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LAS VEGAS, Nevada (FOX5) — Spurred on by 647 fans in the stands, the UNLV men’s soccer team turned it on in the second half, scoring two unanswered goals en route to a 2-0 victory over Tulsa in the season opener Thursday night at Peter Johann Memorial Field.

“I thought we really grew as the game went on. That’s a testament to this group and what we’ve been focused on, which is getting better than we were last time. After our two preseason games in our first real game, I thought the guys played really well and we’re happy to come away with a good result,” said UNLV head coach BJ Craig.

Senior Brophy Howard opened the scoring for the Rebels (1-0) in the 64th minute when a pass from junior Jonah Craig took him past the Golden Hurricane (0-1) and he scored from outside the 18-yard box. Just over five minutes later, sophomore Mikah Madrid scored his goal in the 69th minute when a Tulsa defender attempting to clear the ball from the box headed the ball right at him.

The Scarlet & Gray defense and sophomore goalie Hugo Lemos earned the shutout after stopping eight of Tulsa’s shots on the night. Lemos saved five shots to earn the win in goal, allowing UNLV to win a close battle in total shot attempts, 9-8.

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