SPOKANE, Wash.—There's no rest for the weary as the battle-tested Gonzaga University men's soccer squad faces yet another tough team Saturday, Sept. 20, when it hosts unbeaten UNLV at Luger Field.
"The Rebels are a good team," said Gonzaga University men's soccer head coach Einar Thorarinsson of his next opponent. "They're returning a lot of players, a lot of talent, and they're apt at scoring goals. We're up against our sixth good opponent in as many matches."
Most recently, the Rebels are coming off a four-point weekend, beating UMBC 1-0 Sept. 12 and playing Detroit to a scoreless draw. UNLV has scored 15 goals in six matches this season, the fourth-most in the nation, while going 5-0-1. Forward Salvador Bernal has scored six of goals and is tied for third-most in the nation. The Rebels scored just once in two games last weekend, however.
"We have to bring our A game Saturday," said Thorarinsson. "We've got to respond defensively and find good scoring opportunities."
The Zags are coming off their best match of the season, a 1-0 loss at then-No. 18 California Sept. 14 which was even closer than the scoreline suggests. Gonzaga outshot the Bears in the first half, and only a 75th-minute goal by Cal was the difference between the two sides.
One thing the Zags will have going for them is the ability to sleep in their own beds. The squad just came off a four-game road swing that took them to Wisconsin, Utah, and California. They'll play just their second home match on Saturday and first since Aug. 29 when they hosted Washington. Last season Gonzaga put up a winning record on Luger Field, going 4-3-1 at home.
A pair of freshman defenders has helped the Gonzaga defense begin to solidify as Fischer Gallinger and Ben White have started all five matches so far this season. They don't come out of the game much either as Gallinger has gone all 90 minutes three times while White's gone until the final horn twice. Both have played a minimum of 70 minutes in each match.
Saturday's match with UNLV will kick off at 1:00 p.m. Live stats will be available through www.gozags.com and live video through http://thew.tv/live.
