone only by the deciding 77th-minute goal by the Buckeyes’ Nick Skubis.
Helping UNLV maintain within striking distance throughout, sophomore goalkeeper Hugo Lemos guided the Rebel backline with his six saves after facing a barrage of 18 shots and nine shots on goal.
“These are great games for us early on in the season. To go on the road and push a top-25 team to the last whistle at their place says a lot about the character of this team. We needed these games (against Ohio State and Dayton) to learn and test ourselves in order to help us grow. Now, we need to stay focused on the process and keep moving forward as we get ready for another road test against another top team,” said UNLV Head Coach BJ Craig
UP NEXT: The Rebels continue their road swing against another top-25 ranked squad on Friday with a visit to No. 24 UC Santa Barbara to take on the Gauchos at 7 p.m. PT.
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