Falcons Battle to Scoreless Draw Versus UNLV

USAFA, Colo. – The Air Force Academy women's soccer team battled hard in a physical match, and played to yet another draw, 0-0, Sunday afternoon, Sept. 30, at Cadet Soccer Stadium. The draw is the fifth of the year for the Falcons (1-4-5, 0-2-2 MW) as they set a new program record for ties in a season.

"It was a frustrating weekend for the players, they've played two very good soccer matches but didn't get the results they wanted," Head Coach Larry Friend said. "They bounced back very well from Friday night's performance and came out here and worked very hard against a very good UNLV squad."

Senior goalie Jennifer Hiddink registered her third shutout of the season, the 12th of her career, and it was hard earned as she tallied eight saves on the afternoon. The 12 shutouts now puts her in solo third place in all-time Academy shutouts.

"I was very happy with the midfield today, in particular Erin Speer, Emma Nelson, and Alex Giggie all did a really good, job," Friend added. "Also Rafaella Bucur leading the back four also had a really nice game to preserve the shutout."

Air Force's offense had plenty of opportunities overall tallying 12 shots on the day, three on frame. Senior forward Taylor Cobb led the team with three total shots, including two on net. The Falcons also had a lot of dangerous chances, as they registered eight corner kicks to UNLV's (7-4-2, 1-2-1 MW) three.

The first half was fairly even, as both sides had prime opportunities to score, but were unable to put the ball in the back of the net. Air Force registered four shots, all of which were just off frame, while the high powered UNLV offence tallied five of their own, two of which went for easy saves.

Air Force kept the ball in the offensive third for a good chunk of the first 45, as they had four corner kick opportunities to the Rebels' one. Despite the flurry of opportunities, the score remained deadlocked at 0-0 into the half.

The second half was a physical battle, as there ended up being multiple injury stoppages that interrupted the pace of play. Both sides continued to get opportunities, though, as UNLV had five looks on frame, but Hiddink was stout as always in net, making all five saves.

For the Falcons, their first shot on goal in the entire regulation came in the final 30 seconds, a line drive off the foot of Cobb, but it sailed just high and the match went to overtime.

The physicality continued in the overtime period, as both sides struggled for offense in the first OT. With only a couple looks each, the match went to OT number two.

In the second overtime, the physical play continued as both sides were issued a yellow card, while the Rebels also had a red card assessed in the final 10 minutes. To go along with that, both sides had a chance to score, but the goalies kept the ball out of the net to bring the match to a 0-0 draw.

Air Force gets back on the road next weekend, but they remain in state as they head up the road to Fort Collins to take on Colorado State in Mountain West action. Kick against the Rams is set for a 4 p.m. start.

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Team Stats

Taylor Cobb

Kaitlyn Cook

Emma Nelson

Keelyn Osoba

Players Mentioned

Rafaella Bucur

Taylor Cobb

Alex Giggie

Jennifer Hiddink

Emma Nelson

Erin Speer

Players Mentioned

Rafaella Bucur

Taylor Cobb

Alex Giggie

Jennifer Hiddink

Emma Nelson

Erin Speer

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