Box Score LAS VEGAS, Nevada Senior midfielder
Joey Mathot (Port Moody, B.C.), senior forward
Kyle Christensen (Layton, Utah) and freshman forward
Sam Garza (Highland Village, Texas) all scored, as the University of Denver men’s soccer team beat UNLV 3-1 on Friday evening.
The Pioneers are now undefeated in the past 10 games, the team’s longest streak since turning Division I in 1998 and longest overall since going 19-0-1 to start the 1989 season.
“Our guys just found a way to win,” head coach Bobby Muuss said. “We fought back by capitalizing on broken plays. Three big-time players stepped up to make three big-time plays. UNLV is a very good team that has played well at home all year, and I could not be more proud of our guys for the way they played.”
UNLV (8-8-1, 3-6 MPSF) jumped out to an early lead when Ben Haugland scored his first goal of the season off a cross from Daniel Cruz just 3:30 into the contest.
Denver (10-5-2, 8-0-1 MPSF) tied the game in the 22nd minute. Garza picked up a loose ball on a rebound and passed it to Mathot, who buried a shot from the right side to the far post.
Christensen scored the game-winner in the 53rd minute, recovering his own pass and nailing a shot into the right side from nine yards out.
Garza provided an insurance goal seven minutes later. After a UNLV defender and goalkeeper collided, Christensen tapped the loose ball out and Garza buried it.
Sophomore goalkeeper Joe Willis (St. Louis, Mo.) recorded six saves in the victory.
Denver concludes the regular season at New Mexico on Sunday at 1 p.m. The Pioneers have already clinched their first MPSF championship and an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. The selection show for the NCAA Tournament will be announced on ESPNews on Monday at 4 p.m. MT.
