Nevada soccer leaves Laramie victorious at Wyoming

LARAMIE, Wyo. (Nevada Athletics) - Despite playing the final 29 minutes down one player on the field, Nevada defeated Wyoming 1-0 Sunday afternoon for its first Mountain West victory in the Vanessa Valentine era.

After a red card was issued to Nevada in the 61st minute, fifth year defender Gabby Brown converted a penalty kick four minutes later to give the Pack the go-ahead lead. Redshirt senior goalkeeper Emily McCue picked up her first shutout of the season to go with a pair of saves, playing in her first match since Sept. 3 after battling injury. Nevada’s victory at Wyoming, the preseason Mountain West favorite, marked the program’s first victory in Laramie since Oct. 12, 2012. Despite a fouling frenzy that saw a combined nine fouls in the first 20 minutes, Nevada weathered the aggressive storm to create offensive chances. Nevada pressed inside the penalty area to create three shot opportunities in the first half, but the Wyoming defense prevailed and prevented any of the Pack’s chances from coming on frame. The Pack’s defense forced Wyoming into only one shot on goal in the first half, where redshirt senior goalkeeper Emily McCue collected the save of the Cowgirls’ free kick to keep things scoreless after 45 minutes. Nevada once again battled adversity in the second half, being forced to play with 10 players on the field following a red card in the 61st minute. Four minutes after the red card, Nevada drew a foul in the penalty area for a golden opportunity at a goal. Brown easily found the back of the net to give Nevada the advantage with 25 minutes to play. Wyoming pressed aggressively in an effort to get the equalizer goal in the 73rd minute, but McCue jumped in front of the ball to prevent a shot and protect the Pack’s lead. After McCue’s second save of the afternoon, Wyoming looked to capitalize off a corner kick in the final 30 seconds. The Pack’s defense, however, forced the Cowgirls’ last shot to go wide and Nevada sealed its first Mountain West victory of the season. Nevada returns to Mackay Stadium Thursday for Greek/Pride Night and takes on Fresno State at 7 p.m. Tickets start at just $7 online and can be purchased here.

Notes

The Pack picked up its first Mountain West victory in the Vanessa Valentine era.
Nevada’s victory at Wyoming, the preseason Mountain West favorite, marked the program’s first victory in Laramie since Oct. 12, 2012.
Fifth year defender Gabby Brown scored her fourth goal of the season off a penalty kick in the 65th minute to give Nevada the lead. This occurred just four minutes after Nevada’s red card that forced the Pack to play the rest of the match with 10 players.
Redshirt senior goalkeeper Emily McCue picked up her first shutout of the season. McCue returned after missing three weeks with injury and it was her first match since Sept. 3.