UTEP Soccer delivers a masterclass performance in their 12-1 exhibition win over Sul Ross State
EL PASO, Texas -- The Miners picked up some big time momentum with a 12-1 win over Sul Ross State in their last exhibition game before the regular season kicks-off.
On Sunday UTEP had 35 total shots with 23 on target, this coming after the Miners only managed a total of 4 total shots with 3 on target in their 2-1 loss to Colorado College just 4 days prior.
"We wanted to be on the front foot, we wanted to take advantage of the speed and some of the things we have in our arsenal and I think our girls did that," Head Coach Kathryn Balogun said. "They were able to not only find some gaps and spaces that we didn't find against Colorado College but they also took advantage of their 1v1 opportunities and had confidence driving at players."
The Miners scored 3 goals in the first half before rattling off 9 in the second half, 5 of which came in the last 17 minutes of the game. The 12 goals marked the most UTEP Soccer has ever scored in any kind of match since 2010.
"It was a really good performance in terms of 90 minutes start to finish we put together a good outing," Balogun said.
Nine players found the back of the net for the Miners with Justice Tillotson, Elena Reyna and Mina Rodriguez all recording braces. Meanwhile Tessa Carlin, Leslie Gutierrez, Maia Rodriguez, Lundyn Ladner, Tori Paul and Sophia Lewis all secured 1 goal each.
"You can tell your players that they can do it but once they do it everyone gains some confidence and so days like today [Sunday] definitely help with that," Balogun said.
Perhaps one of the best goals on the day was from Freshman Mina Rodriguez who pressed the keeper, forced a mistake, stole the ball and buried it into the back of the net. Rodriguez now has three goals in the Miners two exhibition games and has emerged as a future star.
"It gives us a good look at the season and how well we work together, so we [gained] a lot of confidence," Rodriguez said. "I train a lot on finding the net so hopefully it keeps coming."
The Miners will look to keep the ball rolling their way when they host UC Davis on Thursday Aug. 18th in their season opener. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at University Field.
