UTEP soccer proves defensive fortitude in scoreless draw at UC Riverside

RIVERSIDE, California -  Freshman Savanah Finley registered two saves and quality performances all over the pitch added up to the UTEP soccer team (1-1-1) playing to a scoreless draw on a hot evening at UCR (0-2-1) on Thursday.

It marks the second straight clean sheet for Finley, something that hasn’t been accomplished by a Miner freshman GK since Emily Parrott also did so down the stretch of the 2019 season.

The effort helped UTEP, which has conceded just one goal over the first three matches of the campaign, stretch its unbeaten streak to two.

At the other end of the pitch, the Orange and Blue kept Highlanders netminder Trinity Hale on her toes. 

UTEP pestered her with three different shots on target-one each by Eve Barry, Zeta McDannels and Olivia Roskos- only to have Hale manage to fight off the chances.

The Miners also took three corners while successfully defending a trio of corners courtesy of the Highlanders.

UTEP iset up shop deep in UCR territory, securing a corner kick less than two minutes into the tilt. It didn’t produce fruit, but the tone had been set.

After the ball was cleared away, the Miners pushed back up the pitch. 

A touch into space, however, was too heavy and the home side was given a goal kick as result.

The Highlanders then went on the offensive, but the try from Ally Yoshimura (7’) kissed off the cross bar and went over the frame. 

Finley was up to the task in denying a try that skittered toward her in the middle of the frame by Lauren Nguyen (17’). Three minutes later, UTEP tried to break the deadlock, but Barry’s shot, who was just inside the 18-yard box, was handled by Hale.

The two squads continued to battle for control of the contest as the half wore on. The Orange and Blue secured another corner kick in the 38th minute. The ball was served into the area, but the Miners were unable to capitalize.

After UCR’s possession was snuffed out by the UTEP defense, the Miners methodically used multiple throw-ins to work the ball into the mixer. It led to McDannels (43’) firing low and hard on target where Hale managed to make the save.

The match was nil-nil through 45 minutes of action.

The Highlanders earned their first corner kick of the game early in the second stanza. Quality marking from the Miners resulted in Finley Aghassi’s shot sailing errant over the goal. UTEP quickly created a counterattack where Roskos made Hale produce a strong save on a shot she tried to sneak into the lower left part of the frame.

Tensions remained high as the clock kept ticking down, with an attempt by Aghassi (66’) again off target as result of fundamental defense by UTEP.

The Miners’ backline then blocked an attempt from Sarah Mahfoud (71’). After a quick throw-in, Finley corralled a chance from Sanaa Guyness.

Close marking kept giving UCR fits, with Macie Baird’s shot (81’) creeping above the frame with a little less than 10 minutes to play. 

UTEP then began to string together passes with the hope of punch one past Hale in the waning minutes.

The Miners’ tenacity led to a third corner kick with five minutes remaining in the match, but they couldn’t break through.

UTEP didn’t give Selena Hernandez any room to work with in the 88th minute, with the shot going both high and right of the frame.

The Highlanders secured a corner kick with 80 seconds to play, but the Miners didn’t even allow them to get anything going toward the goal.

UTEP will shoot for extending its unbeaten streak to three when it wraps up their stay in the Golden State by playing at Cal State Fullerton at 5 p.m. PT/6 p.m. MT Sunday.