UTEP Soccer start season 0-2 afrer 2-1 loss to San Diego State

SAN DIEGO, California (KVIA) -- Ashlyn Neireiter tallied her first career goal while Tionna Taylor notched a season-best seven saves in UTEPs 2-1 loss to San Diego State, Sunday morning.

The Miners (0-2) vaulted out to a 1-0 lead behind Neireiter’s tally (20’), but the Aztecs (2-0) rallied for the victory with a pair of goals from Dori Savage (37’, 41’).

UTEP earned three corner kicks and had another opportunity taken away from an offside call. SDSU netminder Alexa Madueno was officially credited with one save.

The Miners nearly pounced on the Aztecs in the opening minute of the match when a shot by Cayman Tamez was punched over the bar by Madueno to set up a corner kick. They secured another in eighth minute, where they couldn’t convert but the breakthrough was coming. In the 20th minute Neireiter bested Madueno to vault the Miners out to the 1-0 advantage.

The Orange and Blue erased an opportunity for SDSU with good discipline to catch it offside on the opposition’s next offensive foray before fending off a corner kick two minutes later. UTEP then blocked a pair of shots in the 26th minute and quality marking coerced a try by Denise Castro to sail wide. The Miners caught the Atztecs offside again in the 28th minute.

The home side managed to even the slate after a scramble off a corner kick led to a tally from Savage. Two shots by Denise Casto had been erased by the Orange and Blue defense, but Savage got to the rebound. The Aztecs staked a 2-1 edge at the break after Savage found the back of the net again in the 41st minute.

UTEP’s defense showed its mettle early in the second stanza, fighting off two corner kicks and then getting a pair of saves by Taylor. The Miners were back on the offensive in the 55th minute by securing another corner kick, but they couldn’t capitalize.

Taylor delivered two more saves, with both shots destined for the lower-left corner, turning away respective tries by Emma Gaines-Ramos (63’) and Trinity Coker (64’). She continued to keep UTEP in striking distance by registering a stop against Alyza Eckhardt in the 79th minute.

Neireiter went in search of the equalizer and a brace only to have Madueno come up with a stop this time.

The Aztecs did enough down the stretch to hold on.

UTEP will be back home for a pair of matches at University Field this week. The Miners will play host to Abilene Christian at 7 p.m. MT Thursday on “Heroes Night” while battling Arizona State at 1 p.m. MT on Aug. 27 on “Camper Day.”