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EL PASO, Texas – The UTEP soccer team will launch the 2017 season with the First Light Federal Credit Union Battle of I-10 at NM State at 5 p.m. MT Friday. The Miners will then wrap up the opening weekend of action with their home opener against Abilene Christian at 1 p.m. Sunday. It will be the “Camper Reunion” game, with Miner soccer academy members getting in free. There will also be posters given away, prize packs, autographed gear and mini soccer balls.

“We are very excited for the 2017 season to start,” UTEP head coach Kevin Cross said. “We are not starting off with an easy weekend as we play our rivals, NMSU, in Las Cruces on Friday at 5 pm. They are always tough and battle extremely hard. We want our UTEP Soccer fans to make the journey up I-10 to support us. 

“We then return for our home season opener on Sunday versus Abilene Christian at 1 pm. We believe they are one of the hardest working teams every year on our schedule. Last year we battled them to a tie in Abilene. We would love to see our 2017 campers at the Sunday game as it is camper reunion day where our 2017 campers get free admission. Please help UTEP Soccer kick off the UTEP Athletic Department season strong! Thank you very much for your support of UTEP Soccer. We really appreciate it.”

Going Back In Time

Lauren Crenshaw (88’) converted a penalty kick while Alyssa Palacios recorded six saves to highlight the action for the UTEP soccer team in an entertaining 2-1 setback in a friendly vs. Pacific 12 power Arizona at a steamy University Field on Aug. 13.

Series History Vs. NM State

UTEP is 6-0-0 all-time against NM State, including 2-0 when playing on the road. The Miners’ wins in Las Cruces have come by respective scores of 2-1 (9/12/12) and 3-1 (9/9/15). Furthermore, this is the fourth year (2009, 2011 and 2016) that the Miners and Aggies are meeting to kick off the campaign.

 

Series History Vs. Abilene Christian

UTEP and Abilene Christian are locking up for the fifth consecutive year. The Miners are 2-0-2 vs. the Wildcats but each of the contests have been extremely competitive with every game being decided by one goal or less. Defense has ruled as well with neither team scoring more than once in any of the four contests.

 

It’s Been A While

For the first time since 2012 UTEP is kicking off the season on the road.

 

Start It Up

The Orange and Blue are 13-2-1 in season openers under Kevin Cross and 16-4-1 all time since the program’s inception in 1996.

 

The Basic Facts

UTEP is in its 22nd season as a program, boasting an all-time record of 239-156-30. The Miners are under the direction of 17th-year head coach Kevin Cross, who sports a mark of 197-108-23 in that time frame. He is assisted by two former Miners (Heather Clark and Jessie Pettit).

 

Closing In On Club 200

Kevin Cross enters the 2017 season with a career record of 197-108-23, putting him on the cusp of joining an exclusive club in UTEP Athletics lore. With three more victories Cross will become the fifth head coach in Miner sports history to reach 200 career wins at the school. Previously Don Haskins (men's basketball, 719-354), Norm Brandl (volleyball, 355-337), Keitha Adams (women's basketball, 284-209) and co-head coaches James and Kathleen Rodriguez (softball, 211-325) achieved the feat. Cross also has the fourth-most tenured run by a Miner head coach. He trails Haskins (37 years), Jere Pelletier (women's golf, 22 years and counting) and Bob Kitchens (track & field, 22 years).

 

Trailing Only Haskins

Not only has Kevin Cross put himself on the cusp of the 200+ win club at UTEP, he has done so in style. His winning percentage entering 2017 stands at 63.6 percent (197-108-23). That figure would trail only Hall of Fame Coach Don Haskins (men's basketball) among the 200+ victory UTEP head coach club. Haskins had a 67.0 winning percentage (719-354) in his 37 seasons roaming the sidelines.

 

A Unique Blend

UTEP's roster of 27 for 2017 has a unique blend with 16 native Texans, seven individuals hailing from Canada and a quartet who call Arizona home.

 

Who Is Back?

UTEP returns 13 letter winners, including six starters, from last year's team that forged a mark of 13-7-2 while making a run to the 2016 Conference USA Semifinals. The starters back are Kennadie Chaudhary-Sr., MF, Lauren Crenshaw-So., D, Kori Lewis- So., D, Jeanna Mullen-Sr., F, Alyssa Palacios-Jr., GK and Payton Ross-Jr., D. The other returning letter winners are Danielle Carreon-So., F, Jodie Enokson-R-So., MF, Devyn Hunley-Sr., MF, Kobi McNutt-So., F, Carleigh Simmons-Jr., D, Natalie Valentine-So.,-MF and Aylin Villalobos-So.,MF/F. Also in the fold are four redshirts who missed last year. They are Dynastee Cain-R-Fr., F, Cayla Payne-R-Fr., D, Sheridan Smith-R-Jr., F and Danielle Trought-R-So.,D/MF.

 

Youth Served

Even though the Miners have 13 letter winners returning, including six starters, they are notably young in 2017. Of the 27 student-athletes on the roster, 20 are either freshmen (12) or sophomores (eight). There are only three seniors and four juniors.

 

Road Warriors

In 2017 the Miners hope to continue an unprecedented string of success on the road. Last year they went 5-4 in road matches to extend the school-record streak of a winning road record to four straight seasons. Overall they are a combined 21-12-3 on the road in that stretch.

 

There’s No Place Like Home

The enthusiasm and passion for UTEP by Coach Cross has helped him build a loyal fan base, which has made University Field one of the toughest places to play at in the country. The Miners have forged a mark at home of 119-29-10 since 2002, including 7-3-0 last year.

 

RPI Success

One of the best ways to measure a team's worth across the board is the RPI, and that's an area UTEP has thrived in. The Miners have produced a top-100 RPI in five of the eight past seasons and 10 times total under Kevin Cross, including a program-best 31 in 2005. Additionally, the Miners have secured a spot in the NSCAA Central Region top-10 poll in 11 of the past 13 seasons.

 

Matter Of Consistency

The Miners have averaged 12 wins while appearing in three conference title games and one NCAA tournament (2005, second round) under Kevin Cross. UTEP is one of 12 programs nationwide (325+ programs) to have hit 10+ wins in each year since 2002. Joining the Miners are Boston College, Florida, Florida State, North Carolina, North Texas, Notre Dame, Penn State, Stanford, Texas A&M, Virginia and West Virginia.

 

Shutout City         

UTEP recorded a school-record tying 11 shutouts in 2016. The Miners also blanked 11 foes during the 2006 season

 

Other Notables From 2016

The Miners won 13 games last year, which were the most since 2009 and tied for fourth on the program's single-season charts. UTEP also set a school record for saves (137) while checking in second for most corner kicks (120), fewest goals allowed (19), goals against average (0.84) and tied for seventh in assists (38).

 

Palacios’s Historic Season

Alyssa Palacios, a 2016 Conference USA third-team honoree, had a season for the ages last year. She set the program GK record for shutouts (nine) while finishing second in save percentage (.874), saves (132), tied for second in wins (13) and third in GK minutes played (2015:03) and GK games started (22).

 

Palacios’s Historic Career

With two seasons in the bank, junior goalkeeper Alyssa Palacios has already cemented herself as one of the best netminders in program history. Heading into 2017 Palacios is a fixture in the career UTEP rankings. She is currently first for save percentage (.847), second in saves per game (5.79), fourth in shutouts (15), saves (243) and goals against average (1.02) and fifth in GK wins (24), GK games played (42), GK games started (42) and GK minutes played (3,878).

 

No Rest For Ross

For the second straight year defender Payton Ross proved to have unbelievable endurance. A leader for the defense, she has been on the pitch for every minute of every match. Ross has started all 42 contests, logging a total of 3905 minutes. She is the first Miner field player since at least 2002 (prior stats are incomplete with minutes played) to play every minute of every match on the campaign. Moreover, Ross has done it in back-to-back seasons, her only two at UTEP.

 

Crenshaw’s Corner

Defender Lauren Crenshaw played with an ability beyond her years in 2016, and her efforts did not go unrewarded. She was tabbed to the C-USA All-Freshman squad, but more impressively she secured NSCAA All-Region third-team accolades. Crenshaw was one of only two freshmen in the region to be so distinguished. She also became the fifth player in program history to secure All-Region recognition as a freshman. She was one of five Miners-and the only freshman on the team- to start all 22 contests. The defender logged the third-most minutes (1,851) on the team and played with tremendous grit and determination. She also showed off an innate ability to jump into the offensive attack at the perfect time, which resulted in one goal and a trio of assists.