Flagstaff, Ariz. - Freshman Megan Rauschnot's first collegiate goal was not enough, as San Jose State women's soccer (2-5-1) lost, 5-1, to the UNLV Rebels at the Hilton Garden Inn High Altitude Tournament, hosted by Northern Arizona University (NAU).
"This was a better game than what the score indicated," said Spartans head coach Jeff Leightman. "The first 15 or 20 minutes, we were all over them. But we had a lot of giveaways and we did not pressure the ball well enough."
Twenty-two minutes in to the match, the Rebels (6-2-1) scored goals just over a minute apart. The game's first goal was Courtney Botelho's first of the season, and junior Jenn Wolfe netted her Mountain West Conference-leading eighth goal of the year.
Rauschnot's goal at the 27-minute mark cut the Rebels' lead in half. "Kelsey Lord fed the ball to Megan, it bounced and she fired a shot with her left foot that buried in to the goalie's left side," said Leightman. It was a very nice goal, and a play we had been working on."
In the second half, three goals by three different Rebels found the back on the net to close out scoring and lead UNLV to its fifth-straight win.
Freshman Zoe Makrigiannis, starting her first collegiate game, made five saves for the Spartans, while UNLV goalkeepers Kylie Wassell and Kelli McCracken combined for one save.
Said Leightman, "UNLV played sharp, they played well, and they capitalized on their chances. That is the way it goes sometimes. We need to take care of the details in the match on Sunday (at 1:00 p.m. versus NAU) and hopefully we will be able to get the results."
San Jose State faces tournament host NAU on Sunday, September 16, in a 1:00 p.m. matinee. Live stats of the game are available on www.sjsuspartans.com.