Cowgirls rally past Nevada on the pitch

Oct. 8—LARAMIE — The University of Wyoming and Nevada played 76 minutes of scoreless soccer Thursday night at Mackay Stadium in Reno, Nevada.

The final 14 minutes featured a barrage of goals, the majority of which were scored by the road team for a 3-1 win for Wyoming.

"I'm just glad the players finally got to see what they're really capable of," UW coach Colleen Corbin says in a news release. "We played really good soccer. We didn't get lucky. We definitely created some really awesome chances because of the type of soccer we were playing. They imposed themselves and dictated the pace and flow of the game."

Wyoming (3-5-4 overall, 2-2-1 MW) ended the contest with all the fireworks, but Nevada fired the first one. Luz Arreaga found the back of the net off a feed from Abigail Souza in the 77th minute to give the game its first tally.

UW countered when freshman Alyssa Glover scored the equalizer in the 81st minute. Senior Keelie Wortmann served a long ball into the box that ricocheted off a Nevada defender and into the prompt foot of Glover for her first-career goal.

"Credit to Alyssa Glover for coming in and changing the game," Corbin says. "That's why we don't call them starters or bench players or subs. We call them the first on the field and the game changers and that's exactly what she did — she changed the game."

Senior Jamie Tatum helped notch the go-ahead score in the 86th sent a corner kick into the box that found sophomore Taylor Brook, who deposited it in the back of the net for a 2-1 lead.

"We scored on another set piece, which is super exciting because we've practicing those a lot, so that was a lot of fun," Corbin says. "I was really happy for Taylor Brook. She's been working her butt off, and it doesn't show up on a stat sheet, so for her to get a goal and give us the go-ahead was awesome."

Sophomore Maddi Chance put the finishing touches on the come-from-behind victory. She rocketed in a pass from Glover from outside the box that bested Nevada (2-7-3, 1-3-1) goalkeeper Kendall Stovall.

The win marked the second comeback conference victory in the last three games for the Cowgirls after they rallied past Utah State a week ago. It also was the first road victory of the season. Corbin says the confidence built Thursday will pay dividends down the road.

"For us to respond in the way we did, and decide that's not how the day was going to go, is a huge step forward for our program, especially on the road," she said.

UW peppered Nevada with 23 shots, 14 on frame, and Stovall ended with 10 saves. The Wolf Pack managed just two shots as Cowgirl senior goalkeeper Miyuki Schoyen logged one save.

The Cowgirls will next travel to UNLV for a 2 p.m. match on Sunday.

VOLLEYBALL

The UW volleyball team's comeback bid came up short Thursday night in the UniWyo Sports Complex.

The Cowgirls lost to conference-leading San Jose State in four sets 25-22, 25-20, 21-25, 26-24.

After dropping the first two sets, the Cowgirls (6-11 overall, 2-3 MW) wouldn't go away quietly, controlling the second half of the third set. After it was tied at 11-1, UW went on a 5-1 run to gain some breathing room and from there, wouldn't let the lead slip below two points, eventually closing the frame on a 3-1 spurt.

The fourth set was a wild affair as the Spartans (11-4, 5-0 MW) looked like they would put away the match with ease, jumping out to a 12-4 lead. But the Cowgirls responded with an 18-8 run and grabbing a 22-20 lead. UW had set point at 24-22 and nearly forced a decisive fifth, but SJSU closed the match with four straight points.

UW's KC McMahon led the Cowgirls' offense with 14 kills and hit .333. Naya Shimé, also was in double figures with 10 kills, and Tierney Barlow and Teresa Garza added eight and six, respectively.

Wyoming hit .150 in the loss while the Spartans hit .181.

Defensively, UW had a 12-10 edge in team blocks and was led by Barlow and Kayla Mazzocca with five each.

In the back row, Hailey Zuroske paced the Cowgirls with 14 digs. Kasia Partyka had a double-double with 10 digs and a match-high 41 assists. Partyka also had a trio of kills and two total blocks.

Wyoming will next host Nevada at noon on Saturday.