However it’s counted, the UTEP soccer team is leading the school into the Mountain West Conference.
The soccer team took University Field on July 30 for its first practice of the season, making it the first UTEP program to fire up since the school officially switched conferences on July 1. They take the field for their home exhibition match against Cochise College Saturday, Aug. 8, when they will become the first Miner team playing a contest with a Mountain West patch on their jersey.
Soccer team leads UTEP to Mountain West
When it hosts Lamar on Aug. 12 it will mark UTEP’s first official game in that league for any sport, and when soccer travels to UNLV on Sept. 24 (a day before volleyball is at Wyoming) it will be UTEP’s first MWC game in any sport.
As UTEP’s soccer team took the pitch for its inaugural workout Thursday at University Field, the sun was figuratively rising on the entire athletic program, the entire university.
“It is so amazing,” said coach Gibbs Keeton said, who begins his fourth season feeling his team is near a breakthrough. “As soon as the schedule came out we did our travel, we did our matchups, and all of that matched up better for the student-athlete experience. The places we’re going to go already seem more accommodating.
“Who doesn’t want to go to Las Vegas, Phoenix, Hawaii as compared to some of the previous places we’ve been.”
Miners ready for turnaround
One place UTEP won’t be going is to Boise State. The defending Mountain West champion, which didn’t lose a league game last year, has gone to the Pac-12, though UTEP did go to Boise last year when it upset the eventual conference champions 1-0.
“The fact that we were able to compete (with Boise) shows we’re ready to be in this conference,” midfielder Kailie Hudson said.
To make an impact in the Mountain West this year, UTEP will have to build on that wonderful day in Boise, which was part of a 3-9-5 season that continued the team’s struggles that go back a decade.
This could be the team to break that string as it looks for UTEP’s second winning season since 2016 (2019 was the last). UTEP’s 29-player roster includes 18 returnees. UTEP believes that familiarity with its system and each other will put this team over the top.
“The two things we’re looking at for the season are how can we create momentum and how can we score goals,” Keeton said. “Those things go hand-in-hand: The more goals you score the more momentum you have. That’s been a point of emphasis in our transition phase in the preseason.
“The way we score is we need players to rise to the occasion, accept the responsibility of what happens when we get high up the field, be confident and put the ball in the back of the net. Those are the two things we’re focused on for the 2026 season.”
Captain Ashlee Mora said the team has been playing well together through the offseason.
“We have a lot of depth, we great incoming players and great returners,” said Mora, who will represent the Mexican national team in the U20 World Cup in September. “We have a lot more confidence and a lot more chemistry which is great for the new Mountain West.”
Five players to watch
Ashlee Mora, Jr., defender
One of three captains (the first time UTEP has had three captains), the Albuquerque native Mora anchors the defense, which has been the strength of the team since she arrived. She had two assists last season. She has been called up to the Mexican national team for the U20 World Cup.
“I love El Paso, I love the people, I love my teammates,” Mora said. “We have great chemistry. I love being here every day and practicing with my team. That will show on the field.”
Ashlyn Neireiter, Sr., center back
The captain was one of three Miners to start all 17 games last year, and she played every minute of 16 of those and 82 of the other. Neireiter was a key part of UTEP’s five shutouts, and her lone goal of the 2025 season was a second-half game-winner against Tarleton.
“Our best attributes are how together we are,” Neireiter said. We are one. We are friends off the field, we’re friends on the field and we want each other to succeed.
“My first year was a little rough but it’s gotten better through the years. This year is where the final piece comes together; we get wins, and we get the community behind us.”
Kailie Hudson, Sr., midfielder
Another captain, she redhirted with the team last year when her twin Kaila. That came after Kailie spent four years at Davidson of the Atlantic 10.
“Something we’ve grown on is communication,” Hudson said. “A lot of times players on the team can be scared and hesitant to criticize and give advice to fellow players, but we’ve grown close to where we can communicate and expect more from each other. That can allow us to be successful.”
Shawna Larson, Sr., attacker
Larson comes to UTEP after one year as a reserve at Sacramento State. Before that she was a first-team all-conference player at Peninsula College (Wa.) where as a sophomore in 2024 she had 13 goals and nine assists for a 15-0 team.
Alana Lawless-Felarca, Jr., midfielder
A first-team all-conference selection last year at Division II East Texas State, Lawless-Felarca had three goals and three assists in 2025.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on X.
UTEP soccer 2026 schedule
All times Mountain. Home matches in bold
Time Date Opponent
6 p.m. Aug. 8 Cochise College (exhibition)
7 p.m. Aug. 12 Lamar
5 p.m. Aug. 16 Sul Ross State
6 p.m. Aug. 20 at Tarleton State
12 p.m. Aug. 23 at Abilene Christian
2 p.m. Aug. 30 at Northern Arizona
7 p.m. Sept. 3 San Diego
5:30 p.m. Sept, 10 at UTRGV
11 a.m. Sept. 13 at Texas A&M – Corpus Christi
7 p.m. Sept. at New Mexico State
8 p.m. Sept. 24 at UNLV*
1 p.m. Sept. 27 San Jose State*
7 p.m. Oct. 2 Air Force*
8 p.m. Oct. 11 at Hawaii*
7 p.m. Oct. 15 Colorado College*
1 p.m. Oct. 18 at Wyoming*
7 p.m. Oct. 24 New Mexico*
7 p.m. Oct. 28 at Nevada*
2 p.m. Nov. 1 at UC Davis*
7 p.m. Nov. 6 Grand Canyon*
* Mountain West Conference match
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: UTEP Miners soccer kicks off new era in Mountain West Conference
Reporting by Bret Bloomquist, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Bret Bloomquist, El Paso Times | USA TODAY Network
