Bruciaga gave UNM a 1-0 edge in the 26th minute when she tapped the ball in after NMSU’s goalie saved an initial shot. UNM had 17 shots in the first half while NMSU had 9.
Carrying the one-goal lead into the second half, the Lobos wasted no time as Bruciaga scored her second goal in the 48th minute off a well-played ball from junior midfielder Dylann O’Connor in the box.
O’Connor chipped in with a goal of her own, just minutes after Bruciaga’s goal. O’Connor had the ball near the outside of the box and took a shot which found the left corner of the net for a 3-0 lead in the 50th minute.
Bruciaga finished off her first hat trick performance as O’Connor sent in a corner kick that ended up at Bruciaga’s feet. Bruciaga struck the ball, which deflected off of an NMSU defender and found the left side of the net in the 61st minute.
“I’ve never had a hat trick before here at UNM,” Bruciaga said. “It’s great to do this for my teammates because everyone works hard for me to get goals.”
This was the second time this season in which the Lobos scored four goals in a single game. The Lobos did not have a four-goal game at all last season.
UNM took 32 total shots on Friday night while NMSU had 11. Lobo head coach Kit Vela said possession was key in getting so many opportunities.
“I think we were willing to switch the point of attack, get ahold of the ball, keep possession,” said Vela. “I thought the central players did a nice job of getting ahold of the ball and finding the opposite side.”
With fewer than 10 minutes remaining in the game, NMSU got on the scoreboard when Salina Lucero chipped the ball over UNM’s junior goalie Cassie Ulrich.
The Lobos seized the first 1.5 points toward the Rio Grande Rivalry. The rivalry is a point-based system in which all sports are given point totals and tallied up at the end of the year. The Lobos have won all eight seasons the Rio Grande Rivalry has been in existence.
Vela said she is happy with where her team stands going into conference play, which begins next week. The Lobos finished nonconference play 2-3 and will face Fresno State (1-7) on Friday in Fresno, California.
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“We’ve had a lot of players play more minutes than normal,” Vela said. “It’s going to allow us to know where our depth is, which, come conference time, I think is really, really important.”
Kyle Tomasi is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @KyTo22.
