One-on-one with UTEP’s Gibbs Keeton; Miners prepare for start of MWC play
EL PASO, Texas - The undefeated UTEP soccer team will commence Mountain West action with a pair of matches, playing at UNLV at 7 p.m. PT/8 p.m. MT Thursday before turning around to welcome San Jose State to University Field at 1 p.m. MT Sunday.
The contests against both the Rebels (2-4-2) and the Spartans (1-4-2) will be streamed exclusively on MW+, with the Miners (6-0-3) looking to carry momentum from their best start in 21 years into their inaugural season in the Mountain West.
Sunday’s matchup will be the Hispanic Heritage game where fans can buy a $5 ticket at the entrance by wearing a soccer jersey while also enjoying food specials and maracas giveaways.
Sign Up For MW+
All UTEP home matches and every league contest will be available exclusively on MW+. Built to bring fans closer to the action, MW+ serves as the dedicated home for UTEP's live events, original programming and on-demand content. Through its partnership with Kiswe, the Mountain West is introducing an interactive viewing experience designed for Miner Nation that is flexible, accessible and built for scale. MW+ subscriptions are available for $79.99 annually or $10.99 monthly. Fans can become MW+ subscribers and watch the Miners at https://watch.themw.com/utep/soccer-womens.
Last Time Out
UTEP demonstrated its moxie by using a second-half goal from Zeta McDannels (52’) to rally for a 1-1 tie at I-10 rival NM State and conclude nonconference play undefeated (6-0-3). Macey Williams delivered a brilliant service from just past midfield that found the head of McDannels, who elevated above the pack to hammer it home for her team-leading sixth goal of the season. Savanah Finley was credited with one save. The match also marked the return of Ashlee Mora, who had been absent since the second game of the season as a result of representing Mexico at the U20 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Poland. UTEP controlled good chunks of the contest, outshooting NM State, 15-6, including 5-2 for shots on goal. The Miners also earned five corner kicks.
Get To Know UNLV
UNLV stands at 2-4-2, but that has been hindered by a road mark of 0-3-2. The Rebels have been much better at home, going 2-1, including topping Pacific, 3-2, last time out on Sept. 17. Kaitlin Taylor headlines the attack with five goals (third MW/74th NCAA) while Julia Salem also has produced multiple tallies (two). Taylor has added two assists, giving her a total of 12 points (second MW/86th NCAA) on the year. Madison Encinas also boasts two helpers on the year. Taylor has done well to get her tries on net, boasting a shot accuracy of 0.563 (fourth MW/95th NCAA). Riley Hodson has earned the bulk of minutes in net, forging a record of 2-2 with one shutout. She has been credited with 15 saves for a GAA of 2.00. The Rebels play a physical brand of soccer with 11.9 fouls per game (11th MW/324th NCAA), which has translated to one red card and 11 yellow cards (second MW/41st NCAA). UNLV puts up 1.38 goals per game, but that has been offset with a GAA of 2.125 (11th MW/294th NCAA).
Series History With UNLV
UTEP and UNLV will be meeting for just the fourth time when the programs square off in the Sin City on Thursday. The Miners won the most-recent matchup, 1-0, in Las Vegas on Aug. 28. The Rebels had claimed the first two tilts in 2000 and 2014.
Get To Know San Jose State
San Jose State is 1-4-2 on the year, including most recently downing Sacramento State, 2-0, at home to pick up its first win of the year on Sept. 17. The Spartans stand 0-2-1 on the road having secured a positive result with a scoreless draw at CSUN on Sept. 3. They play smart soccer, committing only 8.0 fouls per game (third MW/95th NCAA), in addition to doing a good job of getting shots on net with 0.492 shot accuracy (third MW/80th NCAA).
Abigail Peterman has produced two of SJSU’s four goals on the season while a quartet of individuals have been credited with assists. Paige Fry is 1-3-2 on the year as the primary GK, aided by two shutouts (fourth MW). She has posted a league-leading 38 saves (70th NCAA) and sports a save percentage of 0.844 (third MW/40th NCAA) and a GAA of 1.10 (fourth MW).
Series History With San Jose State
UTEP is 3-4 all-time against San Jose State, with all those matchups occurring when both the Miners and Spartans competed in the WAC. The two sides squared off every year from 1999 through 2004, including a matchup in the conference tournament. The Orange and Blue have claimed the past three matches, winning them by a combined score of 12-1.
Best Start In 21 Years
UTEP stormed through nonconference play without a loss (6-0-3), marking the best start to a season since 2005 when the Miners were undefeated through 15 matches (14-0-1). This year’s edition of the Orange and Blue boast the third-longest undefeated streak to begin a campaign in program history (12-0, 2002). Furthermore, the 2026, 2005 and 2002 squads are the only ones in school annals to go undefeated in nonconference action.
Talking Conference Openers
UTEP, which previously competed in the WAC and Conference USA, will play its first Mountain West match when it challenges UNLV in Las Vegas on Thursday. Incidentally, the Miners will be kicking off league action on the road for the fourth straight year. UTEP will be taking aim at winning its conference opener for the first time since the 2020 season (played in Spring 2021 due to the Covid-19 Pandemic) when it bested LA Tech, 2-1, at home on Feb. 28, 2021. The Orange and Blue also are looking to claim their first road league lid-lifter since a 3-2 come-from-behind victory at Marshall on Sept. 26, 2019.
All About That Offense
The Miners enter Mountain West play with 15 goals on the year, which is already the most tallies since 2019 (28). The Orange and Blue have been credited with 14 assists, which is one shy of last season’s total. The last time UTEP finished a year with more than 15 helpers was in 2021 (18). The Miners have been consistent, scoring in four straight and eight of the first nine contests. That’s the longest streak in five years when the Miners produced at least one goal in six consecutive matches.
Getting Defensive
The Miners have outscored the opposition, 15-4, never allowing more than a single goal in a game. The four tallies conceded are the fewest to this juncture of the season since 2016. That year the Orange and Blue allowed four goals over the first 10 tilts of the campaign.
On A Scoring Surge
Sophomore Zeta McDannels has found the back of the net in three consecutive contests, compiling a total of four goals in that stretch. It’s the longest scoring streak since Lauren Crenshaw also buried a shot in three straight matches in 2018. The last time a Miner produced a goal in at least four consecutive games was Angela Cutaia with a streak of five in 2015.
Something Not Seen Often By A Sophomore
Zeta McDannels’ six goals are the most on the year by a UTEP sophomore since Brittany Kindzierski went wild with 11 scores in 2010.
Sharing Is Caring
Forward Dannique Wilson enters league action with a team-high four assists, matching her total from last year. The last time a Miner had more than four helpers was in 2019 (Tessa Carlin, seven and Jojo Ngongo, five).
Most In The Mountain West
By virtue of her hot streak, Zeta McDannels enters Mountain West play with a league-leading six goals (35th NCAA). Her six scores are the most by a Miner since Lauren Crenshaw found the back of the net seven times in 2018.
Winning Close
The Miners have four wins with a one-goal differential this season, showing the ability to close out contests in style. That is the most such victories since 2024. The last time UTEP enjoyed more triumphs with just a one-tally difference was in 2019 (five).
Double Your Pleasure Despite An Unbalanced Schedule
UTEP’s six victories on the season double its win total from 2025. It also is the most in a season for the Miners since 2019 (10-7-3). Making it more impressive is that UTEP has played just three matches at home. Following the tilt at UNLV, seven of the first 10 matches will have been on the road. It marks the first time in 24 years that UTEP will have had just three of its initial 10 contests at University Field.
Road Warriors
UTEP is 3-0-3 on the road, its longest streak without a loss in hostile territory to start a season since 2013 (5-0-1). A positive result at UNLV would extend that surge to seven matches, which would set the school standard for longest unbeaten road record out of the gates. The trio of triumphs in hostile territory tops the total of such victories over the past three years combined. It’s also already the most in a season since 2019 (4-4-2).
Standing Alone In The Mountain West
At 6-0-3 on the season, UTEP is the only program in the Mountain West to sport an unblemished record (through Sept. 20). All 10 other members of the league have lost at least two matches. Furthermore, the Miners are one of 17 programs nationally without a loss.
Finley’s Moving On Up
Sophomore GK Savanah Finley has registered four shutouts on the year, lifting her career total to eight. That effort already puts her in a tie for sixth place all-time in program history, standing alongside Emily Parrott (2019-21) and Jessica Salvi (2006-07). Her next blanking will give her sole possession of sixth place while also putting her three shy of Chandra Morden (12, 2008-11).
Shutout City
UTEP has already recorded five shutouts on the year. The five clean sheets equal the total from 2025 and are two shy of cracking the program’s single-season top-10 list.
Continuity In The Starting XI
Eight Miners have started every match of the season, affording head coach Gibbs Keeton some much-needed continuity out of the gates. Kialie Hudson has earned a starting nod in all eight of her appearances while Avery Easley (eight) and Shawna Larson (four) both have plenty of experience in the starting XI, resulting in a very stable look for the Orange and Blue.
In The Rankings
The Miners’ tremendous start to the season has put them among the Mountain West leaders and within the top-100 nationally for multiple categories. Among them are goal differential (+11, first/58th), goals against average (.444-first/14th), save percentage (.882-first/12th), shots accuracy (.481-fourth/99th), shots per game (14.6-fourth/97th), shots on goal per game (7.0-second/70th), shutout percentage (.556-second/43rd) and win-lost-tied percentage (.833-first/16th). Individually, Haylee Lancaster and Zeta McDannels both sport two game-winning goals (second/42nd). Dannique Wilson checks in among the leaders for total assists (four-first/50th) while McDannels does so for both goals (six-first/35th) and total points (12-second/86th). GK Savanah Finley is also among the leaders for multiple categories, including goalie minutes (795:41, first/75th), GAA (0.452-first/23rd), save percentage (.875-first/15th) and shutouts (four-second/28th).
Roster Rundown
UTEP has a solid nucleus of returnees in place for 2026. The Miners returned seven starters (GK Savanah Finley, MF Anai Lopez, MF Zeta McDannels, D Ashlee Mora, D Ashlyn Neireiter, D Olivia Roskos and MF Maya Vitoria) and seven others (MF Yesenia Cisneros, F Kaitlyn Duntley, D Avery Easley, MF Cassie Garza, F Ava Grosso, MF Ella Rorabaugh and MF Dannique Wilson) to give it 14 letter winners total in the fold from last year. There are also three players (MF Damaris Cisneros, MF Kialie Hudson and D Sasha Lucero) ready to rock from 2025 who sat out last season. UTEP added 12 newcomers, with five DI transfers (GK Jaylyn Hammond, Grambling State, F Shawna Larson, Sacramento State, MF Alana Lawless-Felarca, East Texas A&M, D Gianna Wilbur, Miami (Ohio) and D Macey Williams, Saint Peter’s University), five freshmen (MF Kylie Alvarez, MF Bethlehem Daniel, F Haylee Lancaster, D Nyalah Reeves, D Sophia Tovar) and one each from the JUCO (F Valeria Agudelo) and NAIA (GK Ava Brandt)level.
Neireiter Never Comes Off The Pitch
UTEP senior D Ashlyn Neireiter takes fitness to a whole new level. She has gone the full 90 minutes in 40 of the past 42 matches, missing a combined 20 minutes of action since the beginning of 2024. Additionally, she has started every game (60) of her career.
A Trio Of Captains
Seniors Kialie Hudson and Ashlyn Neireiter and junior Ashlee Mora will have leadership roles in 2026, with each being named a captain for the team.
31st Season Of UTEP Soccer
The 2026 campaign marks the 31st season in program history, with the Miners sporting an all-time record of 291-239-58. That is aided by a record of 6-0-3 on the year.
Keeton Era Hits Year Four
The 2026 season is the fourth at the helm for El Paso native Gibbs Keeton. Buoying the gaffer are assistant coaches Morgan McDougal and Jared Hallman, who are also in their fourth years.
