The Lobos were two offside rulings away from winning their Conference USA opener against the Kentucky Wildcats.Instead, they walked away from Sunday’s match with a 1-0 loss.
A loss that broke a five-game winning streak.
Less than two weeks ago, Kentucky held the No. 21 spot. A week later, it was the Lobos who inhabited that ranking.
A few days before the match, UNM head coach Jeremy Fishbein said he knew it would be an interesting match, as both Kentucky (5-2-1, 1-1 C-USA) and New Mexico (5-3-0, 0-1 C-USA) were considered good teams.
Kentucky got the game winner when junior midfielder Noah Hutchins, assisted by senior defender Charlie Reymann, took a shot in the 5th minute. The ball looked like it was going to go over the net, but it curved down just enough to make it into the Lobo net.
“We gave up kind of a flukey goal five minutes in. That first half was back and forth," Fishbein said in a release.
Five minutes later, defender Chris Gurule looked for the equalizer when he sent the ball straight to the bottom right side of the Kentucky net. However, Wildcat Stuart Ford didn’t hesitate to make the save.
Ford made a mistake outside the box in the 21st minute and was marked for a handball. That earned him a yellow card and gave the Lobos a free kick, one that New Mexico was not able to convert it as the Wildcats blocked the attempt.
In the 37th minute, Ford once again grabbed the ball outside the box. UNM’s sophomore defender Aaron Herrera tried to convert the opportunity but his shot was also blocked by the Wildcat defense.
Two minutes later, it was the Lobos who stopped a goal in their own net.
Goalkeeper Jason Beaulieu made a big save when Kentucky’s Stefan Stojkovic took a shot that almost increased his team’s lead. Beaulieu stopped the ball, although he didn’t grab it all the way. The ball was loose and Stojkovic turned to get it back, but Beaulieu got a hold of it just in time.
In the 43rd minute, the Lobos had a corner kick that finally allowed them to get one in the net. But Devin Boyce’s goal was not counted due to an offside that was called earlier in the play.
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A few seconds before the first period was over, Sam Gleadle sent the ball in between two Wildcat defenders and right to the center of their net, but Ford moved quickly to make the save.
UNM had a slight 6-5 edge in shots during the first half of the match, but only three out of their six shots were on goal. All five of Kentucky’s were on target.
The Lobos took over the pitch during the second half, recording six more shots, three of these on goal. They also added five more corner kicks to their stats. Fishbein described the team’s second-half intensity as a “great shift.”
New Mexico got a corner kick in the 62th minute. Josh Goss put this ball into play and it eventually made its way to Chris Gurule. Gurule’s kick went right past a defender and into the net, but this became the second disallowed goal of the night from an offside ruling.
In the 74th minute, defender Tom Smart sent a shot toward the right side of the net in between two defenders. Ford was paying close attention and didn’t have to move much to make this save.
The Lobos created a few more chances but were never able to find the equalizer.
"It was a tough result,” Fishbein said in the statement.
By the end of the match, New Mexico lead 12-6 in shots — 6-5 on goal — and 8-3 in corner kicks.
“I wouldn't say we had easy finishes but we created a lot of half-chances. You've got to take those, you've got to score goals,” Fishbein continued in the statement. “The guys played really well that second half, they showed a lot of composure and a lot of drive."
After two weeks on the road, the Lobos will return to Albuquerque for their second Conference USA match of the season, this one against the FIU Golden Panthers.
Isabel Gonzalez is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. She mainly covers men’s soccer and basketball. She can be reached at sports @dailylobo.com or on Twitter @cisabelg.
