Only the top six teams in the Mountain West Conference advance to the conference tournament, and both squads playing on Friday night needed a positive result, making the fixture between New Mexico and Wyoming a critical match.
New Mexico (7-7-3, 3-5-1 MW) entered the match tied for the seventh spot, with Wyoming (9-7-1, 5-4-0 MW) sixth in the standings.
Unfortunately for the Lobos, it just wasn’t their night, with the team suffering a 3-0 shutout.
Wyoming’s first goal came in the 14th minute, when a cross from junior defender Alisha Bass found junior defender Shaina Ashouri, who tapped the ball in with her left foot from three yards out.
The Cowgirls made it 2-0 with only seconds remaining in the first half. Sophomore defender Alyssa Murray received the ball on the right side of the UNM defensive third and managed to sail it into the top left corner of the goal.
A score given up just before halftime in any game will drain the confidence of a team, but the Lobos will rue this goal because they had managed to stay within one goal, playing quality soccer for almost the entire final 25 minutes of the half.
However, the Lobos started out the second half with energy and optimism. UNM freshman midfielder Jessie Hix nearly pulled the team back within one goal in the 51st minute, but her header off a corner kick went just over the goal.
Five minutes later, Wyoming struck its third and final blow. Sophomore defender Taylor Burton’s free kick from near the halfway line found freshman forward Michaela Stark, who flicked the ball with the back of her head past junior goalkeeper Tayler Hammack.
After Wyoming’s final goal, neither side was able to produce many chances for the remainder of the game.
“It seemed like anything they put on frame went in and we just couldn’t get a bounce,” New Mexico head coach Heather Dyche said in a release. “But, at the same time, it was 3-0, so we’ll take responsibility for the loss.”
The Lobos outshot their opponents 14-9 on the night, and both teams registered five shots on target. Michaela Stark, who scored Wyoming’s third goal, increased her total to six on the season, and Shaina Ashouri, who converted Wyoming’s opening score, has now netted three goals in her last three games.
New Mexico is still tied for seventh place with Air Force and Fresno State in the conference standings — all three currently sit at 10 points. Wyoming and Boise State are tied for fifth in the standings with 15 points. The Lobos will have to win their two remaining games and possibly get some help to have any chance of finishing in the top six.
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“Today obviously didn’t go the way we wanted it to, but we can’t let that affect what we do moving forward,” senior UNM defender Olivia Ferrier said. “Our conference is all over the place as far as who is beating who, so we’re not out by any means. But we can’t let this affect what we do on Sunday and the following week at San Diego, because then we will be out.”
The Lobos’ remaining conference games will be played at Colorado State on Sunday, and at San Diego State on Oct. 28th.
Matthieu Cartron is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers women’s soccer. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @cartron_matt.
