The Lobos, who wore pink as part of their “Lobos Love Pink” cancer-awareness promotion, were coming off a painful 0-1 loss against Kentucky. Old Dominion, on the other hand, came in on a three-game winning streak.
But that did not shake UNM’s confidence. Still disappointed from last week’s performance, the Lobos pulled themselves together to turn things around at the UNM Soccer Complex.
“It was a different group tonight than we saw in Kentucky,” sophomore midfielder Christopher Wehan said. “We really took it to heart.”
Wehan put his team on the scoreboard 24 minutes into the match. He took a through ball from sophomore forward Niko Hansen and found himself facing the keeper alone. While trying to dodge around the keeper, Wehan slipped. It appeared as if he had lost his chance, but he quickly steadied himself and kicked the ball into the empty net.
“It was a great combination, a great through ball from Niko,” Wehan said. “I touched it past the keeper, and the next thing I knew my feet were out from under me. I still thought I had a lot of time, but out of the corner of my eye I saw a guy running in, and I just poked it in.”
Not satisfied with just one goal, Wehan scored a second time eight minutes later. Junior midfielder Ben McKendry passed to Wehan, who scored on a shot from more than 30 yards away.
“That second one was fantastic,” head coach Jeremy Fishbein said.
Moments later, junior forward Kevin Correa broke through the Old Dominion defense. He took a shot and scored, but he was whistled for a foul, so the goal did not stand.
This did not discourage Correa, who soon sent a low cross past the Monarch keeper. Sophomore midfielder Josh Goss received Correa’s ball and scored the third goal for the Lobos in the 35th minute.
The Lobos continued pressuring the Monarchs through the second half, and in the 52nd minute another goal was scored — only not by a Lobo.
Freshman forward Sam Gleadle attempted a cross inside the Monarchs’ area, but the ball did not reach any of his teammates. Instead, the ball was deflected by an Old Dominion defender and unluckily went past the Monarch keeper.
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This was UNM’s eighth shutout of the season, and Fishbein was more than pleased by his team’s performance. The Lobos (10-3-1, 3-2-0 CUSA) dominated the game with a 20-4 shot advantage and an 8-2 edge on corner kicks against the Monarchs (7-5-1, 2-2-1).
“It was probably our best performance of the year,” Fishbein said. “I don’t know if (Old Dominion) has ever lost by four goals; they’re a top 30 team. I’m pretty proud of our guys tonight.”
Wehan said this win helped the team regain confidence, and that without a doubt the Lobos will bring the same energy when they travel to face the University of Alabama at Birmingham on Wednesday night.
Isabel Gonzalez is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @cisabelg.
