RENO, Nev. – The Nevada soccer season kicks off this Thursday when the Wolf Pack hosts Eastern Washington at the Moana Springs Sports Complex at 5:30 p.m. The Pack will wrap up the weekend with a battle at University of the Pacific at 1 p.m. PT.
"We're looking at a good mix of people with different strengths," said head coach
Erin Otagaki when asked about the team. "I think moving into the fall of 2019, we are going to do pretty well."
There will be no live stream of the game against the Eagles, but
live stats will be available at nevadawolfpack.com/soccerls. The game is free to the public, with the complex located at 240 W. Moana Lane, Reno, Nev.
The Pack is looking to emulate its success from the beginning of last season, after getting off to the second-best start in program history with a 3-0-1 mark. Nevada opened last season with a win at Moana, knocking off Idaho 1-0 thanks to a shutout by
Kendal Stovall and a penalty kick from
Payton Lieb in the 86th minute.
Stovall and Lieb are both key returners for the Pack, entering their sophomore seasons. Stovall already ranks seventh in Nevada history with 99 career saves and a .773 save percentage. She was named to the Mountain West All-Newcomer team along with midfielder
Kylie Minamishin. Lieb comes back as Nevada's leading scorer in 2018 with four goals, two of which were game-winners, and a team-high nine points.
Senior
Audrey Barham returns for Nevada for her final season after playing the second-most minutes on the team last season among returners while anchoring the defense. Junior
Hannah Souza will also be back for the Pack after tying Minamishin for the team high with two assists and second with four points.
Nevada has nine newcomers joining the team, including eight freshmen this season. Among those eight is forward
Gabby Brown, who scored four goals in one half in a friendly exhibition against Truckee Meadows Community College earlier in August.
Tickets for this season are on sale now and can be purchased online by visiting NevadaWolfPack.com or by calling 775-348-PACK.
