The Gators scored early in the first half when junior midfielder Lauren Smith took a shot that found the left corner of the goal, beating the Lobos’ diving goalie Cassie Ulrich.
Soon after the first goal, Savannah Jordan beat a Lobo defender in the 26th minute and poked the ball over Ulrich’s head to make the score 2-0.
The Lobos had three shots in the first half while Florida had eight.
“I don’t think we gave up great goals. They were little, tentative goals,” head coach Kit Vela said. “The first half we came out, you could tell all of our players were nervous.”
The Lobos came out in the second half more aggressive, and didn’t seem rattled when the Gators took another eight shots.
“I do think we had a lot of good chances that we should have finished,” junior midfielder Lindsey Guice said.
Florida’s Brooke Sharp received a through ball early in the second half in which she faked Ulrich and walked the ball into the goal for a 3-0 lead.
UNM did come close to ending the shutout late in the second half. With 12 minutes left in the game, UNM’s Dylann O’Connor saw her shot go off of the crossbar.
Lobo fans almost erupted when sophomore midfielder Ruth Bruciaga had a chance to score midway through the second. She tried to beat Florida’s goalkeeper but was tripped in the box. The ref waved off the foul and let the game resume.
The two attacks were the only threats UNM attempted in the second half.
Vela said she made more substitutions in this game than she has made in other big games.
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“I made a lot of changes today, probably more than I ever have in a game of this caliber,” Vela said. “I think a lot of people responded.”
Jordan netted her second goal with seven minutes left, sealing the 4-0 win for the Gators.
This was the second ever meeting between the Lobos and the Gators. The Lobos traveled to Gainesville, Fla., in 2012 and fell to the Gators 3-2 in a match in which the Lobos scored first but couldn’t hold the lead.
On Friday UNM won its home opener against Loyola-Chicago 4-2. Four different Lobos scored: Emily Chavez, Cassie Hanson and Claire Lynch in the first half, and Quincy Slora in the second half.
The Lobos’ next game will be against in-state rival New Mexico State on Friday at the Lobo Soccer Complex. That will be their last non-conference game before playing Fresno State on Sept. 26 to start their conference schedule.
Kyle Tomasi is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @DailyLobo.
